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Works by Mikey Hernandez
On view March 24 - April 29, 2023
Visit Fort Worth Gallery
Guided meditation with the artist April 15, 10:00 a.m. in conjunction with his exhibition Transcending.
Artist Statement
I make process driven, large-scale, non-representational works on paper. Because my works are process-driven, discussing the process is essential. I started each piece with a wet-on-wet technique using watercolor, ink, gouache and water to create a pathway of color, forms and textures. When I was finished, I walked away and allowed the pigment to shift, water to evaporate and for the painting to dry. This was exhilarating as I worked with a process that allowed me to have control and relinquish control. When I returned, I decided if the first stage achieved the results I wanted. If it didn’t, I put the artwork to the side and started again. Once I achieved the results that I wanted, I responded intuitively to the color and marks made on the paper by using chalk pastels, colored pencils or charcoal to create more depth and implied textures. In the end, my paintings turn into an enigma, a topographical or cosmic-like landscape that also mimicked a microscopic world. Through scale, composition and mystery, my aim is to facilitate a space where the viewer can experience the sublime. Just like I allow the materials to find their way, I allow the viewer to find their way. These works are more than a process-driven means to achieve an outcome. I would not say that they are about meditation, but I feel my artwork is akin to my meditation process. Both in my meditations and artwork, I intuitively work on areas in hopes for growth and a better outcome by the end.
Artist Biography
My name is Mikey Hernandez. I am a Texas native living in Irving, Texas. Currently, I am a MFA student at the University of Dallas. All of my life, I have been a creative person. I started in the performance art of “colorguard," first as a performer and later as a designer and choreographer. I taught several high school marching bands and colorguard programs in the DFW area while attending the University of Texas at Arlington, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in History in 2005. What I love about colorguard is that I am able to convey abstractly through color and motion, the mood and story of a song. I enjoy the performance aspect of conveying a character and maneuvering a flag or wooden rifle to mirror the accents of the soundtrack. After graduation, I found myself in the merchant services industry. Fortunately, I was able to continue to teach colorguard programs in the area. Because my job was stressful, the company provided a stipend as an incentive to find a project to decompress after work hours. I enrolled in a painting class and loved it. There was a pull to want to keep painting. In 2016, my department was sold off to another company, in which I accepted a job offer at the new company. My time with the new company was short lived and I found myself teaching colorguard again. In a time of career-confusion, I wanted to become an artist, but I was afraid to make the leap. Instead, I decided to change career paths to teaching. I enrolled in art classes full time at a local community college as I worked on passing the Art TExES exam. Within a year, I was teaching Art and Painting classes at a nearby high school. Although I enjoyed teaching, I still felt this calling to become a professional artist. In 2021, the opportunity to attend a graduate art program at the University of Dallas (UD) was offered to me. After a year and a half, I received my Master of Arts in Art (MA) degree and I was also accepted into the MFA program at UD. As an MFA student, I am preparing for a career as a professional artist. Post graduate school, I will seek gallery representation and art professor opportunities in the area.