Because of the way he paints it so clearly and effortlessly, it’s obvious Jorge Calero understands nature’s complexity. Jorge, who was born in Colombia and currently lives in Portugal, studied fine arts at the Angel Maria Valencia fine arts university.
He also learned serigraphy, or screen printing, and engraving at the Corporacion Prografica and La Tertulia Art Museum, and specialized in serigraphy in Margate, England. He holds a degree in contemporary aesthetics and modern Portuguese art.
“My pictorial and sculptural work relies mainly in the deep sense of joy nature provides,” Jorge said. He focuses on his sense of bewilderment from nature, and aims to support preservation of natural life through his work, which he shoes individually in galleries and museums across the country and in Spain.
Even with the immense amounts of green hues and objects found in the untitled piece below, Jorge manages not to lose sight of detail. He inserts fun objects that allow my eye never to tire of the piece as I take in flitting butterflies, emerald foliage and a sleepy sloth.
Snakelike vines and branches quietly twist and weave throughout the scene. Green, pink and orange leaves wrap back down to their stems, reminding me of paper chain links I used to make as a kid in art class. It lends itself to a simple, whimsical experience, with layers upon layers of fantasy and magic!
Leaving the warm jungle behind, in the piece below, it seems as if ice, gas clouds, air and glass are all swirling around at the same time, creating a celestial, yet arctic-cold experience.
Little cracks in the fragile center of the painting explode forth in shimmering billows of lilac, jade and cerulean, all which complement one another beautifully. Light and dark hues compete with one another, as do changes in linear patterns that create spatial awareness in the piece. Small white dots sell the idea of motion from the center of the painting moving rapidly outwardly.
Even a tactile sense comes across in the painting, as we can almost feel the hard arc in the center surrounded by light, spongy colors radiating from all four corners.
Lastly, from the bubbles floating upward to the “fun-mirror” sensibility of the blurred background, everything in Psichodelic below convinces me that I am truly underwater.
Life abounds with every splash and wave of fins, coral and vegetation. Objects swirl and sway in and out of one another, making it difficult to decipher what we’re really seeing. However, every once in awhile, a particular fish or perfect bubble comes into focus, sharply detailed for a split second before movement of the vast ocean upsets and distorts again.
Nature will continue to reveal itself in Jorge’s work, but you must visit his website! Make sure to check out the intricate painting of white birds and red berries found at the top of page three, along with my favorite sculpture—a butterfly/fish adaptation—on page six.
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