Luis Fuentes Luis Fuentes is a native of Peru, born in 1969 to a family of artists. As a young man, Luis was exposed to the world of painting by his uncle, a very well known artist in Peru. After completing high school, Luis entered university to pursue a degree in architecture and fine arts, but came to realize painting was his true vocation and he re-dedicated his efforts to complete his fine art training. In 1990, while he was still a student, he won first prize in the Peruvian National Watercolor Competition. This prestigious event earned Luis both recognition and the opportunity to show his work in galleries in his country. Today, Luis shows his work worldwide.
One of the most important elements of Luis’ artwork is the contrast between light and shadow. Each painting features rich shadows and bright highlights, to give his work a glowing illusion of reality. Luis travels the world, taking pictures of the architecture in different cities, using the photos to inform his compositions. His images are painted from life, but they are not exact copies - he prefers universal themes over specific locations.
Luis “adds life” to his paintings through the addition of lush flowers and vegetation. In particular, Luis likes bougainvillea, a twisting, winding vine with magenta flowers that contrasts the rigidity of the architecture in his paintings. All of these elements - along with a colorful palette - result in vibrant, lifelike images.
While the artist does paint still-lifes, he prefers to produce vivid architectural landscapes, many of which have won him prestigious awards in the art community.
