Currently on Exhibit at the SW VA Higher Ed Center, Tony Peren: In My 24 Years of Age
Third-generation Guatemalan artist Tony Perén is showcasing a selection of paintings at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in an exhibit entitled In My 24 Years of Age. Perén is a student at the Higher Education Center, studying English as a Second Language in the Mount Rogers Regional Adult Education Program.
Although the young artist is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, his pathway has diverged, recently leading him from San Juan Comalapa, his small hometown in Guatemala, to another small town in America—Abingdon, Virginia. Because of the many indigenous painters living there, San Juan Comalapa has been called “the Florence of America,” so Perén’s relocation to Abingdon seems particularly fitting since it is also a town well-known for its rich arts community.
From a young age, Perén said, he played with paint and stain. Little by little it became more interesting to explore new colors and new shapes, which in turn led him to collaborate in and experience different cultural and social activities supporting the field of painting.
Perén’s creations are brought to life with thousands of delicate brushstrokes of brilliant hues, resulting in images such as his series of three gleaming hummingbirds that seem so true-to-life that one can almost hear and feel the whirring of tiny wings. Incorporating aspects of nature—birds, plants, flowers—into beautiful portraits of perhaps real, perhaps imagined women is Perén’s current artistic passion.
In the artist’s words:
“I haven’t been in the United States very long, everything is new to me. I am happy to be able to exhibit my art, excited to see how far I can go with my dreams and goals!”
Perén’s paintings in the exhibit are available for purchase.
Located on the second floor Art Wall, the exhibit will be on display through the end of March. Admission is free. For additional information, please contact the Higher Education Center at 276-619-4300.
MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center is to strengthen the regional economy of southwest Virginia by providing higher education and professional development training of the current and future workforce.
