Mystic Flow | Ruben Salinas
Martin-Mullen Gallery
January 20 - March 7, 2026
Reception: February 5, 5-7 pm (inclement weather: February 12, 5-7 pm)
Ruben Salinas (Assistant Professor, Illustration) has been a respected member of the SUNY Oneonta Art Department and a much-admired professor since 2016. Mystic Flow charts the growth of Salinas’ practice since his 2017 campus exhibition, Mystic Black. Many works are a continuation of his focus on gesture, highlighted through a black and white palette and the natural flow of acrylic and tempera paints. However, it is his striking use of color that best demonstrates the recent evolution of his practice.
Abstractions are built from layers of India ink, tempera, acrylics and gouache in vivid colors that transport the viewer away from Oneonta’s grey winter landscape. These works fit well within his broader oeuvre, each one following the smooth, rounded gestures of an arm moving across a smooth surface. The flow of each piece leads to the figures who emerge from the swaths of color. Much like his black and white imagery, they feel like a contemporary exploration of automatic drawing where Salinas builds an environment then interprets it, allowing the figures to develop where they feel most natural. The colors span a broad range and defy current cultural markers like “millennial grey” and muted tones. While they are vibrant and sometimes shocking, they meld together smoothly.
From this surface, the colors continue to build and are frequently perforated by scratches or drips, highlighting the artist’s manipulation. The longer you look, the more you start to notice the texture and a proliferation of “seams” on the larger pieces. This is due to the surface some of the works are set on: manila folders, opened at the bend or collaged together. Rather than hiding this, Salinas allows it to add another dimension to his work, a gently geometric pattern sitting just below the organic surface. In his words: "my work is a sheer extension, a vehicle of my passion, a quest for the undetermined, a by-product of emphasis."
Poster design by Connor Mead.
You may also like the following events from Galleries at SUNY Oneonta:
Also check out other
Arts events in Oneonta,
Exhibitions in Oneonta,
Fine Arts events in Oneonta.
