Stefano Tijerina began his art studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1988. Four years later he returned to Bogotá, Colombia, where he was born in 1969. He continued his art studies under the wing of local artists, Elma Pignalosa and Rafaél Penagos. Although the circumstances of life set him down the path of a banking career, he continued to stoically paint to fulfill the life of a painter which is simply "to paint." In Houston he continued his education at the Glassell School of Art and in the early 2000s briefly worked under the wing of James Linehan. He has then been painting in Old Town, Maine, where he has his studio.
Tijerina, Stefano (1969 - )
Artist Statement
Born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1969, Stefano Tijerina was introduced early on to the world of art, thanks to family friends such as Rafaél Penagos, who frequented his home, sometimes inviting him and his mother, Cecilia Báez, back to his studio to watch him paint and in occasions using them as models for portrait painting.
His mother’s encouragement to paint paid off during his early years in college at Clark University, where he submerged in the art of painting, working next to Ecuador’s neo-expressionist painter, Roberto Noboa.
He would graduate with a minor in art, only to return to Bogotá in 1992, where he continued to paint under the tutelage of his old friend Penagos and painter and sculptress Elma Pignalosa.
His relationship and experimentation with landscape painting intensified tenfold after meeting his eternal companion, confidante, and lover, Sandra Cáceres.
It was through Sandra that he was introduced to the enchanted lagoons, frailenjón valleys, páramos, and snow peaks of the Colombian Andes; images, memories, and thoughts that continue to show up throughout his work.
It was through Claudia and Tatiana, Sandra’s sisters, that he would develop a close relationship with Colombian painters Eduardo Gonzalez and Emilio Franco. Penagos, Noboa, Gonzalez, and Franco continue to influence his work.
In 1998 Sandra and Stefano moved to Houston, Texas, to pursue his banking career, an endeavor that had began in Colombia soon after their marriage in 1996. This trip would mark the beginning of an inner struggle between living off his art or making ends meet. It was a dark moment in his life, filled with instability and uncertainty. Nevertheless, he continued his work as an artist, living a double life; banker in the daytime and painter at night.
The lack of an inspirational landscape forced him to shift to abstract painting, leaving behind oils and shifting to acrylics. The balancing act of painting and banking was kept alive by Sandra’s support. He continued his education at the Glassell School of Art, where he slowly transitioned back to landscape painting.
Although the three years in Houston were a struggle for Sandra and Stefano, they managed to keep the flame alive.
Five months after the birth of their only son, Santiago Tijerina, they left in search of a new start. The three of them would reinvent themselves in Maine, bringing to an end Stefano’s dilemma over the sustainability of his creative side.
No longer living under a balancing act, he immediately became submerged in rich landscapes that now surrounded him.
Acrylics were replaced by pastels, as recommended by local artists, and it continues to be his medium today, although he has moved to mixed media and collage as part of new interpretations of the landscape.
His early work in Maine was inspired by Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hooper, and the Group of Seven painters, as he gained back his strength from the joy and energy with which Sandra and Santiago embraced their new home.
While pursuing his Masters and later his Ph.D. in History, he transitioned from figurative to more abstract and expressionist approaches to landscape painting, as he became influenced by other landscape painters such as Kurt Jackson.
Ocean themes replaced the Andes, and the deep forests replaced the valleys of the Colombian landscape.
The seasons began to influence his palette, particularly winter. In the past two years he has been redefining his landscape once again, experimenting with multimedia and collages. His most recent work combined photography and other imagery, using them as starting points for the development of a completely different landscape, changing the mood and effect of the initial two-dimensional source.
He is currently pursuing a connection between memory, emotions, and imagery, something that has been greatly encouraged by his close friend, historian-photographer Scott W. See.
He currently lives in Old Town, Maine, together with his family.
Studio Practice
In pursuit of a space to experience "action painting," I placed my eyes on the old barn that came with the house we bought in Old Town, Maine. Perhaps the best part of the house, it became a space that allowed me to continue exploring my career as a painter. It was inspired by an old Jackson Pollock video that showed him in "action" at a barn, perhaps a space where I could also find the determination to "break the ice." The barn has allowed me to express and communicate my ideas through painting in larger format, it has opened new avenues, and has freed my ability to use multiple media without the limitations of space at a time in humanity when space has become scarce.