JORGE ENRIQUE RAMIREZ FLORES: "I was born in Pucallpa, the second largest city in the Peruvian Amazon on February 3 1979. It is a very hot city with little rain during the summer. The city is by the shores of the Ucayali River
where several indigenous groups live such as the Shipibo Conibo, Ashanincas, Amahuaca and others. I am the oldest of six siblings and my parents are poor. Since I was little I wanted to paint. One
day a friend of mine told me that there was a school of painting, free of charge. In this
way I met Pablo Amaringo, who accepted me and give me full support. I started to draw
in Don Pablo's little kitchen when I was then 10 years of age.
"Beside drawing and painting, I like poetry, sculpture and singing, as well as fishing and preparing regional foods. I am now learning English. I love animals, flowers, the forest, lakes, rivers, and sky with its beautiful colors.
"I have participated in many local exhibitions. In Norway a painting of mine called "Earthquake" is on permanent display. My paintings were also in Brazil and Finland. I am very thankful to all the people who help us in our work for the Amazon area. I am now going to school and I teach at Usko Ayar not only painting but about the flora and fauna of the Amazon and how to conserve it. I have learned some legends, myths and stories. In Usko Ayar we are like a family. We treat each other with much love and respect."
You can take a walking tour through the paintings of the young Usko-Ayar artists of the Amazon Project, or you can take a shortcut to see all the artists in the gallery. These paintings are available for purchase from The Electric Gallery. We'd also appreciate your giving us your comments on our presentation.
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