I am a painter. Painting is an artistic expression that has been a part of human existence since its inception. It holds crucial value for society and culture. It is a visual document of our times, and over the years, pictorial works solidify as tangible cultural heritage. Painting is much more than just an aesthetic and marketable object; it is an open book, where, in its pictorial multidimensionality, it welcomes the observer to become part of the proposed narrative, to engage with the work, to create a dialogue. And, in the best of cases, the general public welcomes painting as part of their everyday lives. For this reason, I do not limit my work to just making paintings. I seek exhibition opportunities where I can create an environment that fosters a context where painting, in conjunction with the architecture of the space, functions as an integral part of an ecosystem that operates with the dynamics conceived between the people, artwork, and the exhibition space. For me, painting is a serious matter, especially in these times of saturation with compressed digital images we see on screens. My painting practice is physical; it involves manipulating the pictorial material, connecting it with my body and senses during the creation process. To achieve this, I utilize basic elements such as color, lines, shapes, and textures to compose narratives that are enhanced by the relationships between these elements, transcending purely figurative representation, form design, and aesthetics.

For me, painting is a wonderful gift; it’s something that life itself has given me. That’s why my commitment to the practice and its tradition requires me to constantly engage in live painting exercises, honing my observation and color skills. I practice painting in silence without interruptions from audio, music, or external sounds, and I find pictorial solutions by contemplating the work for long periods. Beyond the narrative, ideas, or epiphanies I aim to convey through painting, my studio practice necessitates a conscious and consistent exercise of the craft. This work discipline allows me, when developing a specific body of work, to define in advance the color palette to use, the type of paint and surface most appropriate for the project, the technical process of how I will paint the pieces, the number of works I need to complete a series, and even my work projection considers the way how install the artworks and in what context. My work does not culminate in the studio; my creative circle concludes with the presentation of the artwork to the general public, and the pieces form part of a broader context, whether intellectual, curatorial, ideological, or, of course, architectural.

Painting is a fundamental part of the history of nations, and I have kept this in mind since dedicating my life to the craft. In Perú, my native country, painting plays a vital role in shaping the national identity. Peruvian artists conveyed a range of new ideas, including political, ideological, ethnic, and even religious and spiritual perspectives, in their artwork. In my new homeland, the United States, painting has played a similar role. As an immigrant artist and a naturalized American citizen, I am committed to contributing, through my work, to the diverse voices that are shaping the country’s sociocultural future. I believe that art is a pillar of national wealth and identity; no government can take art away from its citizens. Culture is an intangible heritage that belongs to and is shared by all. That is why, as an artist, I have a duty that goes beyond creating works. I have a compelling reason to believe that creating public spaces for the exhibition of art is necessary. The general population must have the right to access art, appreciate it, engage in dialogue with it, identify with its forms, be moved by its colors and the quality of its materials, and incorporate it into their lives. When paintings are on view and the artist is no longer standing next to the work, that’s when the artwork begins to take on a life of its own and connect with the community. Painting is a quintessential human expression, a universal language, and my goal as a painter is to make my work accessible to everyone. A duty-bound task that painters cannot accomplish alone; we need to work alongside institutions and individuals who are determined and open to doing so for the benefit of the people.

I use a variety of materials and techniques in my practice. I don’t limit myself to just one in my studio practice. Adapting to different types of paint and surfaces, taking advantage of their strengths and weaknesses, enhances the narratives I want to paint. Oil painting has a rich history, a variety of pigments and mediums, and is versatile, having undergone technical development over time. Oil’s slow-drying allows me to step back, contemplate, and, based on that dynamic, make decisive pictorial decisions. Acrylic is a medium that invites experimentation; its rapid drying allows me to build works based on the juxtaposition of paint layers, and I can make immediate corrections. Above all, I can mix acrylic paint with non-traditional materials, such as dirt and sand, to create new textures and enhance my work themes. Different technical approaches also lead me into other styles; in one artwork, I can transition from geometrical abstraction to expressionism, from realism to expressionism, and everything in between. Contemporary painting is not just one style or form of painting; to me, painting is alive anytime we combine pictorial forms from the past with our current views and feelings. And similarly, regarding the topics I want to paint about. Painting is my mission in life, an act of resistance; it is the act of painting that matters. A still life, a portrait, a social realism-like artwork, or an intuitive abstract painting will have the same impact, because it is my current artist voice, a contemporary representation of the times.