Abdiel Acosta: Invasion of Habitat

 

 

 

 

ABDIEL ACOSTA was born in Colon, Matanzas, Cuba in 1974. He was raised in Miami, Florida where he attended the New World School of the Arts. He received a BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore, Maryland. During his time at Maryland, Acosta was awarded the Presidential Scholarship, Maryland Institute Scholarship, National Art Honor Society Scholarship, Seymour Mandeldaum, and the William Ferguson Merit Scholarship. He also earned an Honorable Mention Award, National Endowment of the Arts, National Art Honor Society Scholarship, and Liquitex Excellence in Art Student Grant.  Acosta received his Masters of Science in Art Education at Florida International University. Graduating with honors for outstanding Academic Achievement and was awarded the Florida International University Provost award for Outstanding Creative Project in 2016. His art works have been published in the Mystic River Press, Latin Network for the Visual Arts Biannual Catalogue 2006-2014, School of Education and Human Development cover page and back page for the year in review magazine 2015 FIU Arts, and Caliban Online. In addition, Acosta participated in group exhibitions at the Favarola Museum, Saint Thomas University, Coral Gables Museum, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art at the University of Connecticut, Little Haiti Cultural Center Gallery, Art Center of South Florida, Miami International University of Art and Design, San Carlos Museum, Maryland Institute College of Art, New World School of the Arts, and Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum. He received 1st place in the category of Printmaking and Drawing in the Coconut Grove Art Festival in 2016. He received 2^nd place in the category of Printmaking and Drawing in the Coconut Grove Art Festival in 2017. He was awarded 2^nd place in the Beaux Art Festival in the category of Drawing and Graphic. Best of Show Award FAEA Virtual Exhibition in 2013.

Below is Acosta’s description of his technique for creating ink washes on scratch board paper.

“I create ink washes layered on top of one another on a white scratch board paper.  The papers are not pre-inked like traditional scratch boards that come in a flat mat black coating.  Instead, these papers are white with a coating or film that allows me to play with the desired medium to create a fluid background.  This paper allows me to build several layers of ink.  Each ink layer must settle and dry before the next layer can be applied.  Once I feel the desired layers of darkness and contrast are attained, I take a sharp X-Acto knife and work in the reverse to create lines with the exposed white background beneath the layers of ink washes.”

 

— Abdiel Acosta