José Lerma let's you into his process with every work. You can literally see the broad strokes, the motions, the thickness of the paint, as it takes a figurative yet abstract form of a portrait. The motion in his work allows the viewer to follow lines throughout a face, throughout the body, and what you see is both a simplistic yet utterly complex method of creating a portrait.
The Chicago-based painter just opened Parecidos (Similar) at Diablo Rosso in Panama City, featuring a series of these broad color portraits and new black and white grid portraits. You can see the labor-intensive motions in each work, how perfect the color selections are. If you stand close, the works appear to be a study in the application of paint, but upon a step-backed view, you see the power of paint and how acrylic can be moved to create form. Stunning indeed. —Evan Pricco
