*Some of you know Álvaro as a close friend or family member. Others have just met Álvaro (or perhaps never met him in person.) This week I (Annelise) sat down to interview Álvaro so that he can tell you about himself in his own words.

If you have any questions for Álvaro that I didn’t think to ask, email him at [email protected].

Were you always interested in art, even as a child?

I enjoyed drawing. I never pictured myself painting, but I liked drawing and using colored pencils.

I loved the feeling of drawing with a regular pencil too. It wasn’t anything professional. It was just a pencil with a big head as an eraser. They are no longer around. We used to call them cabezones.

What were your earliest drawings of? 

I drew everything that was around me. Cows, horses, anything on the small farm where I grew up. I remember the yellow grass that turned green during the rainy season. Cattle, white egrets flying over the river. The memories are as fresh as if they happened yesterday.

Living on a farm, that’s all I had access to. I was lucky not having a TV, my realism was able to develop faster because my references were alive and galloping around. 

Did you always imagine you would become an artist?

No. Never. 

When I was in primary school,  I pictured myself with a very high-profile job – someone who wore a suit and looked fancy and wealthy. 

I wanted to be something that would make people proud. Being an artist isn’t something people consider very important. If you’re a doctor, they look at you like, Oh, that guy is a doctor. But for artists they are like, Oh, he’s struggling. 

I think when we go in the direction to be an artist, deep inside our subconscious knows what people think. So we try to fit into that mold unconsciously. We’re too humble, we don’t have the confidence to say, “I’m a good artist.” 

We would never say, “I’m good at this.” At least I don’t do it. 

Do you agree with people who say artists will always struggle? 

NO!

Because of them, we struggle with our confidence. Like tattoos – whoever has a tattoo, people automatically say they aren’t a good person. It’s a stereotype, but a tattoo doesn’t mean anything. 

What did you do after graduating from school? 

I kept looking for purpose and direction. I was very limited financially and knew that art school was out of the question.

When I was in my early 20s I went to Europe. I traveled through Switzerland, France, Liechtenstein. I fell even more in love with art from seeing so much beauty.

I kept hoping someday I could afford art school, but eventually I lost that hope. I lost my motivation and started dragging myself around to make money. I did whatever I could do to earn cash.

I was so disappointed that I tried not to look at any art or envision any art schools. 

Right as I was leaving Europe, I was accepted by a graphic design school. I remember the lady saying, “We can’t let him get away. He’s too talented.” 

But my visa was running out and I didn’t have enough money to make the deposit of 200 euros.

I had already left Paris when they sent me the message. 

Basically, when your limitation is money, your horizons are smaller because you don’t envision yourself as an artist without any education. 

What did you do after you returned to Panama? 

I spent about 10 years without any motivation. Nothing.

When you don’t have motivation, you have a sadness inside. People usually start a career in their 20s, but I had no purpose or direction. 

I had lived in France for four years and spoke French fluently. When I came back to Panama I became a tour guide and led people up into the mountains, trails, and everything surrounding Boquete for about 10 years. 

Did you like being a tour guide? 

Yes.

I’ve always wanted to visit the United States, and meeting people from all over the world helped me keep that dream alive. It reminded me of all the good times I spent in Europe. 

Where in the US did you want to visit?

My dream has always been to see buffalo at Yellowstone National Park.

I also want to visit Colorado. I love snow and mountains.  

Why did you leave tourism? 

I was climbing in the mountains (Volcán, the highest point in Panama), ascending and descending every day. My knee wore out from all the wear and tear. 

Little by little I quit tourism and started painting. Instead of the people from other countries being my motivation, I was inspired by la naturaleza.

When I started seeing high resolution pictures of the wildlife we have, I said, “This is it.” I started painting birds and birds and birds. 

By 2015, I had more art clients for paintings and murals, and I thought of myself more as an artist than as a tour guide. 

What is one of your biggest struggles as an artist?  

The expectations. They put a lot of pressure on me.  The expectations of everything around me…to have the life everyone else has. 

I like my freedom, but I also want to have a family. Those two things don’t get together. I want a wife that is easygoing and understanding. If I don’t have that, it’s going to be really hard. She has to know me really really well to understand how I work. 

How DO you work as an artist? 

We have our ups and downs.

Every day is different. I can paint ten hours today, but tomorrow if I am dragging myself around, I need to recharge my motivation. How do I recharge it? By doing something that I enjoy. 

That doesn’t mean I’ll spend the rest of the week lounging around. But that 8 to 5 schedule? It doesn’t apply to me. I DON’T like routine. I have routines for my coffee, my breakfast, my showers, they’re in place. I’m OCD for those things.

But my espiritu de artista doesn’t work like that. 

What does a successful artist’s life look like to you? 

For me, a successful life as an artist is a beautifully organized house. A beautiful garden, well maintained, and a fountain.  I love the sound of fountains in the morning with a cup of coffee. 

If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you be? 

Nothing. Just kill me. 😂

If you could only paint one subject the rest of your life, what would you paint? 

Wildlife. And that will never change. 

If you had a little child in front of you who loved to draw, what would you tell him/her? 

I would give the kid a drawing grid and a color wheel. 

And I’d say, “Ok kid, use those for the rest of your life.”  

Last question: Why do you paint? 

Es un regalo de arriba. It’s a gift from God. If I don’t use it, that would be ungrateful to God. Painting is a way that I thank God for what He gave me. That’s why I never take credit for my art. 

When I am in front of a canvas, I’m peaceful. That’s my connection with Him. It motivates me. When I’m painting, there are things I can’t explain.

When I mix colors without thinking about them, they turn out well.

That doesn’t come from me. 

Thank you for joining us in this interview of Panamanian artist Álvaro Miranda. You can read more on Álvaro’s About page.

Interview by Annelise Wallie, March 28, 2023