The northeast province of Catalonia, Spain, is breathtaking. It’s the birthplace of some of the finest Spanish painters, Salvador Dalí, Lluís Rigalt and Joan Miró, as well as the place where Pablo Picasso spent part of his life. And it’s a source of everlasting inspiration, with crystalline coastlines, snowcapped mountains, deep green fields filled with poppies and sunflowers, and that lustrous Mediterranean light cast over it all. This is where contemporary plein air artist Ramon Vilanova resides, and these are the places that have captivated and enraptured him. 
Entre amapolas se pierden romances de amores, oil on canvas, 26 x 57"
A esa hora el despertar de la belleza crece en el corazon, oil on canvas, 25 x 32"A self-taught painter since the age of 16, Vilanova paints only what he sees in his direct experience. What results are the artist’s truest representations of his perception of nature and the world around him. Collectors can immerse themselves in Vilanova’s dazzling scenes during a forthcoming exhibition held by Cutter & Cutter Fine Art opening May 15 with an artist reception.
“This body of work is an homage to the poetry of nature,” says Vilanova. “I paint what I see, and my integrity is inviolable on this point. I do not paint with my imagination, only with my eyes. Nature’s beauty needs no embellishments.”
His paintings are executed in the impasto technique, with thick paint laid on the canvas in a manner that creates an even greater sense of three-dimensionality. Flowers of vivid crimson are contrasted against lush green grasses in Estás en mi pensamiento, while A esa hora el despertar de la belleza crece en el corazon features a tree that has blossomed into ivory flowers reminiscent of clouds floating in a blue sky. The latter painting is especially pronounced in its thick swaths of paint. While the close-up details are captivating, the painting truly shines when viewed from a distance.
Estás en mi pensamiento, oil on canvas, 32 x 39"
Tarde cristalina, oil on canvas, 29 x 36"
“As a lover of nature, I have always marveled at the fact that there is always something in bloom,” says the artist. “The way that each flower and blade of grass is beautiful and unique, and the way they interact is different every time. I am never without a new ‘subject’ as nature changes daily, therefore so do my paintings.” —
Cutter & Cutter Fine Art • 25 King Street • St. Augustine, FL 32084 • (904) 810-0460 • www.cutterandcutter.com
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