The Station Beggar Painting

I was born in London UK to Spanish parents. The name Uriarte is my Basque heritage and can be traced to the picturesque seaside village of Plencia in the province of Vizcaya in northern Spain. My calling for creative expression came late and my only claim to any formal training was my attendance at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence Italy for a two week workshop in 2008/9 & 10, taught by the Maestro Michael John Angel. Its a school I would highly recommend. Just like music, the visual arts no matter what form should elicit emotions and just as a musical composer arranges notes to produce melodies and harmonies to create a range of feelings, so it is with the Painter Artist, by his use of light and shade, colour, form, volume, texture and gesture in his quest for visual excellence. I become what I see, so in a very real sense there is no disconnect between me and the object, even though its ephemeral and transitory, when its there which is often, this process of creating a sensory bridge of feelings becomes effortless. If I had to describe myself in a few words I'd say that I am easily inspired. That personal inspiration has always come from the great seventeenth century masters, namely Caravaggio Velasquez Ribera Rembrandt and Van Dyke to name a few. Its born of a desire to produce beauty awe and wonder that leads to something which is immediately recognized and speaks to a part of us we hardly understand on a conscious level. Its a passion for discovery and its the essence of who I am as an artist. Enjoy my work, its there for all and this is my legacy. Alberto Ruiz Uriarte