Ciro Manrique

Ciro tells us about himself with a simple Q&A

Q1. Who is Ciro?

One day I met a tiny person in a huge world. Since he was a child, his passion
has been to paint that world from his point of view trying different techniques;
acrylic, oil, watercolor, etching, lithography, woodcut, sculpture, photography,
or even theater, short films or everything you can see and feel. His name was
Ciro Manrique, and he told me that he was always catching fish in an empty
fish tank.


Q2. Where do you get your Inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere and nowhere, you just have to invite it in leaving the doors open.


Q3. Did you have any formal training?

I finished my studies at the Fine Arts University in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) and quickly moved to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. From there, my training involves painting every day to improve as an artist, and especially as a person.


Q4. How would you describe your art?

My art would be described by each of the looks of each spectator. Every feeling about it, every hair standing on end whether for better or for worse. A person in front of my work who raises an eyebrow is already describing my work. In short, my inner world with a touch of surrealism.


Q5. Which artists inspire you?

Above all, the best artist that has ever existed and will never exist ... Mother Nature. Already, in the background, Goya, Dalí, Beksinski, and of course Jorge Pérez Rodriguez (friend and my personal painting teacher in my early days).


Q6. What does Sentiment mean to you?

The first thing that came to mind when hearing about Sentiment was the song "Piece of my heart", by Janis Joplin. 100 artists sharing their art in puzzle form seems to me something romantic and wonderful. Little by little we are fitting pieces that connect one to another until we complete a whole, I think Sentiment is a metaphor for life.