A. Andrew Gonzalez

A. Andrew Gonzalez
My art education is largely self-taught, but my creative interest began early in my youth due to the encouragement and creative influence of my father who is an accomplished artist. Exposure to books on classical art, symbolism, surrealism and the fantastic art within OMNI magazine had a profound influence on my early development. In 1984, I acquired an airbrush which became my primary tool for painting. I would later develop a technique of combining the airbrush with a subtractive method of lifting delicate layers of acrylic pigment with a fine tipped abrasive eraser on a smooth gessoed board. Using this method, I'm able to model polished forms and subtle designs with precise control, creating the refined photographic sculptural results which defines my work today.
Having a keen interest in all things esoteric and mystical, I would come to view the airbrush as an alchemical instrument, using air to sublimate the liquid pigment material into an exalted refined state, the symbolic transmutation of matter into spirit. This symbolism of the alchemical "Sublimatio" would define the underlying motif of my entire work. Inspired by reviving classical ideals, my imagery would elevate the Eternal Feminine with poetic devotion and evoke transfigurative themes suchs as creation, birth, death, rebirth, ascension and divine love into a rhythmic movement of a sacred eros, a sensual energy of the body as temple and vehicle of transformation.
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