I was born in Santa Apolonia, Venezuela, in 1950. The oldest of 10 children, growing up on a family farm in the Andes.
When I was six years old, my mother noticed my artistic gift when she saw a remarkable drawing of Jesus drawn by me in the dry earth next to the coffee plants. I remember this moment well.
At the young age of 13, I moved to Merida, Venezuela, to attend secondary school.
At the age of 18 years old I moved to Caracas, Venezuela where I worked for one year as an elevator operator. During idle moments i would draw while waiting for passengers. One day a gentleman, unknown to me named Pascual Navarro – a Venezuelan arts master entered the elevator. He noticed my sketch and requested to see it. Impressed by my gift, he invited me to explore and perfect my gift with him and later to teach in his Art Studio, where my artistic gift blossomed.
When I turned 19 my life became filled with activity. For a period of three years, my daily routine included morning work at the Air Force where i worked as a draftsman of aircraft, afternoon studies at the Venezuelan School of Fine Arts "Cristobal Rojas," and evening studies at the School of Technology, where i studied electronics. Wishing to perfect my gift further and to learn the English language, in 1975 I moved to London, England, to attend "Saint Martin's School of Fine Arts."
In 1981, I returned to Venezuela. In 1985 i won first prize at the Annual Symposium of Fine Arts. At this time, and up until 1987, I used to sign my paintings as "Annerys." In 1983 I made my first visit to Canada to see a cousin. In 1988 i moved to Quebec. For a period of time i lived in the uncomfortable state of doubt. However, local galleries recognized my artistic gift and encouraged me to paint subject matters and colors reflecting the North American experience. During my first year in Canada, I worked as a street artist in Old Montreal, where people from all over the world stopped to have their portraits painted (medium: pastel). This is a time I remember fondly.
I also examined the indigenous peoples and animals of North America. As a result, my early work depicted the historical lives of Native North American Indians, the Inuit and the polar bear (medium: oil and acrylic on canvas or wood). My style was mostly realistic, however, I also created surrealistic images of motion, human form, earth, water, fire and air. Up until 2005, my work in Canada consisted mostly of realism with an occasional surrealistic piece. Today, my art has evolved, now blending the surrealistic with the realistic.
Education:
London, England Saint Martin School of Fine Arts Caracas, Venezuela School of Fine Arts Cristobal Rojas
Prizes:
2004 Artist spotlight, PBS 2004 Arts Auction, United States
2003 First Place Award, PBS Arts Auction, USA
1985 First Prize, Annual Symposium of Fine Arts, Venezuela