Close Window

Rodolfo Medina

"Greetings everyone! Let me tell you I've been in the art business since 1977. My beginnings as an artist and teacher within the family are lyrical – I never went to art school or took specialized workshops. I've been able to look at art books and reproduce what I saw on my own ever since I was a kid. I'm a self-taught artist.

"Eventually I started painting more formally, first abstract compositions, then landscapes, then flowers using a spatula. I painted this way for about five years, and by 1987 I got the idea of including tree bark in my landscapes. I guess I'm a pioneer working this way, because I hadn't seen it before and no one taught me.

"I've always worked with oils because I like the way they easily mix with colors, and also because they don't dry so fast, which allows me to create new textures. That's how I got the idea of painting Don Quixote – one day, while I was covering up holes in tree barks, I thought about using tar, and I realized that it was a very flexible material. I experimented with techniques for about two years, as well as making different interpretations of Don Quixote. He is a fictional character whose literary importance will never diminish.

"I find Don Quixote to be an inspiring character because even though he was somewhat delusional, his aim in life was to conquer Dulcinea and to triumph over armies and giants, which is what most of us strive to do, to triumph.

"I believe that fine arts provide the soul with relaxation. Looking at paintings of Don Quixote makes me think of Cervantes's great novel, and I feel transported to another era, as well as to the essence of my inner being.

"I am thankful to Novica for supporting this type of projects, as well as artists like me."