Artist of the Month January 2007

Niles Cruz

Brooklyn, NY

It's been a life long preoccupation, I began painting landscapes at about the age of 12, they were crude, but I loved the smell and feel of the oil paint. My first abstraction was painted on the wall of a friend's attic at about the age of 18,it was about 6 ft high and 8 ft. wide, painted in tempra it dried quickly , I loved the scale of the work, it was exciting, that was in the late 60's, That large mural was the start of my commitment to the life of an artist.

How and when did you start creating art?

It's been a life long preoccupation, I began painting landscapes at about the age of 12, they were crude, but I loved the smell and feel of the oil paint. My first abstraction was painted on the wall of a friend's attic at about the age of 18,it was about 6 ft high and 8 ft. wide, painted in tempra it dried quickly , I loved the scale of the work, it was exciting, that was in the late 60's, That large mural was the start of my commitment to the life of an artist.

What media and genres do you work in?

I apply various mediums to several types of transparency I prefer not to be " locked in" to types of genres etc, although, it also obvious to me that it is almost impossible to escape some historical link to artists of the past.

Who or what are your influences?

My very earliest influences included the theories of Kandinsky, in particular his ideas about color and form, the early more minimal work of Frank Stella, and the writings and attitudes of the Surrealist, in particular Max Ernst. All of this rounded off with a touch of Miro and Klee.

Inspiration, to me, is not an obvious part of my work I create on impulse, using an often vague or fleeting moment , or vision, to initiate my process. I very often walk into my studio with no idea what is about to occur. Much of what I do is a series of controlled accidents. This opens up a fertile dialog for that work, and the work that will follow in the future." Poetic Displacement, 2006" is very much a product of that "controlled accident".

Describe your creative process?

For several years I have been concerned with working quickly in an accelerated manner, primarily, because I am in constant flux myself, any idea or image that I have to work on for a long period of time begins to bore me, I lose interest, I lose the vision. I found that collage as a technique offered some speed to the image making process, also the appropriation of some of the imagery, made it easier to arrive at an expression without having to burn up a lot time creating these images myself. I have recently used printers and Inkjet techniques and even personal photographs to complete portions of the work. Like the Pop artists I find machine made imagery a valid form, and medium. I use acrylic, ink and other types of mixed media to complete the work.

What are you working on currently?

My current work is a departure from some of my recent "narrative" images. Once more my desire to create rapidly pushed me forward to eliminate the "narrative" aspect in my art. The "storytelling" (implied or otherwise} in the previous work became burdensome in its terms. The new work is somewhat more objective in it's approach. The last few pieces are more about the WAY they are made, and the overall look of something that is a cross between a reproduction, a drawing and a painting, yet on the surface of these pieces reveal no physical evidence of how they were made.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

My near goal is quite simply to get into my studio on a day to day basis. Long term goal would be to become a better artist by creating work that "does something" to people, to visually provoke thought on some level. This provocation is difficult to attain in a world that is on many levels, visually overloaded.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

My work can be seen on my website, nilescruz.com. I update my site with new work on a regular, monthly basis. My site includes contact info, and a portion that is dedicated to news about gallery exhibits, opening receptions, etc.