Penguin Beach, 2015

Alfie Fernandes  

Alfie Fernandes is a contemporary process painter – that is, one whose visible technique tells the story of how the painting was made. Through his use of paint scumbling, impasto painting, graffiti, and smooth brushwork, variegated textures delight the eye, all the while telling the story of the work's selfsame construction. Fernandes varies subject matter, as well, dividing his output into portraits, pop icon portraiture, and abstraction. While one of his abstract paintings may conjure a relationship to a sea horizon or desert landscape, his pop icons of legends like Marilyn and Elvis abound with clever graffiti, relevant to the time period of the given star. His portraits of anonymous folk are totally of-the-moment, capturing the gritty textures and bravura manner of today's urban scene. The artist was trained at The Academy of Art in San Francisco, whose multi-media approach to art education prepared Fernandes for a lucrative early career as an advertising Creative Director. For 20+ years, he was an award-winning team leader on campaigns for important companies like Bank of America, Gallo wines, and Dreyer's ice cream. For over a decade, however, Fernandes has been able to focus on his first love – fine-art painting.