EXPLORE LONDON
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Thames Heart # 3
Natural History Forever
The interior of the Natural History Museum in London.
Tower Bridge Forever
Tower Bridge. The London Bridge in a somewhat altered composition from reality, with certain buildings repositioned to create a significantly enhanced composition. The idealized city in this painting is a reverie of the urban landscape, closer to how it should be than how it actually is.
The Sanctuary's Meadow
The Sanctuary in London with a complete view of Westminster Abbey. The front area of Westminster Abbey transformed into a meadow where asphalt, cars, and traffic signs have been replaced by a lush field. It's an idealized image of the city of London where nature reclaims its space. In his artistic process, Arriaga incorporates the Grisalla and Glazes technique, a traditional technique method used by the ancient masters. They usually begin by painting the image all in black and white, creating a base known as grisaille, and then applying transparent color glazes layer by layer, producing a vibrant interplay of colors, gradients and volume. Carlos employs photography as a grisaille, fashioning a photograph with minimal contrast and prominent highlights. This technique enables him to attain a notable sense of volume when translating it into painting, in conjunction with a unique texture. It ultimately yields a captivating vibrancy, depth of color, and a characteristic texture.
Chelsea Capriccio
Chelsea Capriccio is The Bibendum Building in a magic and invented London.
Chelsea Giraffe in the Aftericity.
Chelsea Capriccio is The Bibendum Building in a magic and invented London. Nature reconquers the space of the city. A metaphor of the times we live. The city shown as a very transformed space where buildings and other elements are relocated at theauthor's criteria. The difficult balance between nature and human beings generates a lot of uncertainty. For this reason, I try to develop this theme in my artistic work. I prefer to do it in an optimistic way, generating illusion and having beauty as a goal in the creation of images. About the technique: When painting in oil on the grisaille, there is a total control, both in shape and color. Working with oil paint is a huge advantage due to the great power you have over the image. By using transparent glazes, layer upon layer, you get very unique vibrations of color and textures.