This is my first formal exhibition in years. I’ve decided to do things differently and combine in this exhibit two of my creative endeavors-- painting and writing.

I enjoy painting urban landscapes, an activity which lends itself to my depiction of space and architecture in a fictional setting. The urban landscape has always fascinated me because what may be considered as a confusion of lines, shapes, and colors, is to me a deliberate-- though mostly unintentional expression of what we choose to call our home environment.

I daydream a lot. Ever since I was a young boy, I used to invent stories and worlds to occupy my imagination. Either I’d sketch buildings and maps of fictional places, or I’d pen scenes of my characters embarking on fantastic adventures.

Like many aspiring novelists, I have boxes of unsold manuscripts in my closet. And in my file cabinet, I have a folder of rejection letters. If I were into it for the money, I’d be further ahead if I would’ve used my time to sell burritos. I consider all this a learning experience, what we writers refer to as an apprenticeship. It’s a frustrating path with no promise of fulfillment. Yet I continue to write and paint.

I’m using my art to help visualize a new world for my next story about a fallen king seeking redemption on the ancient, lost continent of Gondwanaland. Creating a new world and its society forces me to scrutinize our own, to analyze how a culture develops self-expression through art, music, government, and architecture.

Perhaps my story and illustrations will never go farther than this exhibit. I don’t know. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this short trip to a place far back in time and imagination.

Mario Acevedo

Ginny Amrose

Dixie Clark

Pat Pendleton

Cherie Staples

Bill Stuber

Catherine Trunfio