As a lot of you know I took a river boat a part of the way down the Amazon River. Imagine my surprise to find an outstanding art studio overlooking the river in Peva, the oldest village in Peru. .
Francisco Grippa, a native of coastal north-western Peru calls his working art studio La Casa Del Arte. He paints the wonders of the Amazon on barkcloth. And indeed they are wonders, alive, vibrant, and swimming in unusual color combinations. His paintings reflect how he envisions the Amazon and the land around it.
Young and ambitious, he left Peru when his father died to go to Los Angeles. He learned English and in less than four years he was the owner of a restaurant featuring Peruvian dishes.
He read an article about the Amazon jungle and it nagged at him, seeming to beckon to him. Dissatisfied with the world of business he sold a portion of the restaurant and went off to study and always the Amazon was in the back of his mind.
A graduate of Woodbury University and the Otis Art Institute, he then went to study in Europe, still thinking of the jungle. He came to that jungle and fell in love with it.
In 1985 he built his large two story rustic studio and established himself as an international artist. His painting are in private collections all over the world, museums and galleries. I saw them on the wall of a five star hotel and even with my limited exposure, I recognized his touch at once.
Grippa is a fascinating man. Well built and sturdy, he has a captivating smile and there is devilment in his eyes as he speaks to you. I was drawn to his paintings and there were two that I especially liked. One was a large rose and one was a portion of the rain forest, both done, Grippa style. I finally settled on the rose, flower lover that I am, but I didn’t have quite enough money with me to buy the painting. He dismissed my problem with a wave of his hand. I could give him part now and send the balance to his California outlet. We shook on it and it was a done deal. I had almost forgotten when your word and a handshake was as good as a signed contract.
He shows in Los Angeles, has a gallery in Lima and recently opened an Amazon Art Gallery, Camu! Camu! in Iquitos, Loreto, Peru. His own work hangs there as well as that of other developing artists. He is dedicated to preserving the jungle and each of his paintings are a protest to the rape of the jungle he is witnessing now.
I too fell in love with the wonders of the river as it coursed thru the jungle. Maybe, one day, I will return and get that painting of the rain forest that I liked so well.
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