My art moves between traditional and contemporary painting, developing an artistic style that allows me to show my vision and sensitivity to the world. With my works I always intend to suggest and leave an open field for the viewer—freedom of interpretation seems to me the most important thing in my work. Koi, water lilies and flowers are recurrent themes in my pieces and usually transmit a feeling of peace. At times, the contrast between warm and cold colors and the movement of the figures can also convey a more energetic feeling. The idea is that everyone can identify with the piece in their own way, based on their own experiences and feelings.
Dancing in the Water, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 80" (101 x 203 cm) This piece is made with acrylic paints and represents multiple species of koi. The displacement of the koi fish in the water and their movements was what inspired me to make this piece. I worked with thick impasto paint to highlight the range of vivid colors and strong contrasts of chiaroscuro. After making several sketches and drawings, I found a composition that I liked. Like my other koi paintings, in this one we can find dripping techniques, strong expressive brushstrokes and black lines made with charcoal to highlight the main figures.
Sunrise at Giverny, acrylic on linen, 35½ x 35½" (90 x 90 cm) This piece is inspired by the beautiful garden of Giverny in France where the master Claude Monet lived and created so many pieces, which is a great reference for me in my work. As the title of the work mentions, the fundamental theme of this artwork is the light and the hour of the day. In trying to capture this idea, I used different ranges of warm colors. The work shows the bridge in the painter’s garden to give context to the image of the place in which the piece is based. We can also observe that half of the painting is in the light and the other half is submerged in the shadow of the trees, which was interesting to me as I was making this piece because of the contrast of light and shadows that it gives to the landscape.
Something very important to me in terms of painting is the search for beauty and enjoying the process. The materials I work with are varied. While I often work in acrylic, sometimes oil works better for me to find technical solutions in painting that the acrylic does not allow me. On the other hand, many times acrylic gives me a brightness and an intensity in the color that is exactly what I need to express myself at that moment. Charcoals can also be very expressive when applying them in drawing. All materials have a purpose for me, and that is why I try to diversify my techniques between each work, as it allows me to better express myself with the right tools for that particular piece.
Turquoise aquarium, acrylic on linen, 80 x 80" (203 x 203 cm) This is a piece worked with acrylics through layers of paint that, when overlapping each other, create thicker layers. This technique creates a very interesting visual effect where I also explore the contrast between warm and cool colors. This is something that has always caught my attention because of the contrast it has visually. The theme of the transparency of the glass and the movement of the koi was a challenge for me when I made this artwork. It’s of-a-kind within my work, and that is why it is one of my favorite pieces.
Lotus garden, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60" (121 x 152 cm) This is a work belonging to my oldest series, Water gardens, that I have been working on for more than 10 years in my artistic career. The lotus flower and the pond landscape is the subject that I have worked on the most in recent years, with a strong influence from the impressionists and the master Claude Monet. Made with acrylics, this work contains strong impastos of paint, especially in the area of the flowers to achieve a figure/background contrast, turning the flower into the focal point of the landscape, which is distinguished by a strong pink color.
Regarding the themes and topics of my pieces, everything has been part of a process, trying to find myself and what I want to say with my painting and my art. It is difficult to find an exact moment because it has taken many years of searching and working to get to where I am today. The work has been changing and evolving over time—it is a long process. From a very young age, I have always loved painting and knew it was what I wanted to do when I was an adult. It’s like a condition in me that I need to do—my way of expressing myself. I really enjoy every day at work. —