With Art Basel in town this month we wanted to introduce you to one of South Florida's most eclectic talents. Born Julio Orestes Blanco in La Habana, Cuba 1956, Julio currently still llives and works on DiLido island in Miami Beach, Florida. As a semi-retired Advertising Creative Director and a co-founder of a prestigious and pioneering ad agency in the 80's, he has received numerous industry accolades on behalf of his blue chip clients as well as international awards for his concept, copy, art direction and graphic design. Julio is a self taught fine artist, but has been under the tutelage of many notable fines artists since his early teens. He has been drawing, painting and illustrating his entire life and showing professionally since 1994. His work is in the private collections of large corporations and notable luminaries and celebrities. The crossover from graphic designer to fine artist has been a process that has taken many years and continues to this day. Early on Julio became interested in combining form and concept to create the perfect balance between art and idea to captivate an audience and from an advertising perspective to motivate. Both graphic design and fine art have run parallel throughout his long career as an artist, designer and painter. He continues to use graphic design principles in his fine art as he believes they often add to the strength of his work.

Julio's interest lies in creating an aesthetic with graphical balance arrived at using only the most rudimentary media, traditional surface and a limited palette. His intention is to create loose, harmonious figurative and abstract compositions that are both layered and complex as to involve the viewer letting them draw their own conclusions. He is a multi-media artist and is comfortable working with collage, paint, and constructions but prefers acrylics because of its fast drying properties that allows him to create compositions quickly and passionately.

For this talented artist, It's all about the close relationship between himself, the paint and the surface. "Its all I need to make a lasting and memorable expression in the simplest but most profound way. My stroke is loose and fluid but deliberate and intentional. I sometimes stare at the canvas way before the first strokes appear as I try to envision the composition before I begin to paint. My painting is spontaneous. The split second the paint hits the surface the direction of the stroke and intensity are left to chance as it is guided by divine inspiration." Quickly adding layers on layers of paint using strokes that vary in width and length and style, at times concentrating in one area to create a singular chaotic event usually using pencil or other hard media. His paintings undergo a process of constant change. They morph and sometimes go unfinished only to be resurrected weeks, months even years later to become some of his best works.

a tribute to some of his idols

His collection 'HEROS' stands as a tribute to some of his idols. This body of work represents a personal journey in fine art portraiture dating from 1993 to the present. His subjects are poets, musicians, painters and artists whose work have made an indelible impression on his artistic career. These paintings and drawings are created in an expressionist style using various surfaces and media. Julio favors oil pastel, gouache and charcoal for paper or acrylics and charcoal on canvas for larger pieces. They were painted from photographic reference. He considers himself an expressionist painter and has found this to be a suitable and very revealing style for this work.

Julio explains, "I love to paint portraits of interesting people. Their art or talent show in their expressions. It is a good exercise for me, keeps my chops up if you know what I mean. A couple years ago I grew tired of painting what I saw and want to paint more of what I feel so I have not done a portrait in a while. Maybe this article will get me going again maybe Amy Winehouse I love her music and style. David Bowie is one that I have tried a few times but his image escapes me. He is very difficult to capture and I like my portraits to be very close to the likeness of my subjects even if they are expressionist paintings. The likeness has to be undeniably true. It all started when I did the blue series to benefit the Salvation Army home for battered women. I painted Robert Johnson and kept painting. One of my favorites is Blue Lou and Cachao. Both are very expressionist but the likeness is undeniable."

Click On Image To View Larger Images Of Some Of The 'Heros' Collection
John Lennon	Eric Clapton	Keith Richards	Lou Reed	Mick Jagger	Stevie Ray

Shows and Awards

Julio started showing his work in the Mid 90's in one man and group shows at various galleries including Raleigh Gallery in Boca Raton, Sher Galleries in Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale, Steiner Gallery in Bal Harbour to Portfolio galleries in Coral Gables.

During that time he has painted and donated his art and performances to benefit the McClemore center for abused children, The Step by Step foundation for Haitian Education, The Deed Club and most recently The Daily Food Bank .

His work is collected by large corporations such as Dade County Federal Credit Union, MGSCOMM advertising, and most recently Oceania Cruises for their new ship "Mariner" Fashion Icons, such as Donald Pliner,. Celebrities as well as many personal collectors also have enjoyed adding Julio's amazing pieces to their collections.