Zaleia Painting

Born and raised in Madrid, Spain. The great passion of my life ever since I was a youngster has always been drawing and painting. I am always inspired by the human figure. I try to penetrate inside my characters and, through the depth of their inner beings, reach the intimacy of their psyche. I am interested in what a person can transmit at a certain time. I need to have a connection, at some level, with the people I paint, and I feel attracted to their gaze and gesture. When I observe a person, I try to reach what he or she can be feeling and to express not only that, but also how I feel with regard to it. It is, somehow, like painting a self-portrait, even though I am not the person in the canvas. In my wish to take part, I become the filter. I began my painting studies along with the artists Nieves Solana and Juan Valenzuela, working side by side with them for four years. Then I moved to Florence where I entered the Accademy of Fine Arts and graduated specializing in painting. I also had the opportunity of working in the field of fresco painting with Professor Gustavo Giulietti. During my student days I loved the Impressionists, but nowadays I admire several different artists that make use of varied techniques. Though my main references have always been Michelangelo Buonarotti and Leonardo Da Vinci above all. I feel an intense admiration for their life and work. I normally use materials like oil paint and acrylic on canvas, sometimes on wood as well. In certain works I add soft textures with mediums and gesso. I also do watercolor painting and drawing. Currently I am living and working in Sevilla la Nueva, a small village on the outskirts of Madrid.