Imagine a hybrid of Salvador Dali and Van Gogh paintings, and you will get the artwork of 18-year-old Sergio Potes\u2014according to him anyway.<\/p>\n
Potes, 18, is a surrealist and impressionist artist who creates all of his pieces from his home for his family and friends\u2014free of charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mainly paint for other people,\u201d said Potes, a psychology major at Kendall Campus. \u201cThey will call me up, tell me what they want, and I just end up painting something along those lines with my own touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
It all started four years ago, when he was accepted into the Academy of Arts and Minds, a charter high-school focused on the arts. He later transferred to the Miami Arts Charter School, where he received his only formal training. Potes credits everything he knows to his professors.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only did I learn, but they helped me showcase my work,\u201d Potes said .<\/p>\n
Potes\u2019 artwork has been featured at galleries in Coconut Grove, the Design District, and South Beach.<\/p>\n
During his most recent exhibition at Gallery D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu in South Beach his artwork did not sell because \u201cit didn\u2019t target the right market,\u201d according to Potes. But that did not affect his outlook on art.<\/p>\n
\u201cRejection motivates me. It moves me to get out there until I make it,\u201d said Potes, who creates his art under the alias Pachi.<\/p>\n
Potes uses personal experiences and music as his inspiration. He has created more than 30 pieces of what he calls \u201ca timeline of my life over the past four years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each piece represents hardships he has gone through.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has grown so much day by day as an artist,\u201d said his sister, Monica Potes. \u201cHe never fails to surprise me with his unique art.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consistent brushstroke techniques and a recurring pastel palette are what give Potes\u2019 pieces a unique touch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t name my artwork,\u201d Potes said. \u201cI want the person to name my art from what they take from it. Naming it gives away the meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Potes is focusing on getting a degree in psychology and hopes to eventually become an art therapist to help people express themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is an artist. In our society it is very limiting to be your true self, but that is what you get from being an artist,\u201d Potes said. \u201cLiving your entire life being who you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Imagine a hybrid of Salvador Dali and Van Gogh paintings, and you will get the artwork of 18-year-old Sergio Potes\u2014according to him anyway. Potes, 18, is a surrealist and impressionist artist who creates all of his pieces from his home for his family and friends\u2014free of charge. \u201cI mainly paint for other people,\u201d said Potes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":306,"featured_media":5980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ae"},"yoast_head":"\n