Although he comes from an artistic family, Switzerland based artist Raúl Mariaca Dalence didn’t start painting until later in life. He earned advanced degrees in chemistry and established a career in the field before taking up art as a creative outlet for expressing his relationship to the world around him.

Dalence uses oil pastels and paints to create his version of reality. He finds inspiration in traveling, music, and dance, which he interprets through gently abstracted landscapes and portraits that illustrate his impression of his subject matter. He cites Fauvism and Impressionism as artistic influences, as well as the colorful fabrics and scenery of his native Bolivia, all of which are evident in his expressive mark-making and deliberate use of color. In all of his compositions, he employs contrasting tones and shading to generate feelings, create perspective, and unify the image. His works are a window into the world of an artist who sees the beauty in everything and seeks to find his unique way to present it to his viewers.