Artist Profile: Pato Paez

Artist Statement I was born in Tucuman, Argentina.  Growing up, I took every opportunity I had to create art.  In the early 90′s, I was an exchange student in New York City.  From the moment I arrived, I was stunned by the city’s art scene and knew that one day I would come back to…

Artist Statement

I was born in Tucuman, Argentina.  Growing up, I took every opportunity I had to create art.  In the early 90′s, I was an exchange student in New York City.  From the moment I arrived, I was stunned by the city’s art scene and knew that one day I would come back to pursue a career as a professional artist.  After a short stay in the US, I returned to Tucuman and enrolled in medical school.  I completed all 5 years of intense study, but decided not to become an MD. Instead, I packed my bags and moved to New York City to pursue a career as an artist.  Soon after my arrival, I began taking classes at The Art Students’ League of New York, where I had the pleasure to study with Larry Poons (one of my mentors), Kikuo Saito, and Knox Martin, among others.  As I moved through the different stages of an artist’s education, I learned a great deal of technique and, most importantly, I learned great deal about myself as an artist.

I put myself through art school working as a consultant for Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro, a law firm that specializes in medical malpractice law.  In addition to analyzing medical records and prepared detailed reports on the medical aspect of the case, I prepared all trial exhibits, which included technical drawings, photography, charts, etc. During this time, I also engaged in freelance projects, which allowed me to experience other areas of the art and design world.

My work is very colorful and has a myriad of icons.  I paint on whatever I can get my hands on: walls, furniture, canvas, clothes, etc.   The media are mostly acrylic, spray paint, and silkscreen prints. Although the sizes of my work vary, I prefer working on large pieces.  I particularly enjoy working on installations, which allows me to transform a space completely by using different materials and objects.

IMURI

A few years ago I started IMURI, a Brooklyn design studio, committed to producing colorful work for people’s walls (and much more). The company handles the business part of my art. Like all start-ups, there have been great moments and scary ones too. www.imuriproject.com

At this time, most of IMURI’s work consists of  large-scale installations for both commercial and private spaces. Additionally, I have started developing mass produced works, which are sold through IMURI’s online store: http://imuriproject.bigcartel.com/

Some of the publications that featured IMURI’s work are Harper’s Bazaar, Elle Décor, Tokion Magazine, ThrilList Magazine, and in a book called Paint Style by Smallwood & Stewart.

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