Raquel Alvarez Sardina was born in Barcelona. At the age of seventeen she joined Academia Leonardo da Vinci. In 1986, she started a degree in Fine Arts. Whilst doing the degree she attended academia Sant Vicenç and Boter/Santalo. She completed a drawing course at ‘Academia Lorenzo de Medici’ in Florence. After graduating in 1991, she came to England where she studied a Masters Degree at Cardiff University.
Drawing influence from the Master painters of the spanish Tenebrism of the Barroque period, she has developed a personal contemporary style to represent beauty. Her painting method is slow, precise and full of feeling. It is as though she wants us to slow down and contemplate a few simple objects in silence. She spends a considerable amount of time setting the composition; each fruit or object is placed carefully in the space. When she is happy with the composition, she draws directly onto the canvas with a brush.
She finds painting fruit in the tree still attached to the branch to be the most satisfying. “I love to paint the intricate shapes of the leaves against the roundness of the fruit. I enjoy the complexity of the subject, with the leaves creating unusual perspectives, spaces and light between them”. Raquel works in a studio in the garden. Half of the studio is painted grey, a colour that is neutral and absorbs light. This creates the best environment for Chiaroscuro style of painting. The other half of the studio is painted a lighter colour, better suited to lighter paintings. She positions fruit next to the window to make the most of the light to create a strong contrast. Sunny days are better for contrast and warm light.
Sometimes it is helpful to see one or more paintings in your own home before deciding whether or not to go ahead and make a purchase. We can also offer advice on where to hang one or more paintings throughout your home.
Please get in touch with us to discuss any requirements that you might have.
We offer fully tracked and insured local, national and international delivery. Artworks can be delivered within Edinburgh free of charge. We offer free UK delivery for all transactions over £1000, and charge £10 for delivery of small unframed paintings, £15 for the delivery of sculpture and ceramics and £20 for the delivery of paintings under £1000. For international delivery please contact us directly and we will provide a competitive packing and shipping quote.
We accept Visa, Mastercard and Amex, in person, over the phone or via our website. We also offer Own Art, which allows you to pay up to £2500 in ten interest free instalments, and take the artwork home. Larger loans may be offered with Own Art at our discretion. We can also offer interest free in-house payment plans. Please note that in order to comply with HMRC’s Anti Money Laundering Legislation, all transactions over 10,000 euros require us to undertake Customer Due Diligence.
