I have always loved animals, insects, and any life form, big or small, of this planet. Along with my love for nature came my passion for drawing and painting. When I was a child, I was shy and introverted, so I would spend most of my days drawing and painting in my room. My favorite subjects were passing-by bugs, my dogs, or pictures of animals I would find in nature books.
I took drawing and painting lessons for most of my childhood. It was during that period that the love for pastels grew on me. Pastels were one of the first materials I ever tried besides colored pencils and crayons. I also used to paint with gouache and then add details with pastels or colored pencils. The resulting painting was usually so velvety and natural that it looked almost real. My mom was proud of me and encouraged me to pursue a career as an artist, but I was not sure about it because I wanted to work with animals.
By the time I was a teenager, I had become more interested in environmental issues such as climate change and endangered biodiversity. Since I lived in a coastal city and loved being in contact with nature, I thought I could make a career as a marine biologist. So, when I finished high school, I enrolled in a Biology bachelor’s program. To my disappointment, I soon realized I was not really into chemistry, physics, or mathematics. Although I was not interested in having a science-oriented career, I still wanted to have a nature- related job.
A year later, I began studying to become an English teacher, which somehow steered me towards becoming an artist. How did that happen? One day, one of the teachers suggested reading the work of J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) to expand our vocabulary.
So I read the books, and the story just blew my mind! In that imaginary world called Middle Earth, all the species pulled together for a common purpose: to destroy evil. There were talking trees and animals with magical powers, and the smallest creatures saved the world with courage and friendship. Wouldn’t that be wonderful on our planet?
I understood that art does not need to portray reality to impact people’s lives. As an art consumer, you can resonate with characters or creatures that have never existed because you recognize some truth in them. Art can trigger kindness, love, and tenderness in human hearts. That realization changed the direction of my life because I saw I could also be an environmentalist by being an artist. I realized I wanted to reach people on that spiritual level only art can. Having that in mind, the message I wanted to convey through art was —and still is— the love and respect for living beings: animals, trees, insects, and the planet itself.
I don’t have a formal art education. Being a curious person, I consider myself a self-taught artist in many aspects. However, some years ago, I attended a few painting workshops and took up a course in art teaching. As I also had some experience as an English teacher, I gradually became an art instructor.
I started teaching art for children in Mar del Plata. My young students of English at that time were eager to take up drawing and painting lessons as well, so, for a while, I was a full-time teacher of English and Art. Then I was invited to teach realistic painting with pastels on an art TV show in Buenos Aires. My appearances on that show opened up many growth opportunities, such as sponsors and workshops all over Argentina. I hosted art workshops in many cities of the country, but mainly in Buenos Aires so, I moved there.
My classes aim at honing portraiture painting skills with dry media techniques such as pastels, colored pencils, and graphite. I specialize in pet and wildlife realistic portraiture. For me, teaching has become a tool to inspire people to connect with animals through art. I work on various topics, being wildlife and pets my favorite ones. I love cubs, birds, and little animals such as squirrels, raccoons, foxes, and bunnies. Capturing character is vital when working on animal portraits.
In that sense, the eyes are essential to add emotions to an animal expression. There is innocence and kindness in the eyes of small animals; they are pure like children. When I paint them, I want the viewer to feel tenderness and love. Detailing is also essential, for the impact of a realistic piece resides in the precise execution of every detail. The viewer should perceive the softness of fur, the coarseness of a piece of bark, or the brightness of grass; the painting must look “alive” in a way.
I am a drawing enthusiast, too. I have plenty of sketchbooks filled with studies of animal anatomy, insects, and botanical drawings. Plein Air sketching is one of my favorite outdoor activities. Drawing from nature is not only relaxing but also educational.
When I am outdoors in nature, I feel at peace, which leads me to be more focused on drawing. In turn, the information provided by a 3D natural live model is more accurate for drawing than photography in terms of shape, lighting, and atmosphere.
As regards my favorite materials, I still prefer dry mediums such as pastels and colored pencils. I occasionally use charcoal or graphite as well. I am now trying out wet mediums to speed up my painting process, so I will probably include gouache, watercolor, and ink in my future works. I paint mainly on paper mounted on board. I also enjoy working on sketchbooks because they are easy to carry everywhere, along with my pencils and pastels. I have recently included water brush pens and watercolor pencils in my outdoor-study pencil case. I find them practical for spontaneous and colorful paintings outdoors.
I have not accomplished my artistic goals yet, but I am constantly working on them. I see most of the work I have done as artistic training. Nowadays, after two years of Covid, I only teach online, which gives me time to work on personal projects. This new reality has been both a challenge and an opportunity that pushes me out of my comfort zone. I am gradually switching from painting with an instructor mindset to creating art that conveys a message.
My greatest aspiration is to merge my love for animals with fantasy art and spirituality. Fantasy artists depict imaginary worlds or characters with the utmost possible credibility. Their mastery resides in combining creativity with aspects of the world to recreate a new one. That is extremely difficult when you do not have training in realist painting. You may be creative enough, but you also need to master the technique. I think I am right there, ready to take the next step. I want my art to invite people to see animals and nature with love. I feel as if humanity has completely disconnected animals from the living and sentient beings they are. Most people in cities see animals as products, nothing more. They go to a supermarket, grab a piece of meat like it was nothing. Now, more than ever, humanity needs to wake up and open its heart to animals and nature; our planet needs it. The environmental problem is becoming increasingly urgent to resolve, and different ways of reaching people are valid and necessary. Art is one of those means. I would love my paintings to show a loving and caring relationship between humans and animals, and I am very excited by the challenge that task represents.
As for my art instructor role, I have several dry media painting courses available at my online school. I also teach how to draw animals, insects, and plants for free on my YouTube channel.
