"Helix Nebula" Painting

José Luis de Miguel is an abstract painter based in Spain.

An experimental approach to the formal elements of images is the true subject of his work.

Compositional schemes based on the relationship of overlapped organic forms make up the structure that allows formal elements to be the real protagonists. So the texture of the brushstrokes, together with chromatic harmonies and contrasts, luminosity and transparency grant to the paintings a symbolic value that remains for the viewer to interpret.

José Luis de Miguel conceives his compositions intuitively without making sketches but once he has started a new painting he continues over several sessions modifying the initial idea and adding layers, as in a picture editor program, that configure an increasingly complex painting.

Sometimes the pictures of the cosmos: nebulae, galaxies and galaxy clusters, are the source of inspiration from which he develop his process. In this series he does not try to represent the images in an iconic way. Instead, he interprets them, and finally there is only an allegorical or symbolic connection between the initial referent and the finished work.

In a wide variety of formats he has used acrylic on different supports such as linen, methacrylate, polyester film and stretched flexible PVC. He has also occasionally employed watercolor on paper in small sized works.

José Luis de Miguel’s work has been shown in many solo and group exhibitions and is in corporate and private collections in many countries.