Chani's Creative Space

Doors .  The physical separation between the other and me, between the inside world and the viewer .  Open, they give the spectator a narrow view of the secret world of the occupants. Closed, they speak their own language as art work. Chefchaouen (Morocco) Chefchaouen (Morocco) Chefchaouen (Morocco) Tarifa (Spain) Luxembourg City (Luxembourg) Luxembourg City (Luxembourg) Jerez (Spain) Jerez (Spain) Jerez (Spain) Jerez (Spain)

Dandelions have always been fascinating me. The name already - lion's tooth - and, the balls that remain when the flowers fall off, with their many fluffy white threads waiting to be dispersed by the wind... A meadow full of dandelions - harmony and endless freedom.  Dandelions - at Ítaca until the end of August.

Did you also learn at school about the different theories about Ithaca's location? Ithaca, the home of the legendary king Odysseus (also known by the name of Ulysses ), which appears like a leitmotiv in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey ...  One thing is sure: Torremolinos, in Spain, is now accepted by most scholars to be the exact location of the island ;-) The new café and bookstore Ítaca  is a real island of harmony in our loud and dusty town. A place where, once you discovered it, you always will want to return. The place to be. I will be exhibiting some of my new work (acrylic paintings) at Ítaca during the months of July and August.  On Wednesday July 2nd 2014, on 8 p.m., I will be there at your disposal for a  charla (informal discussion). If you have time and feel like it, why not join us?   Where ? Tetería librería Ítaca Plaza de la Unión Europea 11 [The square with the European flags and the bull] 29620 Torremolinos (Spain) Tel. 951 10 96 35 ...

I love strong colours. Colours are life. But sometimes, it is so nice to work with black and white only. Here some digital drawings.  If you like them, you will find more of them here .

Although I am physically in Málaga, my heart is still in the province of Huelva;-) Last but not least, Rio Tinto means an abandoned railway and house ruins , built by the British Rio Tinto Mining Company in the 19th century. Several houses I saw were quite intact, just invaded by vegetation (fig trees...), which made the place even more romantic. And the rails!  There are often different truths for the same reality.  Engineers and technicians would probably tell you about track dilation due to excessive heat. A s a visual artist, I prefer to imagine myself walking in a huge painting by Salvador Dalí.

Less spectacular than Rio Tinto's water but not less interesting is the   mining landscape   in this area (Nerva, Minas de Rio Tinto, Berrocal). Walking there almost automatically makes one think of nature destruction, pollution, sustainability, child labour, working conditions, nature, beauty, and much more.  (All pictures were taken in Nerva, province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain).

As I painted my work Rio Tinto  ("Red River") almost two years ago, I only knew this unique place (in the province of Huelva, near the small town of Nerva, Andalusia, Spain) from the description of a friend. I googled a bit, read some articles, found some pictures... And inspired by what I had read and seen, I began to paint. The result was this work: But my eyes had still not seen the red-orange-yellow-green-blue-black water.  I finally was there a couple of weeks ago, and I can say that reality is more impressive than I could imagine: the colour of the water at different times of the day, the landscape around it, the work of human (abandoned railway, houses...). I took a lot of pictures and classified them in categories. To begin with: water. Enjoy !