Meet Jhon Florez | Painter, illustrator and Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jhon Florez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jhon, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
My art compels the creative to dream wonderfully and guides the on looker to a world of fantasy and spiritual oasis. My main target audience is the youth, because our future is in their hands, quite literally. If want to make a change in this world for the better, it starts with making a change in ourselves and rest assured that the little ones are following our steps. I created an art style that allows me to create visually captivating images that pop like candy colors with deep story telling often reflecting the interconnectedness between humans and the universe inside and all around us. This fusion of elements makes my art rich and digestible to the young observers while still being equally as marvelous to the trained eye. My topics revolve that of consciousness and the journey of enlightenment. Though this topic may seem advanced for the younger audience, I believe a good teacher and can always meet their students at their level of understanding. For example, I’ve written a children’s book called “The Seed and The Sun” which is a poem that describes the journey of a seed striving towards the light, overcoming the darkness, and finally blooming into its full potential. This is what I mean by digestible yet spiritually nutritious. This work, creating artwork for our children, the people of the future, will help shape conscientious human beings, that are trained to think creatively and are bold risk takers. In this way, my artwork will be a piece of the puzzle that brings this world one step closer to a new earth of harmonious living and peace. I have also written a novel called “Alien and Fabien, the Adventures of the Same Difference”. This is also an example of how I created a piece of artwork catered to the children that invites them to a higher learning of self and the interconnectedness they share with the universe.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Born in Miami to Colombian and Puerto Rican heritage, I am an artist who paints in the mesmerizing style of magic realism. My work is a celebration of vibrant colors aimed at inspiring and unlocking humanity’s creative potential.

Central to my artistic vision is a series I’ve titled “Temples,” which I consider to be my most prestigious pieces. Each work in this series revolves around a silhouette of a real person or animal, traced onto canvas and filled with imagery that both juxtaposes and complements the anatomy as a whole. These images are carefully chosen based on their shapes and their connection to my perception of the model, creating a captivating visual narrative that invites viewers to explore the depths of symbolism and representation.

Among my notable achievements in the arts, I am particularly proud to have counted J. Cole, my favorite hip-hop artist, among the owners of one of my original pieces when I was just 23 years old. Additionally, my work has been embraced by other esteemed musicians such as Wyclef Jean and Bas. Another significant milestone in my career was being commissioned as the muralist to paint the entire exterior of a PPEC in Little Havana, named “Glory To God.” This project holds special meaning for me as it allowed me to contribute to the community, especially to the children, while also marking the largest mural I have undertaken thus far.

As a conscious artist, I firmly believe in the transformative power of creativity. My art is not only a visual feast but also a vehicle for spreading hope, often with a psychedelic twist. Those who encounter my work are encouraged to embrace their own creative potential and to find inspiration in the world around them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If besties in town, and for educational purposed let’s say there is a full moon one of those nights, we are going to the full moon drum circle on 81st and Collins. Why? Because it’s the most human and communal Miami can get. Dancing under the full luminous moon, on the soft sandy beach, drummers and belly dancers syncing up in a wild celebration of life, with a fire pit in the middle that gently glows of the people’s skin. Sharing those moments with other likeminded people, people of the Earth that embraces nature, is not only a good old time, but it can be a transformative experience for someone who has never felt that sense of community and celebration. Oh, and its free! and if you know the right people, it can last till the sun comes up! Seeing the sun rise over our Atlantic Ocean is a world wonder in my book. This is a breathtaking and worth showing my bestie.

After this, I would take my bestie to an event called skate burn! A place where we play with fire “legally” and skate. Another place where we will meet unique people doing unique things. Plus, who doesn’t want a free fire show? Let’s light up!

If we get hungry at some point, i won’t hesitate to take my bestie to Steves Pizza, The best Pizza in Miami in my opinion. A small pizza parlor that’s covered in graffiti on Biscayne BLVD is my safe place. That pizza is so freaking good. i dont know what’s in it but, wow.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There is a plethora of people that come to mind when I think of how I got to where I am today. But if I must narrow it down, there is a select few who were imperative to my growth. The first person on my list has to be my mother, Alba. Not only is she my first real supporter, but she was also the one who endowed me with the power of self-belief. Through her encouraging words and unconditional love, she molded a child that believed whole heartedly in himself and that he can accomplish anything he set his mind to. Beyond creating art, this early steppingstone set me up for long term success in life. Without her I would not have been prepared with the right tools such as the power of self-belief and the everlasting effect and power of her unconditional love to overcome life’s obstacles.

Another individual that catapulted my artistry forward is an American painter named Roger Sherman. The backstory on how we met so synchronistical deserves its own space, but I’ll spare us the details. In my 10th grade year of Highschool, i decided i would quit making art because of the stress and pressure that came with the reality of becoming a working artist. That day, after school, I walked home with a gray view of the world and desperately wanted to feel better so I decided i would take another route home. Along this new path I walked into a car that was parking in front of me with the word “PAINTER” printed on the window along with a telephone number. I already knew this was a cosmic sign, but i didn’t stop there. I needed an even more obvious sign to my situation. The gentleman came out of the car and I asked him what type of painting he does. One question led to the next and suddenly, I find myself standing inside of his studio apartment. At that point in my life, it was everything I wanted. A creative house filled with artwork, finished and in progress. I was thoroughly impressed and inspired by meeting a real living artist. In return, He saw a young eager artist that probably reminded him of himself and offered to teach me art lessons for 20 dollars a session. And so, every other day afterschool, when I saved up enough lunch money that is, I would walk to his house for private art lessons. Roger gave me the foundations to my technicality – from perspective drawing to color theory. Roger passed down his life-long knowledge on art to me. Every legendary artist had a mentor under their wings – mine was named Roger Sherman. It was unshakable now, I knew I couldn’t quit art even if I tried. My destiny became clearer than ever, I am an artist, and the universe is conspiring this to be so.

The last person I want to credit on here is a dear friend of mine named Abraham Metellus. A young Jhon-Michael i was and ready to make myself known, but with no skin in the art game, I was aimless to where and what I should do. That’s when Abe gave me a sense of direction. Abe was a pastor who was involved in bettering his community through events and art. He was preparing his first gallery show at a church in Miami and I only came to know about it because a mutual friend of ours linked us up. The rest is art history. Me and Abe clicked on many levels. He saw something in me that he wanted to develop. With his position in the church, He was able to give me my first real art studio, at the church itself! it was pretty epic creating artwork from the top floor of an old church – And I must add that it was for free. He really did just want to see me succeed. That’s when i realized he was my first real art patron. Later down the timeline, He relocated my studio to the Little Haiti Cultural Center, where He hired me as the art teacher for that establishment. There, I was able to create artwork with the locals of that community, mostly children. It was a fulfilling time in my life because I was doing what I loved the most, getting paid for it and creating art with children. It’s worth mentioning that he also gave me the window of opportunity to meet J. Cole and gift him with one of my original paintings. That was a turning point in my career as all of my contemporaries were taking notice of who i was. Just when i thought this man has done more than enough for me, He took a chance and invited me to California to create artwork on the west coast. My spirit jumped up, i knew this was for me and so I took the risk and quit my job at that time to spread my wings as an artist in hopes to level up in some way. On that new land, my path became a flow state, meeting people that would lead me to my next steps in the art world. Because of Abe, I grew beyond my comfort zone and was super charged with inspiration and determination. Why did this man care so much if I succeeded or not? What was in it for him? Can it truly be that he was giving me one opportunity after the next just so he can see my dreams come true for me? Yes, it turned out to be that simple. Good hearted people that want to see you doing good in life and even better than them, actually exist, because I met one. The one I met is named Abraham.

Website: https://Heavensakeart.com

Instagram: Heavensakeart

Other: Heavensakeart@gmail.com

Image Credits
IG: FotosofMolo