Ruby Aránguiz L.

ART AND PERSONAL STATEMENT

Embraced by Light and Color

I have always wanted to express beauty in my paintings; the beauty of life itself and of the nature surrounding us, the happiness of breathing, the pleasure of looking at colors, colors that many people do not perceive.

I want everyone who looks at my paintings to feel my energy, the impact of the color itself and, especially, to see the powerful light surrounding everything. I discovered that everything has movement, space and form, that all of nature is moving and full of energy and I try to paint these forces.

	My first inspiration came through the influence of the impressionists, especially Van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir and Manet. I lived in Spain for eight years and had many opportunities to admire Goya's and Sorolla's work. I traveled to France several times, as well as to Belgium, Italy and other European countries. I was impressed and influenced by the work of the great masters of the Renaissance: Rubens, Tiziano, Botticelli and Delacroix. And I have also been influenced by Matisse.
	I studied six years at the University of Chile in Santiago with leading professors Pedraza and Vial, and obtained a graduate degree in Fine Arts. In my early years as a painter, my subject matter was still lifes and landscapes. I was concentrating on nature but, after a while, I decided that something was missing, people.
	I took anatomy drawing and color at the Art Students League of New York, under the direction of professors Robert Beverly Hale, Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Ben Cunningham. Afterward, I studied at Rhode Island School of Design, with professor Belhumer. I attended San Fernando Academy of Arts, in Madrid, Spain, with professor Roca and took portrait classes in San Francisco, California, with professor Appleton.
	This academic experience was very important in my art career because I started working not only with color, form and light but also with people. I had to produce something much more difficult, a live person, with a spirit and personality. I learned, afterward, how to paint a portrait; to paint the expression of the face, to make it look like a person, full of vitality, and to capture that person's inner energy and to infuse my own energy, producing the magic of existence.
	I describe my style as lyric expressionism, as the visual sensation of my work transcends reality and crosses the bridge into the worlds of poetry and music.
	My artistic career is a continuing search for new and creative ways to express the world surrounding me, a world embraced by light and color.
	I use oil, pastel, acrylic, drawing, ink and serigraphy as my media. My subjects cover a wide range, including landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, human figures and people. A selection of my work is presented under the links Art Medium and Subjects.
	I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, where my father was a renowned architect. The environment in my home was one of appreciation for the beautiful things in life, fine art, music and literature. I have lived also in Mexico City, Madrid, New York and San Francisco. My husband is from Spain and we lived there for eight years. During that time I gave birth to two children, Barbara and Manuel. I had many opportunities to travel to other European countries and to absorb the rich artistic culture of the Continent. I currently reside in Southern California. I have traveled to many corners in the world and continue traveling frequently to new places to learn more about other people and other cultures.

	ACCOMPLISHMENTS
	I have exhibited my work in 37 solo shows and 44 group shows in museums, biennales, art institutes and art galleries in the USA, Chile, Mexico and Spain.
	My original paintings have been reproduced on the covers of 34 books published in the USA, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Holland and Norway. A selection of the books is presented under the link Book Covers.
	My original artwork has been or is now represented in fine art galleries in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Washington DC, Canada and Mexico.
	A renowned fine-art publisher, published eight limited serigraph editions of as many originals of my extensive artwork. The silkscreen work was done by a reputable master printer in Los Angeles under my supervision to ensure the precision of color, shape and texture of my original artwork. The eight serigraphs plus one limited serigraph edition entirely done by myself are presented under the link Serigraphs.
	My artwork has been acquired by private collectors in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, France, Holland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and USA.


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© Ruby Aránguiz L. 2005