(American/Georgia, born 1964)

From Cold Country, signed verso "Tony Hernandez 2002", encaustic and gold leaf on wood, 60 x 60 in.; unframed 

Provenance: Purchased from the artist

Note: Through familiar themes of pain and loss, Tony Hernandez creates artworks through encaustic paintings that blend powerlessness with possibility. Hernandez has felt called to interpret some of these grievances through his common paintings of children found in suffering areas and time periods, from children of the Holocaust to those found in the ghettos of the Bronx. All of these children have had to face varying repercussions of ignorant actions made by adults. What Hernandez emphasizes in his work is how these children often turn to imagination to survive, and it is at this point where something horrific can be turned into something beautiful. These children can often be found depicted floating on a plain wooden background, creating an unavoidable focus on his subject. His works are often simple in composition and at the same time overflowing with sentiment. Tony Hernandez is an internationally recognized artist and currently works from his studio in Charlotte, North Carolina.