Miriam Escofet creates rich oil paintings of idyllic scenes that nostalgically allude to classical antiquity. Perhaps the only notes of pessimism in these sumptuous depictions of ornate architecture, statues and jewels is that Escofet’s heavenly world seem to be nearly devoid of human inhabitants. This is a place that seems to belong to the gods — too perfect for mortals. Escofet originally studied 3D design and set out to be a ceramicist, which explains her attention to texture and volume. Each crease of fabric and crevice within a tree’s bark is rendered with precision. Light and shadow are greatly contrasted to a level beyond what we normally experience with the human eye, making Escofet’s fictional lands seem vivid yet illusory.
Detail
Detail
In the upcoming show "Dramaholics," Mexican painter José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros takes the taboos of reality and injects them into the idealized world of Disney. The show, running Dec. 6-29 at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, offers new acrylic and oil works from the artist. Ontiveros was last featured on HiFructose.com 
Keyes
Chilean painter