The variety of styles and media I explore in my art equates to a multitude of languages as a form of self-expression. The central theme is carried out regardless of the language and the exploration is about finding that least common denominator in which to convey the beauty I find in the character of Las Meninas.

Often I am asked,

“What is the reason you focus so much of your art on this painting of Las Meninas?” 

I remember with such clarity the way I felt deeply moved I was barely 6 years old the first time I visited the Prado Museum and saw the magnificent chamber housing Velazquez’s piece by the hand of my grandfather. Learning all about the secrets and stories of all the people in the painting certainly piqued my curiosity. I still remember seeing the room in which the scene takes place and later, through the years, each and every time I have approached it, I am still mesmerized by it all including the very musty air within the painting. Everything from the dresses to the paintings within the painting and even the back of the canvas itself is captivating. Yet, the princess at the center is so ethereal that she appears innocently blushing and her blonde hair is as if it could float up. I feel a sense of nostalgia and great admiration for how life was in years past. Life in the royal palace is so different from that of the people outside the court. Velazquez depicted himself in the painting and stood alongside the nobles as one more a broke of genius. I need to honor and extend his legacy by bringing my modern-day version as studies of his centerpiece.