5th PLACE WINNER :: José Vazquez / Switzerland

---

Artist Statement :: Born 1978 in Switzerland, Jose Vazquez began his artistic visualization by experimenting with acrylic and oil painting. His explorations into digital art manifest themselves in multi-layered large format prints often combining dozens of separately photographed and 3D images to create complex visual narratives depicting his deep fascination with the cycle of life, death, and mysticism. The beauty and subtle use of color, light and shadow within his paintings, serves as an ethereal gateway to the dark and mysterious world depicted within his pictures. by David Levy (Red Door Gallery) "We are all affected by the stories of our present lives, our ancestral history, and the desires held at arms length by the unknown. Somewhere amongst the shadows and lights that occupy the subconscious mind, these fragmented moments reveal themselves. The result is an intimate view of the dark and mysterious characters that occupy his dream world. Love, want, desire, hope, and forbidden thoughts are the key themes that permeate throughout his imagery. Like Jacob’s Ladder, Vazquez is filled with angels ascending and descending, his people driven into exile, his hopes and dreams cascading through a tunnel at times filled with light, but more often encountering the mystical and dark creatures waiting to lure us into oblivion. As with Jacob, he is always accompanied by angels, ensuring that in some way he will always be able to climb his Sulam." > Visit artist's website