“Liana’s paintings show a great sense of movement, highlighted by vibrant colors, motion and fluid brush strokes. Evocative and powerful, her passion dances on the canvas.” Artbistro, CA, USA

Adelaide Hills News
Thursday, August 07, 2008

Art world kicks up its heels

<p>After 25 years of flamenco dancing in bars, clubs and theaters in Mexico, Europe and Australia, Liana Vargas of Aldgate now shares her "wild" experience on canvas.<p>
<p>Her latest art exhibition in the SA Living Artists (SALA) Festival focused on the first 10 years of her career spent travelling abroad, depicting exotic images of Spanish dancers and scenery.<p>
<p>The three-week festival, which started on August 1, is designed to give artists the opportunity to showcase their work. Now a teacher and performer in her own flamenco company, Ms Vargas began painting about 18 months ago, and referred to her paintings as an extension of her dancing. "I'm dancing on canvas now so that's fun," she said. "They're bold, big and swirly, with hints of Spain all through them,
and are somewhat evocative."<p>
<p>Describing it as a "wild" period in her life, Ms Vargas said that she believed her flamenco experience was also a period of "lucky coincidences." "I think it's got a lot to do with luck, " she said. She said that many of her paintings also reflected on flamenco mythology and old beliefs about women and nature.<p>

By Kiri Olney The Courier [Permanent link] [News home] [Courier home].