Emerge Gallery received an incredible amount of submissions for the upcoming smaller art exhibition that opens this Friday. Some really wonderful art and talent. It was a difficult decision but Emerge Gallery is pleased to announce that NJ artist Julian Tejera is being awarded a solo exhibition. Julian embodies the kind of artist that Emerge Gallery looks to support.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Julian Tejera has seldom gone a day without pencil in hand. Receiving his BFA in illustration from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University in 2008, he worked as a freelance and portrait artist for a number of years. While working at the Montclair Art Museum Julian discovered a passion for teaching, leading to the start of a career as a sought after art instructor for teens and adults in his home state. The decision to pursue a master’s degree came from wanting to push his artistic vision as well as a desire to teach at a collegiate level, and so he attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, graduating in 2015 with an MFA in painting. While in school, he won 1st place in the MFA figurative category of the AAU Spring Show two years in a row. He has also exhibited elsewhere in New Jersey, New York City, San Francisco, and New Hampshire. His artwork seeks to draw the viewer into the quiet moments of his figurative subject matter, using strong design and technique to lead the eye around the picture plane and weave a visual narrative.
Congrats Julian!
"While She Waits"
Oil on Paper on Panel
16" x 16"
© Julian Tejera