Juan Cotrino (Born 1968) Colombian/American, Abstract Mixed Media Portrait. Signed and dated '09 lower left. 

Condition: Minor wrinkling to upper matting. 

Overall Size: 23 x 44 in. 

Sight Size: 11 1/2 x 32 in. 

Juan Carlos Ramirez Cotrino was born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1968. He developed a passion for painting at a young age, but didn’t consider pursuing it professionally until his time in the military. At 18 Cotrino served with the Multi-National Force Observers (ONU) in Mount Sinai, Egypt, where he became frustrated by the lack of art supplies. In the absence of brushes and paints, he used his fingers and a can of shoe polish on cardboard to express himself. His supervisors, impressed by his skill, asked if he could paint murals. Cotrino eagerly accepted, and after completing several murals, he earned recognition, which marked the beginning of his career. Although Cotrino has attended various art schools, he is largely self-taught, having already established himself by the time he returned to Colombia. His work is known for its precise lines, vibrant colors, and influences from traditional Latin American art, and since immigrating to the United States in the early 2000s he has achieved international recognition thanks to representation through galleries like Gagosian and Park West. Each painting embodies a dynamic composition, ranging from surrealism and figurative art to touches of abstraction, and Cotrino often uses symbols to evoke a dreamlike quality in his work, reflecting the complexity of human experience. He uses oils, acrylics, and a variety of mixed media, and has been an artist in residence at several hotels and cruise lines throughout Florida, his adopted home.

Minor wrinkling to upper matting.