“Maikel Martinez: Dream Worlds” is now on view through March 1 at Rosenbaum Contemporary’s Boca Raton, Fla. gallery (150 Yamato Road). The exhibition features new paintings by popular Cuban artist Maikel Martinez.

While at first glance Martinez’s works appear to be photographs or photorealistic paintings, upon closer inspection they are revealed to be places that do not actually exist. In each painting, Martinez’s memories of places from his past combine with his dreams and internal dialogue to create landscapes that have been reinvented in his mind. As he paints and plans where to place each element, he transfers the emotions he is feeling in the moment to the canvas. Through the process of painting, Martinez achieves a sense of calm, which is reflected in his works. His resulting “dream worlds” are reduced to their minimal elements.

“The images that appear on the canvas represent a kind of magical dictation from my unconscious,” Martinez said. “Throughout the creative process some of these images are transformed while others remain true to the image as originally dreamed.”

Martinez was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba. He received the Landscape Award at the 2000 Salon Nacional, sponsored by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) and held in homage to Tiburcio Lorenzo, the Cuban painter recognized as the Cuban “Lord of the Landscape.” His work has been exhibited in institutions and galleries in Europe, North and South America and the Caribbean including the Royal Bank of Canada and the Museo Provincial de Historia in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

“Maikel Martinez: Dream Worlds” can be viewed during Rosenbaum Contemporary’s regular Boca Raton gallery hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as on its website www.rosenbaumcontemporary.com.

Rosenbaum Contemporary, founded in 1979, is based in Boca Raton, Fla., with an additional gallery at 2 Via Parigi • Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Fla. The gallery caters to international collectors interested in investment-quality works by Postwar, Modern and Contemporary masters and presents nationally recognized museum-level exhibitions throughout the year. The gallery also offers a wide range of free services to collectors worldwide including acquisition advice, art consulting, sourcing of artists, art collection building and management and resale of select works of art.