Today we’d like to introduce you to Francisco Sheuat.
Francisco, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I discovered my artistic talent at a very young age. I have been surrounded by the arts my entire life. My grandfather, my father, uncle including my sister are artists. They have different styles but in one way or another influenced what I do today. My imagination and creativity is always stimulated by what is around me. My family inspires me, my friends inspire me, nature inspires me. The single fact that I have been lucky enough to live in this exotic tropical paradise with so much diversity is enough inspiration for a lifetime.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wanted to be different and took me a while to find my niche. I think it is what most artists struggle with. In spite of all their techniques, creativity and knowledge, they cannot find their own style or niche that will make it different from the rest.
My passion for mixed media exposed me to different materials. I started saving mostly elements that were discarded as I wanted to contribute to the environment. This journey bought me to work with Styrofoam and later with aluminum cans which became my main media. I started working moistly with Coca-Cola cans since it was what I was drinking at that time. Once people noticed I was working with recycled, they offered to bring me different aluminum cans . That was when my color palette started to grow. My collectors, fans, friends became my main suppliers. I felt in love with the flexibility of aluminum and the diversity on colors and designs; and the best of all that it was all recycled. Love the idea of taking the disposable and make something beautiful.
Please tell us about Francisco Sheuat.
My path has taken me from my hometown of Caracas, Venezuela to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where I opened Art Expressions Gallery in 2002.
Attempting to share my commitment to a greener planet, recycling and reuse are an ongoing theme in my works.
In the process of growing and evolving, I found myself to exploring the parameters of pop art and making aluminum cans my main media. My art reflects an expressive emotional response to my present being and a projection of the future. As a creator of art, I manipulate and incorporate aluminum soda cans and apply a texture onto the surface out of a necessity to transfer an internal emotion into an external form. The pieces project a holographic-like feel because the embossing and distressing techniques applied to the metal. Color, shapes, patterns and textures are my language. They speak to me as I lay pieces of cans down in a dance with the surface and watch it take shape and form in its own time.
My work is showcased in my art studio in FATVillage in the heart of Fort Lauderdale’s Arts District and in the present time it on display at South Side Art Center in Fort Lauderdale.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I won’t change anything. I enjoyed every moment that brought me to discover myself and find what I love. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy but I learned a lot from the process. Every step I made, helped me to improve and evolve. In this journey, I gained experience and knowledge. I developed my own technique by teaching myself how to work with an unconventional media and make it my own. I tough myself how to manipulate it and make it work.
Contact Info:
- Address: 115 NW 5th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
FATVillage Arts District - Website: www.franciscosheuat.com
- Phone: 954-937-3313
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/fcosheuat
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fsheuat
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