Abstracto/Latino: Lope Max Diaz

Exhibition Artwork

Abstract artwork by Lope Max Diaz — Rendija na’ma I 
2016 
Lope Max Diaz 
24” x 16” x 3” 
Mixed media 
$3850

Abstract artwork by Lope Max Diza — *Rendija na’ma III* 
2016 
Lope Max Diaz 
24” x 16” x 3”
Mixed media 
$3850

Artwork Statement

Inspired by the sensuous flower paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe and photographs of flowers by Robert Mapplethorpe, I did a series of eight paintings, some of which are in this exhibition. I am often asked “what’s behind my paintings,” in these paintings I literally answer such a question. I have created a vertical center slit in the painting through which these flowery-shaped forms seemingly have emerged from behind. As they blossom to the foreground, they are compositionally received by a water-filled vase. The exuberance of color in these paintings springs from the flora and fauna of my native Puerto Rico.

About the Artist

Lope Max Díaz is an artist and retired faculty member of the College of Design at NC State University. He exhibits his paintings throughout the southeast region of the country, as well as in Puerto Rico. Before joining the faculty of the College of Design in 1988, he was an Assistant Professor of Design in the School of Architecture of the University of Puerto Rico and in the Fine Arts Department of UPR.

He has also served as juror of art exhibitions in North Carolina and in Puerto Rico, as well as on art & design panels for the Raleigh Arts Commission, the North Carolina Arts Council, the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC, the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation in Baltimore, MD, and the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA

For his contributions as an artist, educator, and service to the community, he was awarded the 2003 Raleigh Medal of Arts and the 2003 Centennial Medal from the University of Puerto Rico.