The Art Scene of Loja Ecuador

"Yakumama" (Mother), acrylic on canvas ARTIST - Favio Caraguay From Loja province, now living in Quito. Studied Interior Design and Plastic Arts at Loja Unida. Studied Anthropology and Art at the University of Cuenca and achieved a Master of Visual Arts at the Cuenca University. Currently a profesor at Universidad San Francisco of Quito, and a shamanic artist at Caraguay . Artist's statement: "My artistic work has been characterized at all times by using the languages ​​of drawing, painting and photography. The development of the work arises from having direct contact with the transformations of radical cycles of nature in the dry forest of Mangahúrco and from the approach with the pre-Columbian work of the original peoples of the Paltas." “Homenaje al maestro Manuel Serrano” (Tribute to master Manuel Serrano) facebook.com/CARAGUAYfavio facebook.com/Caraguay instagram.com/caraguayfavio

 ARTIST - Claudia Paola Cartuche Flores (Claw CF)  (1984 - ) Studied at, and now a teacher for, the Department of Architecture and Arts of Private Technical University of Loja (UTPL). Trained in various artistic media, now mostly expressing her vision and creating her images using photography. "Classic" (photograph) facebook.com/claw.cf instagram.com/clawcf 500px.com/clawcf

"Fertility 2" ARTIST - Pausa Visual (Paulina Salinas)   (1972 - ) Studied at Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), Master's degree in Art with a mention in Sculpture from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Currently President of the Asociación de Artistas Plásticos y Visuales de Loja (Association of Visual Artists of Loja), and Teacher for a Career of Visual Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Loja (UNL). Recent exhibitions include Arte Mujer 2018, and II International Salon of Visual Arts in Trujillo, Peru 2018. Artist's statement: "When I played with clay as a child and made small vessels and figures as part of my fun, I still did not think about the possibility of making it the raw material of my sculptures. Little by little I was maturing the idea of ​​working with this material that holds so much meaning, combining between my hands the four elements that are now part of my work." facebook.com/pau.salinas pausavi...

"Tree" (2004) embossing and painting by hand ARTIST - Mónica Sarmiento Castillo   (1967 - ) Studied Fine Arts at Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). Born and educated in Loja, currently living in Spain. Artist's philosophy (from her blog): In her works, Monica manages pictorial concepts with traditional techniques, following the concepts of pre-Columbian art. Her works delve into the investigation of nature, exploring different materials in painting, sculpture, collage, drawing, glass and others. Chromatic and constructivist structuring are characteristic of her work...The artist creates visual effects from the integration of form, volume and space. Different planes recreate a constructivist structural language in which the experience of the subject and its conceptual philosophy are united, originating works that the artist calls 'chromatic textures'." Exhibitions include multiple cities and countries around the world, including Beirut, ...

Portion of Simon Bolivar mural by fafo, location: opposite Loja City Gate ARTIST - Fabián Augustín Figueroa Ordóñez, aka fafo   (1954-2008) Director of the School of Arts at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) for 16 years, he inspired many of today's current Lojano artists. He produced works on canvas, sculpture, ceramics, mosaics and murals - being perhaps best known for his murals. A quick way to see several examples of his muralism is by touring the campus of UTPL where the exteriors of numerous buildings are adorned by his work.  A focal point of the campus is his monumental cross. According to fellow Lojano artist and contemporary, Angel Aguilar, Fabián unconsciously quoted and then transcended many of the important genres of the twentieth century with the aim of being expressively free.  Hints of synthetism, surrealism, cubism, abstraction, and the hyperreal flow through the artist's unique and recognizable vision.  Onli...

"Turquoise koi" ARTIST - Sara Jaramillo Carrión Graduated as a graphic designer from the Metropolitan Institute of Design in Quito,  professor at the School of Digital Art of the Digital Technologies Corporation in Quito. Additional studies from the School of Art and Design at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). Currently Artistic Designer for the Teatro Benjamín Carrión Mora of Loja. Sara designed the official image for Loja's International Arts Festival of 2016, and contributed more images in 2017. The artist works in a number of mediums - be sure to check out the cool steampunk hat she created (below). facebook.com/sara.jaramillo

ARTIST - Néstor Miguel Ayala Peñafiel   (1965- ) Studied at the Central University of Ecuador. Now a teacher of Visual Arts and Design & Decoration for the National University of Loja (UNL). He has won numerous awards for his work over the years. Recent exhibitions include “Vaivén de circunstancias torpes” (Swaying of circumstances) 2016, "ENSAYOS" 2018, "Arte in Loja Edición Noviembre 2018." "fachates" Email: nestoraya@hotmail.com (no Facebook page) manpart.artelista.com

"Croquis vital de relación" (2012) ARTIST - Alicia Arciniegas  (1972 - ) Studied art and design, plus art history, at Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), and now works there as a professor and Degree Certification Coordinator. "Nature is my starting point, my taste for detail has led me to observe qualities that make me compare the micro with the macro (Cosmos)." "S/T" (1997) facebook.com/alicia.arciniegas aliciarciniegas.blogspot.com Photo be Arte del Sur

“Aportes del género femenino desde el Mesolítico” (Contributions of the female gender from the Mesolithic) 2013 ARTIST - Gerardo Sáez Muñoz  (1938-2017) Much of his work regarded the importance of femininity and was a constant homage to women while avoiding eroticism. An homage exhibition of his work (postmortem) was held in the City Gate Gallery in June, 2018. Born in Chile, he moved to Loja in 1976. As a professor at the National University of Loja (UNL) he influenced many developing Lojano artists. From an article in the June 6, 2018 La Hora newspaper: “Gerardo Sáez studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the State University of Santiago de Chile, where he trained in painting and sculpture, graduating as a university professor in Pedagogy in Plastic Arts. In addition, he studied a postgraduate in Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of the same institution. “In his career as a teacher, he has been a teacher for 15 years in schools and high schools in Chile and...

“Vivo Retrato” (Live Portrait) 2004 ARTIST - Patricia Soledad Tapia Studied at Universidad de Cuenca. Currently a professor for the Universidad Internacional del Ecuador, Loja headquarters. "My work tries to overcome the simple representation of the body as an element of desire, or as an object of provocation..." facebook.com/patricia.tapia Photo by Arte del Sur

"Square in Red" 2010. Ink and watercolor. Diego González Ojeda  is a  Profesor Investigator Artes Plásticas y Diseño ( professor and researcher of visual arts and design)  at the  Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) - t he Private Technical University of Loja (Loja's private Catholic university).   In addition to teaching painting and design, he has also created a unique multidisciplinary curriculum based on local pre-Columbian rock art petroglyphs. Diego has a lengthy CV of qualifications and publications, including architecture, exhibition design, and historic restoration and preservation.  He also has many credits listed for solo and collaborative exhibits of his own art work.  Diego has a very well-developed web presence, and can converse in fluent Spanish, English, and French. Contact Diego and view his art work and publications at: Email: dsgonzales@utpl.edu.ec behance.net/disagofeci7f6b disago.blogspot.com arteparlante...