Enduringart.com

As a small boy growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, Mikel Diaz was mesmerized by his ability to capture the likeness of his favorite subjects on paper. Mikel spent countless hours sketching his pets, his family and friends, and the animals at the family ranch in rural Venezuela. It was during his visits to the ranch that Mikel developed his life-long affinity for horses. This attraction led Mikel to join the Caracas Country Club, where he enjoyed riding and competing throughout his youth.

His passion for sketching led Mikel to work on perfecting his drawing skills under the guidance of the Uruguayan illustrator and portrait artist, Antonio Galeandro. Mikel subsequently joined a select group of artists at the studio of Maestro Pedro Centeno Vallenilla, one of the most prestigious artists of the visual arts in Venezuela in the 20 th century. Mikel’s training paid off: he won First Prize in the pastel category at the Galleria Coqui in Puerto Rico (1981), and at the Cubeck Center of the University of Miami (1982). Despite his passion, training, talent, and early success, family pressures drove Mikel to choose a ‘practical’ career path. Mikel became a lawyer, and eventually made his way to the international capital of lawyers: Washington, D.C. Mikel pursued graduate studies at the School of International Affairs at American University, and he dedicated himself to improving the economic and political climate in Latin America.

Mikel found himself increasingly drawn to the pursuits that he so loved as a youth: horse-back riding and painting. Mikel became a fixture in Virginia’s horse country, enjoying the wide-open spaces, long trail rides, and the occasional fox chase. Before long, Mikel was painting commissioned pastel and oil portraits of horses, riders, and fox hounds. He had returned to painting the subjects he loved, and realized there was no turning back. Soon after, Mikel enjoyed the guidance and mentorship of the internationally recognized artist Peter Von Artens. The work and technique of the late Argentinean master inspires Mikel Diaz’s elegant still life compositions, particularly the orchids in bloom and objects reflecting on polished surfaces.

A family tragedy in 2000 proved a turning point in Mikel’s life. “I resolved to devote the rest of my life to exploiting my talent in order to create beauty, joy, serenity. It is what I strive for with each and every painting.” Mikel has been a full-time artist ever since. Mikel currently resides in Middleburg, Virginia – the heart of Virginia’s horse country. Mikel has become a polo enthusiast – don’t be surprised to find mallets in his upcoming pieces. He travels extensively to South Florida and Caracas to soak in his other great passion: the light, colors, sounds, culture, and life of the tropics. Mikel plans to capture that passion on canvas in the coming months.

Mikel’s work has been exhibited in Caracas, Puerto Rico, Miami, Atlanta, Toronto, New York, Boston, Chicago, and ‘closer to home’ in Charlottesville, Middleburg, and Leesburg, Virginia. His work has been published on the cover of the Chronicle of the
Horse, an equestrian magazine with nationwide circulation. The February 2007 issue of Elan – a regional fine arts magazine – also featured Mikel’s work on its cover accompanied by a full-length article.