ARTIST STATEMENT:

To be an artist involves conveying the impression of a person or place at the moment that the [spiritual] eye first perceives and is captured by them. There is something magical about art understood on such terms. An artist always reveres his creations, as if they are living entities. And rightly so, for they are spiritually ‘charged’ by the love he/she has put into them.

As such, I feel it is important to minimize impositions of style, and instead let the subject speak for itself. Interestingly, I have many times found that people who have seen some of my most distinctive works, have expressed exactly the feelings I had in mind when I began to work on these pieces.

I particularly value the use of tones of one or at most two or three colours; my monochrome graphite woodland pieces, being good examples of this. I have found that these are particularly effective at conveying a more spiritual and intuitive perception of a subject; whose subtleties and nuances of character and pattern are thereby more easily recognized and appreciated.

Alan Mercel-Sanca, born at Canterbury, England, in 1967 is a UK-based professional artist, who specializes in graphite and watercolour pencil drawings. He is an established professional artist specializing in portraiture, architectural subjects, landscape and seascape drawing, and abstract contemporary acrylic works. He also teaches drawing techniques, from beginner to advanced levels.

From 1990-93 he lived and worked in Paris, France, during which time he gained valuable artistic experience and began to evolve his own style of creative work. Alan has travelled widely in connection with his artistic development: including British Columbia, Italy, and Japan (where he has exhibited in a Tokyo gallery).

He created his first professional standard portrait at the age of 14 (see turbaned image). In 2003 he won a UK national award (the ‘Karisma Prize’ - sponsored by Sanfords, the Anglo-American artists materials manufacturer, through the UK Colour Pencil Society open annual competition) for his watercolour pencil work ‘The tree-shaded shrine’ (a result of his travels in Japan: see image). In 2000 he was accepted to become an in-house/exhibiting artist at the important UK commercial art gallery, The Nevill Gallery, and has subsequently held an annual two week art show at the venue. He exhibits regularly at different artistic venues, and other commercial locations nationally (including London) and locally in the UK, and as a teacher of art-techniques works with local adult education authorities and Bournemouth University. His portrait commissions have included one recently for the celebrated British Cartoonist Steven Appleby (image included on the webpage).

He wishes to publicize his most distinctive works in the USA (particularly in California), his graphite/monochrome woodland pieces (two examples of which are included on the webpage), and will be pleased to receive contacts which assist him to exhibit these. In addition he seeks potential portrait commissions and illustration work from West Coast clients and businesses.

He wishes through AHA! to establish friendship and professional connections with other West Coast artists, and with art venues and galleries (both community-oriented and commercial) on the West Coast, particularly Southern California, where he has family, and visits regularly.

Alan is single, and accompanying his main creative interests as an artist, is also a non-fiction writer, and describes himself as a philosophical/spiritual free-thinker.

Alan can be contacted on:

+44 7811 269 454 or +44 1202 766 273.

Email: alansan333@yahoo.co.uk Website: www.alanmercelsanca.com