Renaissance Man
Sunday Afternoon, by Fidencio Durán
Fidencio Durán is having quite the career as a painter, muralist, and teacher, and has received numerous accolades for his artistic accomplishments locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. Imagine Art has been fortunate enough to have this acknowledged master spend the last 11 months as an AmeriCorps artist-in-residence with IA. He brings the same dedication to developing artists as he does to his own art.
Fidencio works his magic from the easel room—helping painters understand what it takes to become better artists. Which is not to say he only hangs out in the easel room. He makes himself available to all clients and can be found offering tips to clients in the drawing, mixed-media and ceramic rooms.
He offers sage advice to artists Justin Maynard and Courtney Cook. To be or not to be. That is the question, as Fidencio ponders into Courtney’s pumpkin.
His expertise knows no bounds since he is well acquainted with art history and the Masters from da Vinci to Warhol, as well as the Texas and regional artists. Ask about any topic art, Fidencio can carry on as if it were second nature. In fact, he spends idle afternoons in bull-sessions, sharing anecdotes with attentive clients about famous artists and entertaining them with curious historical details.
One of his strengths as a painter is in observing and depicting the most intricate details, especially where shadows and light are concerned. The question he always asks an artist is, “Where is the light coming from?” He always comes across as an authority and that earns the respect of those around him—clients, staff and other AmeriCorps Members.
Gabby Duran is Fidencio’s niece. Under her Uncle’s guidance, Gabby has grown into a most prolific artist. Her output of acrylic on canvas art is relentless and inspired. She has developed a unique style which utilizes her palette knife to build up texture. Below, Fidencio instructs Gabby in the finer points.
Whether he likes it or not, Fidencio has become the go-to-guy when it comes to stretching canvas. His calm methodical approach makes him the perfect man for the job. Shown below are he and Kelly Reider demonstrating how to properly stretch canvas on stretcher bars: from putting the stretcher bars together and unrolling the canvas so Kelly can cut down then passing the scissors to Fidencio who cuts across, to stapling the canvas to the frame then folding the corners and Gessoing the edges of the canvas, all in a matter of 20 minutes.
Fidencio is not going to be at Imagine Art next service year. He won the commission to do the mural on the soon to be remodeled Mexi-Arte Museum on Congress Ave and E. 5th and will be doing similar work in the future. Imagine Art wishes him all the luck in the world, as well as gratitude for the mark you left.
(For more information about Fidencio https://foltzgallery.com/artist/fidencio-duran
Painter of Grand Themes
by Lacey Richter
I had the pleasure of meeting Fidencio Duran years ago when I worked as the Outreach & Education Coordinator at Mexic-Arte Museum…the Official Mexican, Mexican-American Fine Art Museum of Texas. That was the tag-line descriptive phrase I always had to give when greeting & welcoming school groups for tours, as that was part of my job in addition to coordinating after-school art programs for AISD in conjunction with the Museum’s culturally enriching exhibitions. It was a great & highly educational time in my early career in the arts, and I learned so much about beloved Mexico’s history, all things pertaining to Museum work..& non-profits, as well as meeting many interesting, talented, & intelligent people, like Fidencio.
When I first met him for our meeting to discuss possible projects & to get a better understanding of who is was & what he did, I had no idea the true significance of his impressive works & career, but the more I got to know, I realized he had done a lot within the context of cultural community & creating a legacy of his heritage & works that continue today. Having painted numerous large-scale murals throughout the city of Austin, & beyond, the most notable being a grand painting/mural depicting a traditional family gathering under the sunlit shade of oaks, like many of Fidencio’s works, at the Austin International Bergstrom Airport. (*SideNote: One of the things I love most about Fidencio’s paintings & drawings is the elongated, dancing cast shadows of the trees he always highlights & honors. ..Maybe it’s because I love trees & am a fellow dancer, but I see this as a signature in his style. ..In addition to the elongated figures/people he features..somewhat reminiscent of some of Luis Jimenez studies.)
The project Fidencio ended up doing with the eager students at Zavala Elementary culminated in a collaborative mural featuring ‘tiles’ influenced by Mayan & Aztec hiroglyphs. In addition the thoughtful work reflected the childrens’ journey with their families, adapting to life in new soil, as many of them migrated from Mexico. It proudly displayed in the school for many years, & I know the experience planted a seed in some of these young budding artists’ hearts, in addition to simply giving them something to connect to.
The fact that the community of Imagine Art (clients, fellow Americorps Members, Staff, & friends) have had the special & rare opportunity to work beside & learn from such a talent as Fidencio is truly a gift & honor. We probably didn’t even take the most advantage of the opportunity truth be told! However, I know the time & exchange has made a positive impact that will last beyond this season for our artists & IA family. Thank you Fidencio for sharing your expertise, & we hope to continue to make you proud & see you in the futuro/future !
Best .. & keep those shadows dancing,
Lacey Richter
