César A. Jerez

César A. Jerez was born on a small farm on the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic, which he believes instilled in him a love for the land and the sea. At the age of four, his parents moved to the United States, where they lived in New York City and then Montclair, New Jersey.
 
After graduating from William Paterson University with a degree in Business Administration, Mr. Jerez turned his attention full time to art. He studied figurative drawing at the Art Students League in New York City with Gustav Rehberger. After several years of figurative study, Mr. Jerez focused on painting at the Ridgewood Art Institute in New Jersey. There, he studied with Arthur Maynard, a disciple of the famous League instructor, Frank Vincent Dumond. Mr. Jerez also studied illustration at Pratt Institute in Manhattan.
 
Mr. Jerez uses light effects in his paintings to create a sense of distance and drama while representing both the weather conditions and the specific time of day. Today, as a self-termed “abstract realist”, Mr. Jerez captures the life of the subject by identifying the essential components of an object or scene, and by depicting them in the most simplistic manner to convey complete realism without neglecting the artistic elements of form and strong composition.

His love of travel and painting has taken him on many trips abroad to Spain and the Dominican Republic as well as nationally, from Maine to Hawaii.

His paintings have been exhibited nationally and are in many private collections. He is an exhibiting member of the National Arts Club, a member and on the board of The Hudson Valley Art Association, a member of The Ridgewood Art Institute and a life member of the Art Students League.