Eloy Areu - A little about me
Born and raised in Cuba, I immigrated to the United States in 1961 and have been living in the Washington, D.C. area since then. An aerospace engineer by education, I am a self-taught artist who started painting over thirty years ago. During the 80's and early 90's painting took backseat to my children's activities, as I was a Brownie leader, Cub Scout leader, and coached sports for many years for the local Boys and Girls Club. In the mid-90's I began to paint more actively again, and in the last several years I have become increasingly involved in the art community. Aside from showing in a number of local venues, publications, and juried exhibitions, including the Montpellier Arts Center, Brookside Gardens, the Rockville Arts Place, City Hall in Takoma Park, and various embassies, my work can also be found in private collections in various parts of the U.S. as well as Cuba. I have also volunteered my talents at various events.
I hold a deep love and respect for nature and the outdoors, and believe that there is wonder in many simple things we take for granted. I try to stir these feelings in others through the subject matter of many of my paintings. I like to evoke emotions through the use of colors and contrasts of light and shadows.
Below is a summary of professional activities.
- Sculpture, commissioned public art at Eppley Recreation Center, University of Maryland, November 2008 to present
- Exhibit, atrium of Art Sociology at University of Maryland, November 2008-May 2009
- Patuxent Art League Juried Exhibition, Laurel, MD, December 2008
- Patuxent Art League Juried Exhibition, Laurel, MD, December 2007
- US House of Representatives, Washington, DC, November 2007
- Embassy of Grenada, Washington, D.C., October 2006
- Embassy of Croatia, Washington, D.C., May 2006
- All Hung Exhibition, Montpelier Art Center, MD, January 2006
- Patuxent Art League Juried Exhibition, Laurel, MD, December 2005 - Honorable Mention awarded
- Takoma Park Community Center Inaugural, December 2005/January 2006
- Embassy of Grenada, Washington, D.C., December 2005
- Organization of American States, Washington, D.C., February 2005
- Patuxent Art League Juried Exhibition, Laurel, MD, December 2004
- Group show at Richard Dempsey Memorial Gallery, Takoma Park, MD, Nov/Dec 2004
- Embassy of Trinidad, Washington, D.C., September 2004
- Embassy of Finland, Washington, D.C., February 2004
- Martin Luther King Celebration, Takoma Park, MD, January 2004
Worked with children in creating "I Have A Dream" mural that hung in Municipal Building; appeared on local cable TV and paper
- "Caribbean Themes", Embassy of Antigua, Washington, D.C., December 2003
- Contributing artist to "Off The Wall" at Rockville Arts Place, Rockville, MD, May 2003
- Group show at Richard Dempsey Memorial Gallery, Takoma Park, MD, April 2003
- Group show at Richard Dempsey Memorial Gallery, Takoma Park, MD, November 2002
- Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD, April 2002
- Member of Takoma Park Artists' Guild (TAG) since 2002 and treasurer since 2004