Gonzalo Cabrera Wins 13th Julio Quesada International Watercolor Prize
La Palma musician and painter Gonzalo Cabrera has won the prestigious 13th Julio Quesada International Watercolor Prize for his painting "Riachuelo," which will be displayed in an exhibition opening January 31st.
Gonzalo Cabrera, a musician and painter from La Palma, has won the 13th Julio Quesada International Watercolor Prize. This award is one of the most important competitions for watercolor painting. Cabrera, born in Santa Cruz de La Palma in 1966, was chosen from 68 artists. The competition truly showed its international reach with entries from Spain, Mexico, Portugal, France, and Peru.
Cabrera's winning painting, "Riachuelo," reflects his lifelong connection to the Caldera de Taburiente. He shared this connection with other artists, including Francisco Concepción and his own father. The painting comes from his practice of "plein air" painting, where artists paint outdoors. This allows him to capture the color, light, and atmosphere of a place directly.
"Riachuelo" will be displayed in an exhibition along with other selected and winning artworks. This exhibition opens on January 31st at the San Francisco de Asís Electric Cooperative Foundation in Crevillent (Alicante).
The Julio Quesada competition started in 2000 to honor the famous watercolor artist Julio Quesada Guilabert. Many well-known painters have won this award over the years, including Salvador Gómez, Joaquín Ureña, Juan Moreno Aguado, Francisco Gómez de Castro, and Julio M. Jorge from Portugal. The prize includes 3,000 euros and a diploma.
While Gonzalo Cabrera is primarily known for his music career – he's a violinist with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and teaches at La Garrapatea music school – painting has always been a part of his life. He's been drawn to color and drawing since he was young. He sees strong links between music and painting, believing their creative processes are very similar. This view has shaped his unique artistic style, helping him to understand and develop his visual language.
For Cabrera, "Riachuelo" represents a key step in his ongoing experiments with technique. He believes this has helped him create his own artistic language, deeply influenced by music. In his view, the lines between music and painting blur, becoming one way of expressing himself.