Becoming
an artist
Stephanie, charcoal on cardboard, 1997
In 1997 Hector Jose Reies took his first drawing class with Professor Gianpiero Rosati at the School of Fine Art of Puerto Rico. He did not know at that time how much that decision will change his life. The artist was 23 years old, married with a daughter of 3 years old.
"Professor Rosati was teaching how to use a pencil with one eye open to measure the Still life to draw it using the proportion on the paper. That was my first lesson and I felt like a magician. Then, I stared at a plaster head for two hours and made the drawing. At the end of the course, three months later, Professor Rosati made us draw the same plaster head to see our drawing improvement. I remember seeing both drawings and feeling a powerful emotion, and I said, "this will be my life."
These works were from that first drawing course.
1998-2002
Reies was admitted as a full-time student in Fall 1998 at the School of Fine Arts of Puerto Rico. He tried first to be admitted through the Portfolio session but was not enough. Then was invited for three days workshop and finally got accepted.
"Receiving that acceptance letter from EAP (School of Fine Art) made me happy and changed my life.", said Reies.
Stepahanie (Daughter), acrylic on canvas, 1998
H mandala, Mix media on newspaper, 1999
Artists that Influenced Reies
He was influenced to experiment with textures and nontraditional materials by artists like Joan Miro, Cy Twombly, Antoni Tapies, and Joseph Beuys. During those years as an art student, Reies was using common materials like newspaper print, spray, oil sticks, stencil, acrylic house paint, and marble dust.
Mathematics played an important role in those years. He admires how mathematicians and scientists developed ideas from experimental thought and bring a great impact on our life.
Art is the path to bringing our emotions and no window at all for logical thought. It seems our brain cannot deal with both at the same time. Reies goal was to connect that two sides using the right and the left side of the brain at the same time.
Leaves (trilogy), Mix media on newspaper print, 2001
Best time of my life
The artist Hector Jose Reies had a great list of Professors that shaped his artistic mindset. The list includes Julio Suarez, Charles Juhasz-Alvarado, Carlos Marcial, Luis Felipe, Silvia Benitez, Jose Luis Vargas, and Nathan Buddoff among other. He still remembers how amazing were those days discovering something new every single day.
"Those years at EAP (School of Fine Art) were the best of my life. I got goosebumps every time I think how wonderful were those days discovering every day a whole new world.", said the artist.
5N + 5H, acrylic, mix media on newspaper print, 2002
5N + 5H
Graduation as a Fine Artist in Painting requires a thesis about an academic investigation. Reies used the title of the painting 5N + 5H to write a thesis about how the artists used the title as a work of art itself.
Reies researched artists like Clifford Still, Joseph Beuys, Hans Haacke, Rene Magritte, and many others that used the title to complement their statement and not only to name a work.
The thesis finishes with a twist of fiction when a Math Professor saw this painting in the exhibition and the title helped him to solve an equation he was working with.
The artist Hector Jose Reies works were far from solving any real problem but we are binary beings between emotions and logical thought, and his work tried to bring together these two poles that look like opposites.
Reies graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2002.