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Fernando Luis Ribas-Berain
Fernando Ribas Berain is a visual artists from Austin, Texas that calls San Antonio home.
Fernando is a sculptor and painter that began his career as an artist late by most standards. Although he was drawn to the visual arts at a very young age, he wouldn’t begin to come into his craft until he was almost 40 years old.
It was only after years of working in art handling, public-art installations, faux bois fabrication, and construction work that he developed the techniques and, more importantly, the confidence to make art for himself.
Fernando is inspired by the fleeting moments of existence, and is enamored with the journey of self actualization. He strives to create art that encourages this sentiment.
Resume (PDF)
Work Samples (PDF)
MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST
Artist Statement of Work
Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):
Fernando Ribas-Berain creates works of art that are the result of a personal interplay of epiphany, texture, color, and allegory. His passion is to monumentalize those eternal insights that we all have. Fernando creates sculptures and sculpture-like paintings that bend perception visually and metaphorically.
His pieces are the culmination of his attempt to materialize his humanity. The artist creates abstract pieces that capture the curves of everyday life, like the gentle folds of a fresh linen, or the twisted stargazing bend of a desert Ocotillo.
Utilizing the practices of construction and faux bois fabrication, each piece is constructed using rudimentary building and craft materials in an attempt to codify the elusive flashes of truth, beauty, and wisdom worth remembering.
Work Samples:
- Tío Spill It (2023)
- Abstract painting. Upcycled house paint on construction paper, magnets, screws, and cardboard tubes. (11' x 4')
- Cupid’s Chlamys (2023)
- Paper-mache-clay chlamys sculpture in the vein of those found in The Alliance of Athena and Mercury by Jacob Matham after Hendrick Goltzius.
Current Projects:
- Virgo
- Desert Ocotillo of concrete with blooms of resin and recycled latex paint.
- Wild East
- Cowboy hat in the style of Qinghua porcelain