Eberth Perez, whose art is informed by the rich aesthetic and cultural traditions of Spain, will be the featured artist at Butterfield Garage Art Gallery during September, in celebration of the city’s 450th birthday. The exhibition will open during the First Friday Art Walk on September 4, a special all-day event from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Profoundly influenced by his Spanish ancestry, Perez is best known for his oil paintings and drawings of precisely rendered classical subject matter, often combined with elements of photorealism or the startling juxtapositions of surrealism. His work is designed to evoke thoughtful interpretation and, in his words, “a true appreciation for Good Art, Culture and Beauty.” “Art has always been more than just a good painting to me,” he explained. “It must have heart and soul, life and realism, inspiring a creative response from the spectator in the gallery or in the home.” Perez is also a master portraitist, rendering his subjects in compelling graphite and pencil drawings that reveal depth of character.

As a child growing up in Cuba he would always rather be drawing than playing a game, he remembered, and so with his parents’ full support, he began art classes in Havana at the age of twelve and continued his art studies in Spain when his family immigrated a few years later. Returning to Cuba, he earned a degree in fine art from the highly-respected Academy of Drawing and Painting of San Alejandro and worked as a restorer of oil paintings at the National Museum of Fine Art in Havana. He continued his art career in Caracas, Venezuela, before moving to Florida and working as a scenic artist for Walt Disney World in Orlando. “Now I call St. Augustine home,” he said, “now I am dedicating my life to my art.”

Perez has been influenced by a number of European classical artists including not only the Spanish masters Velazquez and Murillo, but also Bosh, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Durer, Caravaggio and Rembrandt. His work has been exhibited in Havana, Caracas, Madrid and Mexico City, as well as in cities throughout Florida.

For further information, please call 904- 825-4577, visit the website at www.butterfieldgarage.com, or contact Jan Miller at janmille@bellsouth.net