After years of showing separately, Michele Tuohey and Oscar Martínez discovered the impact of showing their colorful, spiritual and psychologically powerful oil paintings together. "Mirrors" shown in their internet website and often at different venues around town, reflects their shared Caribbean roots, their dreams and spirituality, command of color and love for each other.

"Our dual show gives us the opportunity to showcase our similarities and differences and provides answers to many questions," says Oscar Martínez, a Chicago painter and muralist, originally from Puerto Rico. Michele Tuohey, his wife, is half Cuban, half Irish and comes from Miami. The way they met and fell in love sounds like something from a telenovela.

"Everything just fell into place," says Martínez, who proposed to Tuohey one week after they met at an arts banquet. "We just followed our feelings," he says, shrugging off any suggestion that they may have rushed into marriage. Actually, the couple had talked once before over the phone when Tuohey called Martínez to solicit donations for a project. "We discovered we’re both from the Caribbean, so we share the same culture, language and food. We also are both spiritual and have a love and respect for nature," Martínez says.

Now, nine years later, the couple is still madly in love. "Each of us are the wings of the same bird," says Tuohey, quoting a line from a poem by Josí Martí, a Cuban poet and revolutionary. Together, they raise their two children, manage a household, paint, promote their "Mirrors" show and enjoy each other’s company. Their secret to the demands of everyday life is to occasionally escape to their studio at the Flat Iron Arts Building in Wicker Park. There they paint, talk, laugh, act childish and critique each other’s work.

"Painting can be very solitary. It’s just you and the canvas," Martínez says. "But it’s more wonderful when you step away and get instant feedback from someone you love and respect." They talk about color and composition and what’s working and what isn’t. "I appreciate her good ideas and the honesty of her answers," he adds.

"Years earlier, it was in that same studio where Tuohey discovered she could paint. She would spend long hours drawing while he’d paint. "You are very good," Martínez recalls telling her. You should paint with oils." He showed her how to mix and apply color, and she took it from there.

To her credit, Tuohey has gained recognition for her strong "vibrations of color" and psychological compositions. She says her theatrical acting has influenced each of her paintings as they "come to life as separate stage performances." After earning her degree in performance studies from Northwestern University, she went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from UIC. Currently, she’s on track to earn her juris doctor in the year 2000.

Many of Tuohey’s paintings depict two identical women," writes critic Mario Castillo, an art professor at Columbia College. "Both presumably [are] dealing with life’s conflicting dualities and the balance of the male and female within."

Tuohey explains: "All of us, men and women alike, have two sides -one that is masculine and one that is feminine. Because of these masculine and feminine qualities, men and women are more alike than we are led to believe. Unfortunately, we are taught to negate the side that society says we are not predisposed to." Tuohey says both sides need to be fulfilled and placed into balance in our daily lives. That is why she portrays women in masculine and feminine poses. For instance, one woman may strike a dance pose while another carries a hammer or wears a Panama hat. "With these male and female symbols, I try to speak to men and women through my paintings," she says.

Tuohey uses interiors in her work because of the duality they represent. "On one hand, men and women have designed and built aesthetically pleasing buildings and homes that protect us from the elements," she says. "Yet, at the same time, these structures have alienated us from nature which we need to feel peaceful and spiritually connected with the earth."

Movement, color, passion and spirituality make up the context of Martínez’s bold oil paintings. He uses many symbols in his paintings that refer to his happy childhood growing up in Maragüez, Puerto Rico. The small town was washed away when the Army Corps of Engineers built a dam on site. Maragüez now sits under a large lake that provides water for the island. Although Martínez cannot return to his hometown, his memories are kept alive in his paintings. They often show his grandmother in a rocking chair, roosters, rocks, boats and arrowhead leaves. The rocks symbolize all that is eternal and everlasting, he says. "There were many rocks in the rivers around Maragüez," he says. "I like the way they were slowly formed grain by grain and made smooth by the river." The heart-shaped arrowhead leaves were also indigenous to the area. He says the Indians used to eat the plant for food. There’s a small potato that can be cut from the root.

According to a review by Ilana Vardy, executive director of Art Chicago, Martínez’s work "commands the viewer’s attention by the activity on the canvas alone. There is no negative space, no breathing room, only vibrancy of color and composition." He adds that the dynamic and tactile quality of Martinez’s work lures the viewer inside the painting, forcing questions, creating a need to solve the mystery. The images are vital, stirring and often disturbing. Martínez’s striped female figure represents an image of nothingness.

Martínez explains: "I’ve always been fascinated by man’s ability to believe in things unseen -such as the soul, God and heaven. The striped female is a takeoff on the "Big Bang" concept that man was created out of darkness. I thought it would be interesting to depict an image that was carved out of dark layers of paint and brought to life." So line by line, Martínez "carves" this striped female form into the light of the canvas. "If you look closely, you’ll see that there is no figure there. Only lines," he says.

It took Martinez nearly seven years to perfect the striped figure, which is part of his signature style. He remained secluded in his studio until he was fully satisfied with what he saw.

Martínez’s resume reads like an artist who has dedicated his lifetime to his craft. He graduated with a degree in medical drawing from UIC and was an active member of Chicago’s mural movement in the seventies. As a young artist, Martínez was involved with socio-political issues, including the displacement of Latino neighborhoods. The murals helped to satisfy his political and creative expressions at the time. One of these murals can still be seen on North Avenue, west of Humbolt Park.

Over the years, Martínez has shown his work in many solo and group exhibitions around Chicago, Miami and in other cities in Puerto Rico. As a result, his paintings are displayed in many galleries, museums and in public and private collections. Moreover, he has curated shows, served on boards, lectured and presented at universities and colleges around the country. He has also received grants and awards too numerous to mention. Yet, throughout it all, Martínez remains modest about his accomplishments and is a devoted family man.

The couple believes their bond is rare among artistic couples who are often competitive. Their focus, they say, is on the "we" as a couple and as a family. Daughter Zulian, age 6, and son Izer, age 4, show interest in art and the couple encourages them to express themselves creatively. Much family time is centered on painting, drawing and creating crafts together.

In addition, they take time out of each day to catch up on each other. "We used to talk early in the morning, but lately it’s been later at night," says Tuohey. "That way, we stay connected and grow together as a couple."

"Mirrors" reflects their struggles, strengths, aspirations and love for each other. They plan to continue to show it in galleries and universities around the United States and hope to eventually expand it internationally. "We’re looking forward to showing our paintings to new audiences in South America and Europe," Martínez says. They like showing in academic settings because they provide great forums for open expression and allow them to speak to many young people about art. Inspiring youth and giving back to the Latino community are important aspects of their lives.

Tuohey and Martínez will be showing their work at Indiana University’s Northwest campus in November and December. You can view "Mirrors" online at www.uic.edu/~olm/mirrors.htm. Their many colorful images first appear on screen as thumbnails, but can be enlarged to 3 x 5-inch size with a click of the mouse.

Martínez first designed their webpage a year ago to reach a larger audience. He learned by taking a quick course on web design and by researching other artists’ web sites. Besides their paintings, you can view a calendar of their upcoming shows, biographies, philosophies, reviews and resumes.

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© 2007 Michele Tuohey. All rights reserved.