Miguel Barrios

Miguel was born in the tropical Colombia in Espinal, Tolima. He was surrounded by a family of singers, motivated by rich folklore, music and regional dances. He was trained as a physician, health and wellbeing is one of his interests. He was living in New York City, where he started his passion for painting. His favorite museums in New York are the Whitney Museum, Gladstone, the Metropolitan, and Moma. During every trip to Chicago, Miguel stops at the Art Institute of Chicago to enjoy “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” of George Seurat. One of his favorite cities is Puerto Vallarta, visiting art galleries. Miguel paints colorful abstract paintings, sinusoid curvy shapes, to transport the viewer to a meditative state of mind, calm and peace. Life can have harsh moments, taking breaks to enjoy simple things is crucial to recharge our energies. Miguel nurtures his craft from the art work of several artists: Georgia O’Keeffe, George Seurat, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Da Vinci, Botero, Luis Romero, Ronnie Landfield, Salvador Dali, Vermeer, David Hockney, Alexei Biryukoff, Tom of Finland, Keith Haring, Frida Kahlo, Robert Mapplethorpe, and the list goes on. Music has a marked influence in the artist, from Colombian folkloric, salsa, vallenatos, boleros, ballads in Spanish, Broadway tunes, music from Latin-America, America, Spain, Italy, France to the classics like Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelsohn, Chopin, Tchaikovsky. Cinema provides a source of images to resemble memories and feelings. Filmmakers like Krzysztof Kieslowski, Sergio Cabrera, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Pedro Almodovar give the best emotions and memorable moments. Miguel is an avid reader, and several writers have a spot in Miguel’s Library: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Oscar Wilde, Juan Gabrial Vasquez, and Pablo Neruda.