Bridges Over River (2019) Painting by Horacio Cobas

I was born and raised in the city of Buenos Aires and have spent my entire life in close contact with art since my early childhood. I have been drawing since I was 5 years old and experimenting with various painting mediums since then. My school's curriculum also exposed me to art from 1st grade onwards through enthusiastic classes, gradually making art a more predominant part of my childhood.
At the age of 16, I had the opportunity to meet the family of Mr. Juan Batle Planas, a master painter who was one of the top 20 artists in Argentina. From his niece, Nelly Planas, I learned to take a more serious approach to my art and actively engage in painting every day. She provided me with the basic tools to start working independently, including my first brush (a Trimay natural sable hair brush manufactured by her family), canvas, paints, and initial lessons in oil painting. With her guidance, I gained the confidence to pursue art more seriously. Over time, I transitioned from oils to acrylics and eventually ventured into watercolors. Watercolors offer a unique visual experience with their pure and transparent qualities. Mixing colors on paper allows for a range of techniques that create beautiful and atmospheric effects, such as washes, layering, wet-into-wet, and lifting pigment. I prefer using transparent and lightfast pigments to enhance the beauty of watercolor. My palette is limited, consisting of a few yellows, reds, blues (both cool and warm), earth tones like Raw and Burnt Sienna, and occasionally Viridian or Burnt Umber. I typically focus on nature-based compositions, including landscapes, still life, and portraits that capture human expression. Life itself is my primary subject, and I aim to convey its energy and spontaneity in my paintings. I start by lightly sketching the composition on cold-pressed 140lb watercolor paper, focusing on the silhouette of shapes. I then carefully apply water and pigments with delicate brushstrokes to maintain the transparency and freshness of watercolor. After completing a painting, I often revisit it the next day with a clear mind to make any necessary adjustments.
Mostly self-taught, I learned art by attending courses in art academies, sometimes with other artists, and by self-studying art and art masters. My training began with the basics of design, perspective, theory of color, art history, Renaissance masters, styles of French architecture, interior design, live model painting, etc. Painting is not difficult; anyone can paint. You only need practice or, as some artists say, you need “brush mileage.”

• Nationality: ARGENTINA
• Date of birth : unknown date
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary Argentinian Artists