Born and raised in Uruguay, watercolor artist Alvaro Castagnet started art school at the young age of 12, having fallen in love with drawing and painting as a child. In his early twenties he traveled to Melbourne, Australia where, struck by the watercolor art and artists, he lived for the next 20 years.
In this Plein Air Podcast with Eric Rhoads, Castagnet talks about his experience with watercolor and his life as an artist.
“Watercolor is a very illusive medium,” he says, “in which the artist must conquer art quality, expressing ourselves with a magnificent array of brushstrokes, with a well-developed sense of color schemes . . . New vision is needed from artists today; not just painting using watercolors, but also using the medium with the ability to inject into the painting a great deal of mood.”
Listen to the podcast below (originally aired in 2018) to learn more about Alvaro Castagnet, his art, and why he says seeing the end result of your work is critical for watercolor artists in particular.
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About the Artist: Alvaro Castagnet is one of the world’s most highly respected watercolorists. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay. At a very young age he initiated studies in art, at the National School of Arts. He moved to Australia, and lived there for 20 years, where his watercolor technique reached the highest levels.
Alvaro has been recognized with top honors in major art competitions around the world, including three awards and Medals, from the most prestigious American Watercolor Society, NY from which he is also a member. In 2018 He was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement award” at the Plein Air Convention & Expo, in Santa Fe, NM. He is the author of books : “Painting with Passion,” “ Beyond Technique,” “Watercolour Masterclass,” and numerous articles in worldwide magazines.
He has been conducting yearly overseas workshops with great success, since 1994 to Scotland, UK, Belgium, Check Republic, Italy, France, Spain, USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Germany, Russia, Sweden, NZ , Australia, China, Japan, and many more places. He travels around the world, painting, demonstrating, lecturing, judging art competitions and attending exhibitions of his work. His works grace the walls of many private and corporate collectors worldwide.
He is fluent in many languages, including: Spanish, Italian, and English. His main studio is based in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Alvaro Castagnet is on the faculty of the 2022 Watercolor Live virtual art conference, January 27-29, with a Beginner’s Day on January 26. Register early at WatercolorLive.com!
