Expressions On-Line 2
VIEW VIDEO OF THE SHOW Best viewed full screen.
The show was judged by Paco Martin who awarded a First Place, Second Place, Third Place and two Honorable Mentions. Paco did not have access to the artists’ names during the judging process.
Paco Martin – “Waiting For You” Colored pencil on Caballa 109 paper glued to a board, 7.75″ x 7.75″ |
Many of the pieces are for sale and indicated with an * in the video slide show. If you would like to purchase a piece, contact chapter Vice-President Karen Smith (vicepresident@cpsa207.org) who will get you in contact with the artist. You will need to work with the artist to solidify packing, shipping and/or delivery. Those additional costs are not included in the prices listed here.
Judge’s Statement
I am absolutely honored and grateful to be the awards judge in this beautiful exhibit. The quantity and quality of the works blew my mind away. I have analyzed them in detail over and over again and, if I´m honest, it was really hard to make up my mind. In essence, I based my decision on the composition, the technique and what in the work inspires me. As for me, I always try to make something different, original. Therefore, I tried to find something emotionally powerful, something which really hits a nerve, and of course, it was very difficult to make a final decision. I would like to congratulate all the artists for their excellent work. Keep it up!
About Paco Martin
Paco Martín has been passionate about colored pencils since the time he was in Elementary School in Madrid, Spain. He kept such passion alive during his school years and through college, even when he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry Engineering and later a Master’s Degree in Renewable Energy. He found a way to feed his love for painting at the same time that he fueled his interest in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. Surprisingly, he still found some time for music and guitar playing which is his second passion.
When he was in college, Paco realized that all the self-taught techniques that he had acquired that far were not enough. He needed some formal training and guidance, and he attended classes for 20 years in an Art Studio, he learned how to paint with oils and he was captivated by pastels. The new learning also helped him to still improve with colored pencils, and Paco realized that colored pencils were his technique. However, he felt that there was a long way ahead of him in order to become the best version of himself as an artist.
Little by little, he realized that he could reach as much realism as he wanted using colored pencils. At the same time, the technique allowed him to communicate the strongest emotions. Colored pencils became his language as an artist. His work became meticulous, even obsessive, carefully observing the world around. He experimented with shapes, volumes, textures, and composition, trying to recreate the harmonious beauty of small objects of everyday life, which are a form of art for him. With his strong background in Mathematics, he has found a connection over the years between the two beauties of Math and Painting, and he likes to incorporate aesthetically pleasing geometric shapes, designs, or golden sections. However, he is now focused on the study of the human figure, which he is introducing in his next paintings.
The last few years have been very positive and productive. He has developed a network of fellow artists friends from Australia, Canada, America, United Kingdom, Malaysia… where he learns a lot while he tries to contribute. One of his goals is to spread this beautiful technique within Spain, where it is not as popular as it deserves to be. Paco is a member of different colored pencils associations (CPSA, UKCPS, IGOR) and he has received recognition with several awards. At the same time, he has achieved the designation UKCPS Silver, and CPSA, CPX. He has started to share his gift with other enthusiasts, leading several master classes and exhibitions in Madrid, Spain, the UK, and Sofia, Bulgaria, as well as workshops on colored pencils in person or online in Spain and the other countries, especially the USA. These have been a very rewarding experience for the artist, and, at the same time, they have been a gateway to sell his paintings. Visit https://www.pacomartin.art/
He still feels he has a lot of challenges ahead of him, always trying to capture the delicacy of everyday life with just some humble colored pencils.