"THREE DIMENTIONS"

by NICOLAS F. SHÍ

(El Salvador, lives in Washington DC)

April, 2001

"THREE DIMENSIONS: images of an artist's tri-cultural heritage”
ACRYLIC ON CANVASES BY SALVADORAN PAINTER NICOLAS SHI
ON VIEW AT ESPACIO CULTURAL SALVADOREÑO
APRIL 6 - APRIL 27, 2001

March 7, 2000 Mario Cáder-Frech, Director, CONTACT: (202) 256-6542

WASHINGTON, D.C. - “Three Dimensions” is a selection of contemporary impressionistic uber-color paintings by Salvadoran painter, Nicolas Shi.
On view at the Espacio Cultural Salvadoreño at 1724 20th Street, NW (between R & S Streets), Monday through Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. An Artist reception will be held during the exhibit opening on Friday, April 6, 2001 from 6 to 8 pm., when the center will be simultaneously host its First Anniversary celebration. The exhibit is on view through April 27, 2001.

The exhibition was organized by Mario Cáder-Frech, Director Ad-Honorem of the Espacio Cultural Salvadoreño located in the Dupont Circle area, and made possible by the generous support of the Fundación Cultural Cáder, Western Union, and Pilsener Beer. The Espacio Cultural Salvadoreño is an all-volunteer not for profit center dedicated to promoting emerging artists of El Salvador celebrating its First Anniversary during the month of April.

Nicolas F. Shi, a long-time Washington, DC resident, was born in El Salvador from Chinese parents. In 1980, he left his war-torn country and came to the United States to attend college, receiving a Masters degree in Architectural Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1986. He practiced Architecture and Engineering for more than ten years before dedicating himself to painting. His work is influenced by his Latin American upbringing, his Chinese heritage, and his formal education in the United States. He mixes the bright colors of Central America with the harmony and simplicity of traditional Chinese painting and the boldness found in contemporary American art. His skills have won him numerous nominations and awards, including being selected as one of the four painters to be showcased in the first Salvadoran Postal Service art series stamp collection (see attachment).

"Three dimensions... three cultural backgrounds... a unique style. My work has been influenced by my Salvadoran upbringing, my Chinese heritage, and my formal education in the United States. In my paintings I mix the boldness of contemporary American art with the harmony and simplicity of traditional Chinese paintings and the bright colors of Central America to create images rich in color and intensity. When viewing my paintings I ask the observer to blend the bold patterns of bright colors to create the overall image, much like the Impressionist did. However, whereas the Impressionist used light to reveal the surface of objects, I use geometry as a hint of what lies beyond the surface. By observing variations of color I discern geometric planes that allow me to peer into the structure of the subject to give it a mass and solidity that increases its reality. I achieve the illusion of depth by applying topographic principles, much like contours in a relief map. This illusion is made more obvious by squinting while viewing the paintings from a distance, becoming almost three dimensional in dim light" Said Nicolas Shi.