Francisco Jiménez Conesa

FRANCISCO JIMÉNEZ CONESA, (Madrid, 1956).
Untitled.
Mixed media and collage on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 50 x 100 cm; 56 x 106 cm (frame).
Born in Madrid in 1956, he studied at the School of Applied Arts and Artistic Crafts in Madrid. As a child, Francisco watched his mother draw and paint and was instinctively drawn to the arts. He attended the School of Fine Arts in Madrid, taking courses in drawing and painting and some modeling and sculpture. Initially, Francisco drew in pencil, gradually moving on to watercolor, which his uncle introduced him to and from which he learned the basics. At that time, the subjects of his works were surreal and dreamlike. He worked the drawings meticulously in pencil and then added color with watercolors. Gradually, color became more important and the amount of drawing was reduced. Today he works exclusively with abstract forms, each one freer than the last. When he was around 30 years old, Francisco settled in a small village in the Sierra de Madrid to escape the rhythm of the city and find peace. This new life changed his way of painting; his subjects, his color palette, using more organic and natural textures that were closer to the earth, stones and figures he found in his surroundings. Fog, for example, is a constant source of inspiration for Francisco. He has always been attracted to the ability of fog to draw silhouettes, present new forms or appease the power of certain colors. Francisco always uses a mixed technique. The basis of his work is done in acrylic paint and then combined with different types of pencil work, more or less bold depending on what the work demands. An important part is occupied by collage, which helps him to complete his work by adding elements that evoke great importance. He has held exhibitions of his work in Spain and Switzerland, and has participated in international fairs (Milan, Madrid, Girona, Strasbourg) and competitions such as the National Watercolor Prize of the Caja de Ahorros de Madrid (1987) or the Drawing Prize of the Generalitat de Catalunya Fedipica (1999).