Félix Arauz

Who is Félix Arauz?

Félix Arauz is a Ecuadorian painter. Arauz is among the art circles of Enrique Tábara, Aníbal Villacís, Jose Carreño and Juan Villafuerte. In 1957, Arauz began studying under Caesar Andrade Faini at the School of Fine Arts. During his second year his father died leaving Arauz feeling nostalgic and isolated. Arauz funneled his emotions into his work creating some of the most beautiful, heartfelt and dreamlike imagery to date. Both his use of color and his compositions are strong and designed to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Arauz's subjects usually include surreal flower arrangements, the innocence of children, faces, 'trees of life', landscapes and abstracts - all of which are created with a personal dreamlike aesthetic.

In 1967, Arauz married Nila Villafuerte Estrada, older sister of Juan Villafuerte. Arauz, Juan Villafuerte and Jose Carreño had a very close friendship forged at the School of Fine Arts. In the same year, Arauz received a government scholarship to travel to the United States with the fellow master painter Gilberto Almeida and Jaime Villa in order to study galleries and museums throughout New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami.