Porterville artist Cesar Martinez, who took part in the first artists' reception at Bird Dog Arts last spring, returns with a solo show this week.
For his work, including this new exhibit, titled "what's a watt; to a man," Martinez said he took inspiration from Pablo Picasso.
He was moved not only by the Spanish painter's 1973 landmark work "Guernica" but also by the quote "Learn the rules like a pro, so that you can break them like an artist."
The latter inspired Martinez to teach himself anatomy.
"I relentlessly worked at my figure drawing for about a year," he wrote in his artist's statement. "It was around that time when I saw a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat which inspired me to make the change to painting."
The artist said he has developed his style through the likeness of Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Egon Schiele and Cy Twombly.
Martinez wrote, "In each and every artwork, I draw from personal life experiences to convey my message in a very sentimental and personal way."
A reception will be held for Martinez's show from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the art space at the Outlets at Tejon, 5701 Outlets at Tejon Parkway, Suite 440.
Admission is free, and complimentary wine and snacks will be served.
Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.