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'Back in elementary school, teachers would ask me to come to their classrooms and do illustrations .....'

Orlando Pelaez, who studied art in New York City and his native Colombia, is among several artists exhibiting work in the Indiana State Museum's Indiana Art Fair, an exhibition and sale this weekend. (Michelle Pemberton / The Star)

An untitled work that Pelaez will be showing reflects his South American heritage. (Michelle Pemberton / The Star)

Orlando Pelaez is renowned for his contemporary Latin American paintings and sculptures, but despite the praise, he hasn't made a habit of appearing at art fairs for years.

When Pelaez, a native of Colombia, moved to Indianapolis in 1975, responses to his colorful pieces at such fairs "were not exactly what I was expecting, so I kind of gave up on that idea."

So what led him to participate in this weekend's Indiana Art Fair?

"The new movement in Indianapolis," he explains. "The (art) scene has grown a lot, and there's much more attention focused on art now. A lot of people are becoming very diverse, very eclectic, as to collecting art. So I feel it is time to go back to art fairs. And I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a new era."

His former eras, however, also have been quite impressive. He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Colombia's Antioquia University, and also studied painting and drawing at New York City's National Academy of Fine Arts and the Art Students League of New York. He married a native Hoosier, and the couple settled in Indianapolis, where his successful career continued.

Throughout the years, Pelaez has garnered numerous honors, including winning the Jeep Latino Advertising Design Competition in San Antonio, Texas, in 2001 and the Best of Show award at the Lilly Faris Art Fair in Indianapolis the following year. Also in 2001, he received a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

In addition to being well-received by private collectors, Pelaez also has made inroads with corporate clients. His works are displayed by Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, DaimlerChrysler in San Antonio, Texas, and the United Nations in New York City. Locally, !Fineline Printing and Golden Rule Insurance have become clients.

The bold paintings and "flying sculptures" created by Pelaez represent "a window to Latin America: its multifarious history, values, magic, beauty and color," Pelaez has written in his official artist statement. "My South American identity resonates deep within my heart, flowing through my creative instruments to illuminate my artwork."

He knew as early as age 6 that art would be his destiny, Pelaez says. "I had a passion for art, and ..... I was just very artistically oriented. Back in elementary school, teachers would ask me to come to their classrooms and do illustrations on the chalkboard for them. That, to me, was a pretty good indication that I had talent. And it went from there."

In addition to what he hopes will be an impressive art-fair representation this year, Pelaez also is working on commissioned works for "some prominent people here in the city" while pursuing his passion full-time.

While his works often reach widths of 4 feet, he hopes to attract new clients at the Indiana Art Fair with a new series of 2-by-2-foot pieces.

"I think (my paintings) appeal to all audiences," Pelaez says. "My pieces tend to appeal to anybody who has a very eclectic taste and to people who are looking to focus on a new type of art....... My art has a good twist to it in a contemporary way, and ..... I really think it is visually welcomed."

- By Julie Cope Saetre / Star correspondent