Arts & Entertainment

Building Basement Doubles as Gallery for Montclair Artist

Longtime Bellclair building manager Fernando Mariscal's work will be shown at upcoming exhibit at Newark Public Library.

In the basement of Upper Montclair’s only doorman building, residents are treated to an exclusive, and somewhat unconventional, art gallery. 

The halls leading to indoor garages, storage areas and a laundry room are lined with the artwork of Fernando Mariscal, the longtime building manager.

Mariscal is on call 24/7 to maintain the 154-condominium high-rise.

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After taking a hiatus to raise a family, the 50-year-old recently recommitted himself to creating art. 

“Wait a minute, I’m an artist,” Mariscal recalls telling himself. “A couple of years ago I made a decision that I am going to paint daily.”

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His work includes abstracts and portraits and he uses primarily oil and oil/pastels. He has joined Studio Montclair and exhibited with the local organization as well as at the Paterson Museum, City Hall in Jersey City and starting July 25 in a show at the Newark Public Library.

The “gallery” in the basement has been popular with residents. Some have purchased paintings for their apartments while others have been inspired to study painting with Mariscal.

“Some people really love it,” he said. “They think it’s great to have art in the basement.”

Mariscal studied at the Escuella de Bellas Artes “Diego Quispe Tito” in his native Cusco, Peru in the early 1980s. The poor economy at the time made for a weak art market, he said, and a family member persuaded him to come to the United States.

For a while, he was able to support himself selling paintings and creating murals. But once he married and had a daughter he needed more steady and predictable income. That’s when he went back to school to learn building maintenance and management.

He gets back to Cusco often to visit his dad and speaks fondly of the food and culture of his state, home of a Gaston Acurio restaurant and the 15th-century Inca site Machu Picchu.

Despite his strong ties to Peru and the vibrant colors of his work, Mariscal claimed he does not feel influenced by his South American roots.

"I actually feel more what I'm living now," he said.

The artist can be seen painting in Anderson Park and other Montclair sites and gets to New York City as often as possible.

Across town, at the Montclair Art Museum, hang the works of a favorite artist: Hudson River School landscape painter George Inness.

“I always go see him, then I see the rest,” he said. “He’s a genius.”

Mariscal's work will be exhibited as part of a celebration of Peru's independence at Newark Public Library, Centennial Hall, 5 Washington St., in Newark. An opening reception is planned for Thursday, July 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Follow Fernando Mariscal on Facebook.


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