The Twilight Hour Painting

Jorge Saenz is an artist based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Growing up just a few blocks from Haight-Ashbury in 1960s San Francisco, Saenz was exposed to countless pockets of art and culture, falling in love with painting early on in his childhood. After studying architecture and fine art, Saenz spent a considerable amount of time working in the field of visual merchandising. He now commits to his artwork full-time, enhancing and refining his unique methodology. Relying on his architectural background and ever evolving concept of color fields, Saenz has hand-carved his own niche in the abstract realm, drawing inspiration from prolific artists like De Kooning, Rothko and Frankenthaler. A close glance at his work reveals multiple layers of shapes, patterns, and color fluctuation, often completed with translucent drips and asemic writing. Commonly inspired by social causes, Saenz’s unapologetic usage of various mediums and contrasting color temperatures hint at his romantic approach to abstract art. Over the years, Saenz’s work has been featured in local exhibitions at the Virginia Beach Art Center’s Brock Gallery, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center, Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library, and MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), all located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He has earned accolades such as Best in Show for “Red,” “Small Works,” “Purple Haze,” and “Abstractly Speaking,” as well as various Most Creative awards at Brock Gallery in Virginia Beach. In 2021, Saenz’s work was featured in the 440 Gallery’s WHOLENESS: 17th Annual Small Works Show in Brooklyn, New York, as well as various national exhibitions at Norfolk, Virginia’s d’Art Center, including “Tribute,” “Portrayed,” and “Dynamic.” Saenz is currently an associate artist at both the Virginia Beach Art Center and the d’Art Center in Norfolk. His work is sought after by various collectors internationally.