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Michael Puente
USA
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“I was always drawn to the beach and the emotions and feelings that it invoked.”
Michael Puente grew up in Orange County, California in the sixties through the eighties. From the colors of the beach and ocean to the bright colors found around Newport Beach and Balboa Island. As a result, you will find many shades of blue and green in his work.
Coastal Lagoon | Acrylic
$2,810
36 X 60
Cloudy day over the lagoon
He attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles where he earned a degree in Economics, not art. Again, it was the beach community of Santa Monica that caught his attention, this is where he first saw paintings by Richard Diebenkorn and Mark Rothko which would have influenced his work.
Ocean Street #2 | Acrylic
Sold
24 X 72
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
After graduation, he headed south to North San Diego County where he married his wife, Beth, and raised their two children. In 2008, needing to find a way to relieve stress from his job he decided to start painting.
“A few years later I decided to become a bit more serious and started copying pieces of work I found interesting.”
This evolved into the style that he works on today. In 2017 with the children growing up, he and his wife decided to move to the beach community of Carlsbad and found a home on Ocean Street.
Ocean Street #3 | Acrylic
$2,170
36 X 36
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
Ocean Street #4 | Acrylic
$900
24 X 24
Again, a flashback to Diebenkorn and the work he painted titled Ocean Park. Michael’s current works are titled #Ocean_Street in homage to this. Most recently Michael spent last summer visiting parts of the Mediterranean. Specifically, Positano, Capri, and Nice.
“The vibrant colors, especially the different shades of blue and green in the water in the Mediterranean were very inspirational.”
“I try to invoke emotion from his paintings of a time at the beach/coast with the colors and shapes that might bring a sense of joy on a beautiful summer day.”
There are so many nuances of blue within the different layers of the water. His passion as a painter comes from getting lost in the process. By nature, Michael is an optimistic person with a very enthusiastic approach to life. He tries to impress upon the viewer that positive energy.
Ocean Street #5 | Acrylic
$1,470
24 X 36
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
His work environment usually involves some form of music in the background, probably a little louder than it may need to be, but that feeds the energy and that is what he loves best about painting. Michael tries to build a relationship with the viewer and communicate and evoke an expression or emotion.
Ocean Street #7 | Acrylic
$2,810
24 X 72
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
In his Ocean Series, it is of joy, happiness, and the feelings of the best day of summer on the beach or water. Michael enjoys working with acrylic paint as it allows him to layer and blend in a quick manner that fits his style. Michael has been involved in the community. He has served as past President of the UCLA San Diego Alumni Association, on the board of the Vista National Little League.
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
Ocean Street #8 | Acrylic
$2,170
36 X 36
“I find this is the ideal balance with my artistic side.”
Ocean Street #9 | Acrylic
$2,170
36 X 36
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
He has also served on the board of the Rancho Buena Vista High School Baseball Boosters and as a consultant to the Tri-City Hospital Foundation. He enjoys working with individuals, families, and small businesses to identify, plan for, and pursue their financial goals.
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
Ocean Street #10 | Acrylic
$4,975
36 X 36
Michael has spent the last thirty-plus years as an Investment Advisor, first with Smith Barney and for the last fourteen years at Stifel in Carlsbad. His current works are a bit of a battle of his logical, left-side brain with its shapes versus the creative, right-brain side.
Ocean Street #11 |Acrylic
$2,170
36 X 36
Inspired by the colors of the ocean and beach
“I found inspiration from others who have taken up later in life as former US president George W Bush, Pierce Brosnan, and Paul McCartney.”
Michael Puente
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