J.M. STRINGER GALLERY

"Painting is my passion. I was trained in a more traditional academic setting, but in recent years I have combined my love for the outdoors with my art. It is most exciting attempting to capture on the spot the way the light falls on a beautiful scene or a fleeting aspect of nature. I complete more than 100 plein air paintings a year. I am most at peace painting before nature, outdoors."

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Born in Tehran, Iran in 1967, Andre's U.S. Military family returned to the states soon after his birth, settling in a Washington D.C. suburb. Early on, Andre's artistic nature was encouraged by his parents who were both patrons of the arts. He showed early promise, and in high school Andre's artwork was recognized by the Scholastic Art Awards, which resulted in his work being displayed two consecutive years at D.C.'s Corcoran Museum of Art. In college, Andre continued his study of art, ultimately taking his background in fine art and applying it to the study of illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was awarded the first Annual Mallory Callan Memorial Scholarship for Illustration. In each of his college years, Andre's work was prominently displayed in juried shows and began to sell.

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After earning a BFA, cum laude, in 1989, Andre worked for more than a decade as a free-lance illustrator. During that time, his illustrations appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Playboy, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Times, Arthritis Today, Business Law Today, and Government Executive. While his illustration work was honored with the 1995 Virginia Press Association Best of Show Award and the 1994 Award of Excellence from the Art Directors' Club of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Andre decided to leave the field of illustration and devote his full attention to his first love, painting. Andre Lucero lives and maintains a studio in Richmond, Virginia.

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Andre is an associate member of the Oil Painters of America, and a member of Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association and the Jack Woodson Sketch Club (plein air painting group, Richmond, Virginia).