Masplata

Masplata was born in Panama where his love and admiration of nature began. He showed promise as an artist early in life when he quickly gained the attention of his primary art teacher. She encouraged him to pursue his talents and recommended him for an internship. Before he could complete the course...

Masplata was born in Panama where his love and admiration of nature began. He showed promise as an artist early in life when he quickly gained the attention of his primary art teacher. She encouraged him to pursue his talents and recommended him for an internship. Before he could complete the course, Mas moved to Las Angeles, California to live with his brother.
The streets of L.A. left Masplata craving his native Panama. In 1978 he relocated to Miami Beach, Florida and fell in love with the city and its culture. In wasn’t until 2001, when Mas’s mother passed away that he felt an unrelenting desire to create. He began painting in her honor and almost immediately began selling his work. For the first time Masplata felt like an artist and decided to devote himself fulltime to his trade.
In 2006, Masplata settled into a community of inspiring artists in The Wynwood Art District. This is where he encountered Perves Young (Purvis Young). Mas related to Perves on multiple levels. Both had struggled in life and both lacked a formal art education. Mas admired Perves for always putting his emotions into his work, no matter the medium, and this motivated Mas to use a variety of materials in his own work.
By 2009 Mas started exhibiting his work. He was an artist in residence with Artopia from 2013 – 2015. His work has been showcased at The Palm Beach Art Festival, The Bayside Art Festival, Coral Gables Museum, Biggs National Museum and various shows during Art Basel festivities. His art can be found hanging on the walls of many fellow Miamians including Flo-Rider, Gloria Estefan, Chayanne, Luis Enrique, and John Secada only to name a few.
Masplata describes his art as a message of hope. Those that have had the opportunity to watch him create are left in jaw dropping awe. He paints and draws with no fore-direction. His watercolors flow onto the canvas as if he is conducting a symphony. His ink drawings capture your attention and hold it until every intricate detail is consumed by the eye and embedded in the body.