Autobiography

My name is Pedro Perea Maza. I was born on May 3rd in Wigan, England. I grew up in La Línea de la Concepción, Cádiz, but I have been living in Marbella since I was 8 years old my whole life. It is the city that saw me grow up, to which I owe everything, and I love it with all my heart.

My working life began working in the Postal and Telegraph Service and, in the afternoons, as a draftsman in an architecture studio. In the 90s, I ventured into the hospitality business; I owned five bars, some of which were in the Puerto Deportivo of Marbella. Currently, I work in the real estate sector.

Since I was a child, I was always quite good at drawing. While other kids studied science and math, I spent classes doodling in my textbooks. I imagine that’s why I always failed and had to return in September for retakes.

I never had an interest in painting; I believe my passion came about by chance, or perhaps it was fate waiting for me. I painted three paintings in the early 90s and then took a break of more than ten years. Later, I painted another piece for a great friend as a wedding gift and took another break of almost ten years. In 2005, I painted another piece for a dear friend who helped me during difficult times in my life. Up to that point, those five paintings were my contribution to art.

In 2017, I wanted to do something like go to the gym, do yoga, dance salsa, hike, or any activity to pass the time. I searched for alternatives but couldn’t find anything I liked. One day, while walking through my neighborhood, I stumbled upon a painting workshop by chance. I signed up and spent some time learning painting techniques. Unfortunately, I had to leave the course because I had a big project that needed all my attention. So, once again, I set the brushes aside.

In 2019, I posted a photo of a sunrise on social media, and a friend coincidentally asked if I had painted it, which sparked the idea of transferring that photo onto canvas. But that didn’t go far; painting was still waiting to enter my life.

Then in 2020, the wonderful pandemic came at least for me. I had no escape or excuse to make use of that time locked at home. One day, without wanting to or knowing it, I started painting a canvas; I painted another, and another, until I had completed more than 43 paintings.

I owe all of this to my friends and acquaintances who encouraged me every time I finished a piece and posted it on social media. There were so many comments of encouragement, astonishment, support, and admiration. Those wonderful comments gave me the strength and motivation to start a new painting.

The idea of an exhibition started as a joke among friends, and now here I am, exhibiting my paintings in a museum in Marbella who would have imagined it? This is my first exhibition, and I’m filled with excitement, but at the same time, I feel a lot of nerves and responsibility.

I consider myself an ordinary painter; I recognize that I am just starting and need to keep learning.

It’s true that I’m amazed at the final result of each painting I create.

"I only know one thing: I have to keep painting."

Pedro Perea