Artist Statement
Jorge Fernandez, CEO and Contemporary Sculptor
Hello, my name is Jorge Fernandez. I am the CEO of a Hispanic 500 company and also a contemporary sculptor. Although sometimes seen as “hard” and “soft” at opposite ends of the scales, it is not unusual for business and the arts to meet. Business is a major patron of the arts and design is an integral part of new product development. The spirit and the imagination that makes art also make a successful business.
I first started painting as a hobby. As a Cuban-American, my journey from canvas to sculpture was inspired by the great masters. Painting was my initial passion – the draw that took me to use oil on canvas in the first place. It was the sheer physicality of colors that I liked rather than –as with other artists-just their interplay or combinations. I was shaped by strong primary colors –the vivid shades of Little Havana and the colors of the Caribbean - and sought in turn to shape them, to “extrude” them onto canvas. This attachment to the physical side of color led me to sculpture.
I had worked with metal over many years. At first it was metalworking as a mechanical process: machining and production, sheet metal and components. Over time, the metal passing through my hands acquired a tonality and depth that would open avenues to my art. It was no longer cold, hard, and lifeless, but alive to my touch.
In my search for a language that would express my latest vision, the colors of the canvas gave way to new forms in metal. What did I want to represent in the sculptures? The central theme is one of greeting someone or something upon meeting them, hence the title of the series is “Welcome…”
Jorge Fernandez