Painter

Abdiel Beltrán (b.1996) is a first-generation Mexican-American artist living and working in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His work primarily consists of non-representational imagery and utilizes painting as a form to interrupt everyday life. His search to find an interruption is enhanced when he leaves the studio and paints in natural spaces. He recreates and re-screens layers of paint and often finds himself wanting to translate what it means and looks like to "let go". For example, painting non-figuratively en plein air allows him to experience a sense of liberation – typically manifested as gestures and letting the subtleties of the details matter. This process creates a dialogue between letting go while developing the tangible characteristics of painting through layers of marks, color and re-worked imagery. The results document a relationship between the restrictions that come from ordinary life and pushing boundaries as a form to find a sense of freedom within. He invites the viewer to not search for a narrative but to be curious instead.