Mexican
painter Jose Duran consistently lavishes his works with the simple
essence and vitality of his insightful spirit and a thread of
connections; connections between himself and his ambiance and
connections between the ambiance and the others with whom he shares
it.
Duran’s
2006 calendar, “Lake Chapala, Source of Inspiration,”
is a collection of paintings connecting central Mexico´s
precious Lake Chapala to the people who live, work and play on
and near its shores every day. Whether landscapes, village street
scenes, or architecture, none of Duran’s works are void
of the human touch. His figures are alive, within and responding
to the particular energy generated by this venerated body of water.
Duran
was born in 1957 in the town of Yahualica in the Los Altosregion
of Jalisco. He completed his elementary and junior high studies
in Guadalajara and returned to his home town for high school.
After working as a photographer, cook, banker and jeweler, he
returned to school and graduated from the University of Guadalajara
with a degree in art.
He
traveled to the United States, South and Central America and Europe,
where his many exhibits funded his wanderlust. His romance with
the Lake Chapala area began while visiting an American friend
there on the way to his intended destination of San Miguel de
Allende, Mexico. Lake Chapala´s particular light, agreeable
climate and energy have held him since 1991.
A
return to academics earned him a degree in architecture from the
UNIVA University in 2003.
He
continues to live and work as a painter and architect in the village
of Ajijic with his young family, and offers his collection of
Lake Chapala´s vignettes for the observer’s own heartfelt
connections.
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