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 interior of the Natural History Museum in 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 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 The front area of Westminster Abbey transformed into a meadow where asphalt, cars, and traffic signs have been replaced by a lush field.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 is The Bibendum Building in a magic and invented London.
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.