The Goldmark Cultural Center’s John H. Milde Gallery is proud to present “Evolution”, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Goldmark artist Mikey Hernandez.

The exhibition is on display from 4 February 2025 to 28 February 2025, with a closing reception on Saturday 2/22, from 1pm - 3pm, and an artist talk at 1:30pm that day.

About the Exhibition

This exhibition explores the “evolution” of my process and the “evolution” of how I have presented my artwork over the last three years. These pieces were a part of my Master of Arts (MA) and my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) thesis body of work.

My process is a means to find balance using intention, chance and intuition. I use my sketches as a launching point to determine where I will place my wet media. Intention begins with each piece on the floor, using a wet-on-wet technique and dropping ink, gouache and watercolor to create a pathway of color and forms. As water evaporates and the pigment shifts, chance often occurs as unexpected forms and pathways start to surface. I enhance and foster these forms and pathways using additive or subtractive measures. When the desired results have been achieved, I rotate the orientation of the painting in order to find the best balance within the composition. Using dry media such as soft pastels, colored pencils or charcoal, I lean on my intuition to choose areas where I can expand dimensionality and enhance implied textures.

In the end, my paintings turn into an enigma, a topographical or cosmic-like landscape that often resembles a universe or nebula. They play ambiguously on the micro and the macro. They are a mindfulness means of exploring the relationship between chaos and balance. Each piece is a reminder of my desire to ground myself, find inner peace and question the purpose of my existence in this world and universe.

-Mikey Hernandez