Abdiel Acosta – BWIPS Vendors and Brands 2023

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.

“I create ink washes layered on top of one another on a white scratchboard paper. The papers are not pre-inked like traditional scratch boards with 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 reverse to create lines with the exposed white background beneath the layers of ink washes.”

You can view a vast selection of Abdiel Acosta’s art in person at The Baltimore/Washington International Pen Show March 10-11-12, 2023.