I am an artist specializing in both plein air and studio painting. My style blends impressionistic and realistic elements, aiming to capture the world with life-like accuracy. Each of my paintings strives to be a window into a unique moment I want to share.

I split my time between Portugal and Spain, drawing inspiration from a wide range of subjects, including seascapes, landscapes, floral still lifes, animals, and human figures. When I paint, I think abstractly, always searching for interesting contrasts, shapes, and color combinations. My focus is on conveying the mood of the scene by simplifying details, making it easier for viewers to immerse themselves in the essence of the painting.

I work with gouache, oil pastels, and oil. In addition to my own practice, I also teach other artists who want to learn how to capture the beauty of the world around them with paints. I help my students convey the illusion of light and atmosphere in their work and get the most from the colors on their palettes.

The techniques and principles I teach are universal and can be effectively applied with different painting mediums, including gouache, oil, acrylics and pastels.

You can learn more about my painting process through a series of articles I write regularly, where I share my thoughts, inspirations, discoveries, successes, and challenges. The series, called *The Painting Process*, is available on my blog at the following link: www.lenarivo.com/blog.

When I’m not painting, I love reading, walking my dog, and exploring flea markets for unique objects to use in my still-life compositions. I try to surround myself with beauty so that every corner of my world inspires my creativity.