Pura Vida Painting

Mela Luque - Córdoba, Argentina (1962) As a child, I was very curious and creative, attentive to every detail of nature and everyday life around me. These early experiences awakened my love for art and my need to express myself through it. I started very young as a self-taught painter. My first works were in naïve style, inspired by landscapes and rural traditions. I studied graphic and advertising design in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1985, I attended several workshops in Buenos Aires, where I perfected my painting technique with acrylic and oil. During this period, my works focused on realistic landscapes. In Spain, where I lived for more than four years, I continued to work and explore different techniques. Once I settled in Italy, where I currently live, I started working on portraits, nudes and animal studies. Since 2006, I have broadened my knowledge and incorporated new techniques such as sanguine, charcoal, spatula, pastel and watercolour, perfecting myself in oil painting with pure pigments. Since 2013, I concentrate my production on portraits made with soft pastels, using pure pigments that highlight the lights and shadows to the maximum, a classic technique that has been revalued in recent times.