Concerto Painting

My paintings are in private and corporate collections in Mauritius, UK, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Dubai, Spain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, United States, Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Peru. They are inspired by many things: it can be the ever-changing play of light on the expanse of ocean I see from my window, or something I’ve encountered in a gallery; a remembered poem, like Cesar Vallejo’s Masa; or music I’ve heard, but above all my inspiration comes from within me, my feelings and emotions at a particular time. Colour is often the starting point of a piece and the composition then expands and coalesces as I play with volume, line, texture, colour and balance. I apply the paint with whatever I have to hand: my fingers, brushes, kitchen utensils, paper. My preferred medium is oil, with its rich texture and wonderful grace and versatility but in a humid climate I have adapted to using quicker drying acrylics. The strong, sharp, staccato lines I can make with acrylic work particularly well for my Japanese influenced paintings (a throwback to my ancestry). Gold, silver and bronze leaf feature in many of my works and lend a strong geometric element; a bold bar that divides the canvas, a steadying square or rectangle to give balance to a composition. The metal leaf is generally the first element I apply to the canvas and the rest of the composition I have in my mind’s eye grows around it. As I’ve moved from my native Peru to Luxembourg and then to Mauritius painting has always been my companion and therapy, an escape from the outside world; it’s my way of feeling alive and expressing myself.