Full Circle: Mixed Media Works 2013-14
Ink & Watercolor 60x45cm 2014A few years ago Pérez Franco reiterated his life long passion for drawing. With pen, pencil or quill in hand, Carlos felt liberated, especially in his later years when back problems made expansive canvas work more difficult. While drawing, nothing seemed shackled. He felt free to concentrate on the picture rather than the process. No longer was he restricted by materials, drying times, pigment mixing or carrier compatibility.
Pérez Franco worked on certain ideas and themes for decades, He rarely finished any series with the same set of materials with which he started. Many series therefore feature works that combine drawing and various forms of paint, often both watercolor and full-bodied acrylics or oils.
Carlos wanted to go full circle to return to his mixed-media roots from which his talents first blossomed. His goal was to create a timeless series of work anchored by the drawn structures that encapsulated numerous generations of aesthetic style, flattened compositions and social study.
The culmination of that desire was a group of works that clearly express this material freedom and revisitation. From 2011 through 2014, Pérez Franco completed dozens of works on paper that use a wide variety of media, tools and techniques. They are primarily drawn with ink, after which he applied thin color washes before detailing with paintbars and acrylics. Further ink accents completed the work cycle and images that we believe are some of his finest.
Said Carlos upon completion, "I used what made sense and what seemed to work best for each intended picture. Drawing gave me the spontaneity that my ideas craved and my workflow demanded. Call it calculated de-skilling. Color added succinct punch and mood, but I think the pictures stand foremost on the drawn structures as intended."
Works from this series are available, including urbans, scapes and group figuratives. Examples below:
