Visiting artist creates unique snapshots

Visitors to Belize, whether they arrive by plane, car, bus or cruise ship, number in the hundreds of thousands each year. While most leave with pleasant memories, very few have the talent to record those memories with the tools of an artist. Today I was given a glimpse of some very precious snapshots made with pencils and acrylics.

Maria Giuffra, Artist

“I do this all the time, I always paint. I’ve been painting since I was a child. I went to the fine arts school and I enjoyed it very it very much. I do this as a hobby and as work. When I don’t have to work, I also paint.”

Janelle Chanona, Reporting

For the past four year this twenty-five year old Argentinean has been painting “Snapshots of Belize”; a compilation of work of native scenes that impress the artist.

Maria Giuffra

“These are not rational pictures, this I a feeling. I always work with my [materials] to make pictures, to draw. And well this is…I can’t explain this exactly why I chose these pictures, but these are the pictures that I saw, and these are the pictures from Belize that I want to paint.”

And what she painted was Belize, in Maria’s own distinct style.

Maria Giuffra

“This is very strange to me also, but this is what I wanted to do when I was in Belize, this is the way that I see Belize.”

The pieces, which are all on sale, will be on exhibition from January eighth to the eleventh, at the Mexican Cultural Institute on Newtown Barracks.

The exhibition will be officially launched Wednesday night.