Connie Crespo Art

The Artist and Her Work

           From the very moment she came into contact with the conventional collage technique, Connie Crespo challenged the notion that the achievement of realism was impossible in this medium. With Paper Mosaic, The artist has developed and achieved this realism particularly in the realm of sports, a subject she has chosen to specialize in and in which Paper Mosaic happens to be particularly effective.

           Paper Mosaic, an outgrowth of Byzantine Ceramiz Mosaics of the Middle Ages, Involves the choosing, tearing and shaping individually by hand small portions of paper. Each paper is used for a specific purpose and effect in the composition. In essence, they are miniature designs in themselves. It may be observed that if each of the small portions of paper in a 36 " x 48" Picture, for example, are by the hundreds, then the different shades and subtonalities are by the thousands. This fact makes the work virtually impossible to duplicate. In addition, the tendency of the paper to change colors during the artistic transition places upon the art the burdon of not only memorizing the original color of paper, but anticipating the color into which it will change.

            In the field of Portraits, Connie has developed a new dimension in Super-expressionism. Her use of Paper Mosaic for her portraits of Historical figures like Christopher Columbus Presents a NEW and Different endeavor in the art world.

             Connie Crespo is one of the very few artists who has dared to work in the highly pictorial world of Sports, Especially Olympic Sports. Her use of Super-expressionism in her portrayal of athletic effort transforms her images into realistic, almost three dimensional figures. All her Paper Mosaic work is expressed in an explosion of color the photograph could never hope to capture and reproduce.

              It has been said that the intense dramatism , the Super- Expressionism and the New Dimension of Realism attained through Connie Crespo's Paper Mosaics presents a true challenge for the rest of the artistic community, present and to come, to emulate. This ARtist is truly in a class by herself.

BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

            Connie Crespo was born in the Republic of Cuba in a prominent and distinguished family. She grew up, studied and married in her Native Cuba, but when Castro came to power and the fall of Cuba was imminent, Connie took her two small daughters and fled to the United States, as she boarded her "Freedom Flight," She know America could only bring her greater oppurtunity and challenge.

            As a young woman, before leaving Cuba, Connie began her work in art as a Taxidermist, magnificently bringing back to life birds and animals of the wild. But once she settled her family in the United States, Connie began a more thorough study of art. In California, She studied drawing, oil painting, pastel and collage. She was privileged to study under artist Jo Rebert, Author of "A New Color Theory in Painting." Kay Reinhart trained her in the art of flower and bouquet painting and E. Schrier, guided her in still life and composition. Connie began to exhibit her work with the Glendale Art Association in galleries, mueseums and other public places. Connie has sold an estimated 300 oil paintings and pastels, including private portraits by commission and to art galleries.

            When Connie and her family moved to Coral Gables, In the Miami area, She began her concentration in the development and perfection of the wet paper painting medium using the principles of color separation, a concept she calls "Paper Mosaic."

            Although she has had many years of success, Connie Crespo is now beginning to be recognized as an artist with a most unusual talent, one that is becoming more and more in demand. She is currently preparing to display her work in Florence, Italy.

            Connie's husband, Fernando, is a successful Engineer and Residential Contractor. They are the parents of three daughters, Fernanda, Monserrat, Veronica and grandparents to twin granddaughters Estefania and Valentina.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING...

"We have before us a first rare talent."

-Guillermo Cabrera Senior Staff Writer Diario Las Americas

"This women is certainly one of a kind in the way she works, you don't have to be an athlete or even a big sports fan to appreciate art work that focuses on sports especially when that work is as exceptional as Connie Crespo's."

- Tony Segreto CBS Sports caster Channel 4 news Miami/Palm Beach

"It's overwhelming, it's overwhelming."

- Tony Fins Dolphin Publishing Co. Business Week

"It has impact. It is an aggressive, strong, violent technique... There's a lot of motion, a lot of strength, a lot of passion... Your athlete as subject show us the maximum human effort. We observe the work as a photographic image, an instant that is lost and cannot be regained. The muscles, the movement, the sweat that actually disfigures the face...this is so well realized with powerful,powerful coloring."

- Pilar Arenas Actress, Talk Show Hostess Miami Ahora, Channel 23

"The quality hits you when you walk in [the artist's studio]"

-Pedro Fonteboa Sports Writer Miami News, Miami Herald

"Connie, I LOVE your artwork!"

-Jane Chastain CBS Sport Caster California

More Coming Soon!