Imagined

Lo Imaginado

32" x 40" - oil pastels with a hand-carved texture

Donated by the Artist 2005 - Auctioned at the Boys & Girls Club of Southern California's Annual Fundraiser
SOLD - Private Collection, Camarillo, CA USA

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

Indoctrination of the Human Spirit

La Indoctrinación del Espiritu Humano

32" x 40" - oil pastels with a hand-carved texture

SOLD - Private Collection, USA

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

I am reminded of the way Native-American indigenous people as well as the Mayans, the Aztecs and the Incas - to name a few - were manipulated, brain-washed, enslaved, exploited and forced to see themselves and their unique culture and lifestyles in a completely different way to what they believed in.

Throughout history, human beings have been inevitably but strategically subjected to and required to process “available” information that is supposed to match pre-programmed expectations, conform to other people’s beliefs and demands, and to convincingly please our well-conditioned, earthly, tangible senses.

Does this sound like a wordy way to describe “brain-washing” ??? Well, yes, but it goes far beyond that notion. It may be difficult to accept, but for the past few thousand years - if not longer - we have allowed our senses to be shaped and domesticated as specifically instructed, so they can process information in pre-determined, consumer-tailored ways and means through which it is spoon-fed and, more often than not, force-fed to us.

Whatever looks like an established fact, an age-old custom or tradition or a seemingly civilized concept, we have had to accept and react accordingly to the software’s instruction-manual in order to meet societal expectations and conform to the status quo, such as all the tradition-rich, nostalgia-filled, for-the-sake-of-history examples set by the previous generation. Over and over and over again.

Our upbringing and the socio-cultural atmosphere in which we are raised greatly - no, I correct myself - HUGELY influences our behavior, sense of self, long-term identity; they do determine which mental models we will carry with us for the rest of our lives and which models will impact our beliefs and actions.

Without questioning much about their true meaning or challenging their source, the how’s, why’s and who’s, we grew up listening to concepts, notions, laws and herd-oriented guidelines and have also spent a zillion years observing our parents, teachers and elders - generation after generation - while cloning their behavior, digesting their beliefs and wisdom-wrapped advice and learning to adopt countless ways to please them and to acknowledge their contribution to the enrichment of our future lives.

I am not suggesting here that we have been lied to. All of these social and cultural rituals sound reasonable and valid. But I strongly believe that we have been misinformed and told, time and again, that there are no more options or possibilities available, no other alternatives to interpret one’s own concept of self, that our lives can and should only follow certain patterns and pathways unless we are willing to face the consequences of leading a life astray.

This painting came about from the need to remind ourselves -here and now - and future generations not to allow the same “cultural and social” brain-washing to continue. In fact, we ourselves have the innate ability to stop this vicious cycle and re-program ourselves with appropriate software information designed to respond to highly individualized needs, wants, desires and dreams. And to listen to ourselves, our inner life-force, and to emphasize - more than anything else in this world - self-empowerment, self-esteem and Love.

The Fairytale of Six

The Fairytale of Six • La Fábula del Seis

20" x 32" - oil pastels and acrylics with a hand-carved texture

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

There is an undeniable charm about numbers. Yes, these are numbers that we all use to quantify and describe a specific value or meaning in any given conversation. We all know that historically and in many cultures around the world, numbers literally embody the foundation of precise value systems, specific passages, legendary tales, mysterious and sometimes undecipherable symbology that have yet to be fully understood.

I am particularly fascinated by how we relate to the sheer presence and usage of numbers in our every-day lives. Numbers are, needless to say, a separate language unto itself with which we also communicate. They speak volumes about our own internal processes of associating symbols with meaning, their use and application, and what thoughts they evoke in our minds.

The Fairytale of Six is such an image. When you look up closely, you will notice that the texture on this painting was created with carved, not painted, fish-like patterns and figures that appear to be swimming freely and joyfully. Painted on the upper-section, and as part of the background, are birds coming and going in all directions.

Here I am interested in fusing and juxtaposing a marine element with a terrestrial or land-based element. Life as we know it originated in the ocean. And birds are just one small manifestation of how the journey of life itself has evolved, from the depths of the ocean to the openness of the infinite sky.

Number six (6) lends itself to the creation of endless images and stories. The fluid, organic lines that make up its shape as “number six,” evoke in my mind so much creative energy, including the graceful flight of a seagull and, simultaneously, the effortless, weightless presence of an aquatic creature that swims freely as if doing perfectly synchronized, acrobatic exercises under water. The curved line in the bottom portion of the six forms a tunnel-like void that brings the viewer into a realm of possibilities, into the unknown and, very likely, into our very own and imaginary fairytale

When You Cross Your Legs

Cuando Cruzas Tus Piernas

20" x 32" - oil pastels with a hand-carved texture

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

There are certain images or visualepisodes - in addition to amazing, extraordinary experiences - that occur in one’s lifetime which go on to register and will remain indelible and forever memorable in one’s mind, heart and soul. This painting celebrates one of those visual delights.

Most artists would admit that working with a live, nude female model is one of the greatest privileges; a beautiful artistic thrill and a wonderful opportunity to create art from live and direct observation. But in this case, I was inspired and deliciously motivated by the sight of a fully-clothed woman, any woman, who happens to be on her way to work early in the morning. She is wearing a business suit with a knee-length skirt and dress shoes. She is tall and has very attractive legs. This woman is on a schedule and her body language is that of a busy, ambitious and dynamic person.

Stay with me: As she is about to get in her car, she motions to sit herself down on the front seat while her legs are still outside the car, feet planted on the ground. It is this precise moment - when she lifts her lower legs and feet off the ground, while keeping her feet close together, and then moves to position herself inside the car – that I have frozen and symbolically painted.

There is a "Je ne sais quoi," a "something" so appealing yet undecipherable, so seductive and in my opinion, so beautiful and fascinating about this simple and mundane little scene, a moment frozen in time - like a tear drop in a rain storm. Don’t ask me what or why. It is difficult to put it into words.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Well, here you have it !!. Enjoy !!

The Bearable

Lo Tolerable

16" x 32" - oil pastels with a hand-carved texture

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

Inner Peace

Paz Interna

32" x 40" - oil pastels and acrylics with a hand-carved texture

SOLD - Private Collection, Los Angeles, USA

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

We Have Yet To See It

Aún No Lo Hemos Visto

40" x 32" - oil pastels with a hand-carved texture

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

There are so many things and aspects about ourselves - human beings - that, in my opinion, continue to be entirely unknown, unresolved, or unexplained. You would think that after being on this planet for a few million years, we would have it down to a science. The world is full of information that is constantly being revised, updated and discovered. Surely more than one lifetime is required to absorb, analyze, record and store this relentless bombardment of data into our system’s capabilities.

But this is certainly no excuse to justify the lack of dissemination of vital information to be given to the masses, generation after generation, time and again, one century after the other.

What exactly are we missing? A millennium’s-worth of information, at the very least. To begin with, children need to be shown at an early age how spectacular, precious and fragile life is. They need to be taught self-esteem, self-confidence, self-empowerment along with history, biology and math. Elementary schools’ curriculums around the world need to include classes such as “Life 101,” “Beginning Appreciation of Our Own Bodies,” “Exploration of the Human Brain,” “What is Sharing and How to Use It,” “What is Friendship and How to Share It,” “Who Are Human Beings, Really?,” “Appreciation of Nature 101,” “Appreciation of Our Planet 101,” “Is the Purpose of Life to Become Money-Rich or Genuinely Love-Abundant?,” and so many, many others.

This painting reminds us that although we have made remarkable progress throughout our brief history in the universe, we have so much more to discover and understand about ourselves and our place in the cosmos. This painting is also a reminder that all the answers to the age-old questions we have been asking ourselves are to be found precisely within ourselves, in the unexplored galaxies of our soul, body and mind. And so we continue to evolve, I hope, with the expectation that sooner rather than later, our dreams and wishes for a peaceful, joyful and infinite existence will become a palpable reality.

In Your Direction

oil pastels with a hand-carved texture

Available in Limited Edition Giclée Prints

Arte Divino Studio & Ateliér

Imagined

Indoctrination of the Human Spirit

The Fairytale of Six

When You Cross Your Legs

The Bearable

Inner Peace

We Have Yet To See It

In Your Direction

Après La Morsure Française