Artist Juan J. Moreno at UConn Torrington:
Beyond image: exploring the nature of color through abstract painting
On Thursday, February 20th 2014 at 7:00pm, artist Juan J. Moreno will give a talk at the University of Connecticut Torrington. Moreno will discuss how he became involved in making art, focusing on his creative process and the evolution of his imagery from representational to abstract. His talk is in conjunction with his exhibit, Beyond Image, that features several large color field paintings in the campus’ Brick Wall Exhibition Space. These abstract paintings give the viewer a glimpse into Moreno’s range of artistic expression. Smaller watercolors, prints, sculpture, materials, and tools will be on exhibit in the Whitson Gallery. Sponsored by the ARTS Project, the talk will be held in the Whitson Gallery, followed by a reception for the artist. The event is free and open to the public. An inclement weather date has been set for Thursday, February 27th.
Juan J. Moreno began his artistic studies in his native Colombia in 1986 at the atelier of David Manzur in Bogotá. In 1986 Moreno moved to the United States and continued his training at the Art Students League in New York City. In 2002 he earned both his B.A and his M.F.A in painting at Western Connecticut State University.
Moreno views his painting career of almost 30 years as one that has evolved from making traditional portrait and landscape paintings, to formalist compositional studies. In viewing his abstract paintings in Beyond Image, one immediately experiences the paintings’ surfaces: the application of carefully selected color made with strokes and dots against backgrounds that both support and interact with those marks that seem to hover above the surface of the canvas.
Moreno says, “In my approach to the paintings in this show, I departed from representational subject matter and executed my work focusing on color and composition. The works are abstract, with no intended meaning on my part. I have sought to explore the dynamics of color and the illusion of space within the limited two-dimensional canvas. I invite the viewer to interpret the work and become part of the creative process.”
Moreno’s work has been exhibited throughout Connecticut, including shows at the Mattatuck Museum, Albertus Magnus College, Manchester Community College, and the Silo, New Milford. In addition to his career in art, Moreno has taught studio art and art history at several Connecticut community colleges. He lives and works in Kent, where he and his wife, Karen, find inspiration from the natural world in the Litchfield Hills.
Located at the University of Connecticut Torrington campus, the ARTS Project promotes an environment that celebrates the visual arts. Conceived as a sister project to the Litchfield County Writers Project, the purpose of the ARTS Project is to present exhibits in both the Whitson Gallery and the Brick Wall Exhibition Space, sponsor artists’ talks, and develop programs that showcase individual artists as well as serve as a vehicle to explore the creative process. All our exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. No reservations are needed. Artists’ talks are held in the Whitson Gallery at the UConn Torrington campus, 855 University Drive, Torrington, CT, 06790. The Brick Wall Space is open to the public Monday – Friday 8am – 9 pm. Please call 860-626-6800 for this semester’s Whitson Gallery hours.
The show, Beyond Image, runs February 3rd through April 4th. For more information, please contact Pamela Bramble, Associate Professor of Art and Coordinating Director of the ARTS Project at pamela.bramble@uconn.edu 860-626-6821 or visit the ARTS Project website at http://artsproject.uconn.edu/ For directions to UConn Torrington, please visit www.torrington.uconn.edu and click on ‘Visitors’ or call 860-626-6800.
For more information, contact: Pamela Bramble at pamela.bramble@uconn.edu