“GIFT”: REACTION BEFORE ACTION
Eric Tabales’ new collection.


By: Manuel de J. Vázquez


The new collection of Puerto Rican artist Eric Tabales is an unconventional series of paintings about the act of giving something as a present: a “Gift” --the title of his new work. It is an exercise filled with great creative and intentional capacity that brings us to a closer look at universal themes, in spite of life struggles.

“Gift” is a bold artistic series of paintings based on experimentation and unusual approach. Tabales is daring and ventures to try everything: painting, sculpture, glass, graphic and furniture design. His initial studies in science has taken him to invent new ways on how he approaches a canvas, a piece of glass or metal by oxidation, and through those oxides, either by experimentation, accident, and will, a way of painting is born. In 1995, Tabales patented this oxidize technique after years of technical and conceptual research, which has taken him to view international art in a new way.

An important piece of this new artistic vision is “Sol naciente taíno” (Taíno Rising Sun, 2000) a series of stained-glass panels integrated in the eastern façade of the Puerto Rico Museum of Art (Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico). This textural and translucent monumental piece exemplifies Eric’s presence in Modern Art, and it is his liaison with Architecture. Among other architectural and modern sculptural examples are “The Meditation Chapel of Juan Acha”, 1995 (Capilla de Meditación Juan Acha) at the National School of Plastic Arts in Mexico City (Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, UNAM, México); “Reflective Space”, 1996 (Espacio Reflexivo) at University of the Sacred Heart in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Universidad del Sagrado Corazón); and “The Chapel of the Fallen Christ”, 2006 (Capilla del Cristo Caído) at the Central University of Bayamón (Universidad Central de Bayamón), where Eric is the Resident Artist.
Eric Tabales perceives art in everything around us. It is for this very reason that Eric studied Chemistry, Biology and completed a Master Degree in Public Arts at the National School of Plastic Arts in Mexico City. This fusion of art and science has allowed him to develop an unusual plastic vision. For Eric, concept is the most important aspect in art --it is the most transcendental and eternal factor, not the material itself. This is the reason why his works are characterized by the oxidation, through chemical processes, of every material available: canvas, paper, glass or metal. This is how his work transforms and evolves, just like life or the universe, and he does it in a modern language, as it is shown in “Gift” --a collection of abstract forms that evokes joy and happiness. Without losing balance, these pieces show a great dynamism that manifests action, sometimes in a serene way, but overall, each piece conveys a joy of living.

In “Gift”, the artist works again with abstraction. He stamps strong topics on each canvas and shows situations of universal value. To the contemplators, Eric brings to them stirring actions that generate reactions that will purify the soul. All the pieces in this collection are full with vivid and joyful colors purposely selected for us to discover the beauty of life, and each one has a different scene or shows an experienced moment in life. It is obvious that the artist’s intention is to take us to a place where we can make a reflection of the world crisis and asks us to transform it into a gift of joy. I must make clear that in each story expressed in the paintings, basic topics are found: nature, universe, values, faith, or peace. It is an homage of everything positive. If anything in this collection is meant to show, it is the concern for the agitated modern society that unveils desperation, pain and anguish. The artist raises questions and analyzes contemporary humanity, and at the same time, he looks for answers that will reinterpret human values in order to build