We recently connected with Fabian Perez and have shared our conversation below.

FABIAN, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I originally started drawing, like any kid, when I was very young in Argentina. When I was 10 my mother signed me up to a drawing class, but it coincided with the month of the Soccer World Cup of 1978, so I attended a couple of classes, and then I dropped out so I could watch the matches on TV. Eventually, It was in Italy when my teacher Oscar Higa, after seeing the drawings I would do at dawn, suggested I should take art more seriously because I could have a great future with it. Shortly after, I moved into a friend’s hotel. One day the sister of a friend of mine came over, she worked at a gallery in Germany, and after looking at one of my watercolors he asked me how much it was. Even though to that point I had never thought about pricing my work, I told her ‘35.000- liras’. And she bought it! From that moment I started to think that if I could sell one, I could sell more, and live from it, and paint as much as I wanted.

FABIAN, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At one of my bar exhibits in West Los Angeles, I met an Argentine painter, who after a very good critique asked me if I wanted to work as his assistant. That’s how I started earning enough to be able to live off my art, and from there I was hired for lots of commissions, portraits and murals. In 2002 I started participating in important art shows, like New York, San Diego etc and that is when my work started to be seen by the European market and my carrer grew amazingly. Eventually, I opened the Fabian Perez gallery of Neo-Emotionalism on Melrose in Los Angeles.

Now what I provide are mainly portraits that are a reflection of my illustrious journey, environments, and capture the beauty of life. When I paint it feels like every painting I start is the first one. When I’m done I feel liberated. It’s as if the idea that was dancing in my head gets heavy and suffocating. I need to let it out. I believe my art is genuine, because the artist strips himself of masks and armors, leaving his personality exposed. I am very introverted and extremely sensitive, an endless dreamer. I live a grand romance with life, with lots of intensity, sometimes to the point of self-destruction. But I am an optimist. I can see that I am living, not that I am dying. I think God makes the world more beautiful with the wonders of Nature, and an artist’s duty is to make it beautiful through his work. My art is reflective of this since I have embraced the timeless beauty of that era that both men and women embodied. I was never rebelling against my environment, but the way I paint the men in my art is also a reflection of how I have felt on the inside throughout different periods of my life.

So, if I were to pick a specific piece I am proud of, I’ll say UNTITLED II because it evokes pretty much how I live my life. I never follow the crowds, or fashion. I don’t agree with the majority way of thinking or acting. That makes me an eccentric being for the rest of the people, and brings me a lot of difficult times but more satisfaction. This distinction inspired me to feel the need to create my own movement, and I called it Neo- Emotionalism (as mentioned before, a movement with no technical boundaries). Where the importance of creating with emotion goes beyond the technique used.

Ultimately, what I want potential clients/followers/fans to know about me, my brand, my work, is that my paintings are not just a person, it is the whole space and mood around them, and inside them. It is a culmination of myself, family, and loved ones. I use these art forms to portray the soul – it’s not about the physical body, but the spirit!

I invite the readers to visit my local gallery in Melrose Art District. It is located on 6715 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles 90038. The gallery is now featuring the best sellers of my carrer. We open by appointment (no purchase required). We also have dates in our calendar when we open the doors to the public (no appointments or reservations needed). Please check on the gallery instagram to know the upcoming events.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The pursuit of an artistic career itself is a challenge of resilience. Through the many ups and downs which for me have included many stories. A specific story came from learning to not become so possessive over the art I create after one of my favorite paintings that I did not want to sell got burned during a big fire in my studio. After that event I learned a really valuable lesson, that the things you create, over all, belong to the universe.

Also, for a long time I was the kind of person that thought that everything felt “too tight”, I always wanted to be somewhere other than where I was. Looking for something better. But I realized that when I painted I would go into a sort of trance, I felt good, without expectations, living intensely in the present and I didn’t need anything else. To me that resilience to keep going while remaining present is a beautiful story itself.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the growth you experience when constantly changing and perfecting your craft. At the beginning of my career I painted figurative, then sub-realism, symbolism, abstract and finally I decided to come back to figurative work that I find more challenging.
I think it is good for an artist to explore and discover new sensations through different mediums.
I never judged or analyzed my technique, nor my subjects. Meanwhile I work, I interpret what I see, and I fudge myself into the essence of creating. I consider a painting “good” when it is genuine, and shows the feelings of the artist through his skills. The creator and the creation need to match. Art shouldn’t be considered by meaning, but for what it expresses. That’s why I created the NEO-EMOTIONALISM movement with no technical boundaries.
This growth is accompanied with patience. I believe that no matter what you do, there are no shortcuts that allow you to arrive faster. Not to think about your result, but leave the results at the consequences of your experiences and effort on the journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WWW.FABIANPEREZGALLERY.COM
• Instagram: @FABIANPEREZGALLERY
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FabianPerezArt/
• Linkedin: FABIANPEREZGALLERY
• Twitter: @FabianPGallery
• Youtube: @FabianPerezArtist