Maurice Siegfried Perez was born in Kansas in 1987 and in his first few years of life as an army brat, lived in and visited places as diverse as Germany, Puerto Rico, Ft. Polk, Louisiana and El Paso, Texas. This early-life experience, as well as his own particularly diverse ethnicity, reflects in the ease and fluidity with which his work crosses substantive, stylistic, and aesthetic boundaries. After settling in Oklahoma just before his teens, Maurice discovered an affinity for freehand brushwork on the canvas and began developing a style focusing heavily on gestural energy, structural abstraction, and cool, often saturated colorization. His portrait work has earned him acclaim and commissions across the state, and serves as fuel for his abstract passion.

Regarding any current work and commissions, please send all inquiries to artofmsp@gmail.com

Artist Statement

Growing up as a child up to now as an adult, I’ve always enjoyed the creative process. Since 2006, I have been painting steadily and continuously refining my approach and inspirations.

An abstract mentality seems to start each and every work from the start while considering a refined final image built on themes and subject matter that encourage reflection and preservation of the mind.

Starting in 2014, I’ve focused mostly on images representing the relationship between the individual and the environment and how time alters both. In a way, I initially paint for selfish reasons, to get thoughts and feelings out of my head and onto a surface to analyze. As I've gotten older, my personality has changed into more of an introverted way, and as a result, images that I've painted between 2014-2016 reflect a more private side of myself. Recording the passage of time and noticing personal changes in myself and in every day life, my attention is directed toward understanding complex emotional, social, and personal themes.

My goal is to create something that is aesthetically pleasing and design oriented that can engage the viewer. I aim to envelope complex ideas in subtle ways. However, with a strong color palette and purposeful application, I try to create paintings that encourage an inward dialogue.

To understand the world, one must first understand the self.

Exhibition Record

2017 12x12, 50 Penn Place, Oklahoma City, OK

2017 "Artini," OKC Farmer's Market, Oklahoma City, OK (Allied Arts of Oklahoma City)

2016 "Landscapes, Cityscapes & Mindscapes," Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery, www.bauhausprairieartgallery.com (curated by Margaret Gaeddert)

2016 "Light and Color," Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery, www.bauhausprairieartgallery.com (curated by Caryl Morgan)

2016 12x12, Science Museum Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK

2016 12x12 Patron Preview Art Exhibition, Leadership Square Atrium, Oklahoma City, OK

2015 Fowler Volkswagen of Norman Opening Reception, Norman, OK (Fowler Auto Group, [catalogue])

2015 Two-Person Exhibition, “Welcome Nostalgia,” Graphite Elements and Design, Oklahoma City, OK

2015 12x12, Science Museum Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK

2015 Art’s Window into the Impact of Weather on the Human Experience, National Weather Center Atrium, Norman, OK (curated by Mel Chin, [catalogue])

2015 Momentum OKC Downtempo / Full Speed, Farmer’s Public Market, Oklahoma City, OK (curated by Juan William Chavez and Suzanne C. Thomas)

2014 Momentum OKC Downtempo / Full Speed, Farmer’s Public Market, Oklahoma City, OK (curated by Nathan Lee and Samantha Dillehay)

2013 7-State Biennial, The Nesbitt Gallery, Chickasha, OK and The Goddard Center, Ardmore, OK (curated by Dr. Mark White)

Awards

2015 Momentum OKC 2015 Viewer’s Choice Award Winner

Print Media

"Rule of Three" hanging at Fowler Volkswagen of Norman, Oklahoma. (2015)

Grant Schatzman, “Framing the Skies,” Boyd Street Magazine, May, 2015. 30-33.

Brett Fieldcamp, “Cultural amalgam,” Oklahoma Gazette, November, 2015. 40.

Blogs

Pauline Chateau, “From photograph to acrylic: Maurice Pérez, Momentum OKC 2015 artist,” OVAC Blog. (blog). February 24, 2015. www.ovac-ok.org/ovac-blog/