by Terry K. Biskovich

Celebrating 25 years of work by Rosamaría Pascual de Gámez, who may well be one of the most inspired of the Guatemalan painters alive today, Cantón Exposición/Fundación G & T Continental invites you to the inauguration of her show on Thursday, 2nd at 7pm.

In 1997 Rosamaría Pascual de Gámez said of her work, “When I started painting it was like a miracle happening in my life.” Today her accomplishments include 27 exhibitions, 225 square meters of religious murals, participation in art auctions, national and international shows, and what may be her ultimate painting to date, Devotion to Esquipulas Christ, which was placed directly in the hands of Pope John Paul II on his second visit to Guatemala.

Incredibly, Rosamaría did not begin her artistic career until she was 40 years old. “I started mostly with portraits.” She laughed and said, “I used to ask everyone, ‘Who wants me to do their portrait?’ I painted about 200 in all and then I switched to doing still lifes.”

She also blends a passion for art with her deeply held religious beliefs. “I began painting for churches and went in a mystical direction, doing huge murals that I thought I could never do. When the church asked me to do the first one, I said, ‘Oh no, I’ve never done anything like this.’ They said, ‘Oh yes, you can!’”

Though her atelier is filled with sunlight she explained, “There was a moment some years ago when I made a change in my style. I used to paint with a lot of light but suddenly something must have happened because I went to dark. I began to include burning candles in my still lifes. Their warm glow, their light against the darkness, is always a challenge to capture. I also started adding more texture to my work.”