Don’t imagine that there are always sunny days and champagne, no… but, what I understood over the years, is that you cannot appreciate happiness when you are living in a comfort zone; it is not relevant, because in such a case you don’t have to confront situations that are unknown for you.
What I am talking about here is being happy when there are challenges and situations that I’ve never lived before. Moving to a country where there is a different culture and different rules and ways to live everyday life, is one of these challenges I am referring to. It is what I have been experiencing, since I moved to a certain country in South America.
But of course, big things are for those who are daring to imagine and to dream….like me.
I had the desire to travel and to discover new places, I found myself willing to follow unknown paths that haven’t been walked by other close friends. And you know what?! ….it is true: when you can dream it, you can make it happen. Resources, people, circumstances and places came to be real for me and now I can share with you parts of my colorful reality.
Everything that I ever paint comes from myself, and reflects my inner status, my joy or my fears. In this way, I am creating what is called “intuitive paintings”, ones that show in colors my perceptions of reality in specific moments, perceptions that may not be the same any another day, and for which I felt an urge to express them through painting.
Since I discovered Mexico, I have imprinted my memory with the colors of that world and this fact has begun to be reflected in my paintings. I found myself during this period using more red and blue, with a lot of intensity, to reveal the lively Mexican spirit I found outside on the streets, and in my perception of this new world.
This Latin spirit of course means passion and living “ la vida loca” as a song said, in a good sense, but at the same time, since I came in Colombia, I give it also the meaning of living with intensity today, because you never now what can happen tomorrow…It is a different world, this colorful world of Colombia, a place where you need to be careful when walking the streets while enjoying street art and colorful buildings. But at the same time, it is an interesting world, a world that inspires me to paint colorful paintings, to cultivate positive emotions and enthusiasm, especially when I encounter an obstacle. Really I can say, it couldn’t be a better world for my personal, professional and spiritual growth…
In my paintings, I try to show through colors and their intensity, what my perception of this world is.
The red from “La Habanera” (60x90cm) is inspired by the music of the opera Carmen, which is captured in the layers of this painting together with the colors of my Latin American experience. This piece of art is a reflection of myself in my current situation: the flowers are “crying”, but I am always shining with color and beauty. The flowers are chrysanthemums, which symbolize optimism and joy. In fact, in Japan, each year there is a “Festival of Happiness” to celebrate this flower as a symbol of the sun. The Japanese consider the orderly unfolding of the chrysanthemum’s petals to represent perfection, whereas Confucius once suggested that they be used as an object of meditation. It’s said that a single petal of this celebrated flower placed at the bottom of a wine glass will encourage a long and healthy life.
Another painting made during this Latin American period of my life is “Mexican rose dream” (61×76 cm), where the blue and the red are dancing together, reflecting my anticipation for a new journey to Mexico. This is an amazing work that I created together with other three small pieces, while I was living in a house with a beautiful garden in Toronto.
Painting all of them, I felt like I am living the life I came here to live and a lot of gratitude for all that I was experiencing at that time.
I have found ways to implement the qualities I like in oil paints into my works with acrylics, by using heavy bodied strokes and richly colored washes, and with such techniques I have achieved the results I wanted.
I have been planning to focus my artistic effort on painting a new collection in which to experiment with intense color palettes, with freedom of expression and abstract representations.
The next pieces that I intend to paint will include botanical and sea elements, this means more green and blue. They will be inspired by my recent trip to Cancun and by new trips to Lima, Montevideo and Buenos Aires, that will follow in the near future.
My objective is to express in a visual way Latin America’s feel that I’m having the chance to experience and that is hard to encompass in words.
Happy life means happy paintings for me!
I am quite pleased with my latest pieces and I believe that travelling is one of the best inspiration resources that one can have. I am so grateful for having the time to travel and to paint what I am feeling while discovering new places, for expressing the Latin American world’s influence on me and in this way for having the chance to color someone’s life and world with my paintings.
