Pedro Perea Autobiography
Introduction to Pedro Perea
My name is Pedro Perea Maza, born on May 3rd in Wigan, England. I grew up in La Linea de la Concepcion, Cádiz, but I've lived in Marbella since I was 8, a lifetime. It was the city that saw me grow up, to which I owe everything and which I love with all my heart.
My working life began working at the Post Office and Telegraph and in the evenings as a draftsman in an architectural studio. In the 90s, I started in the nightclub business and owned five cocktail bars, some of them in the Marbella Marina. I currently work in the real estate sector.
My Childhood and Youth
Since I was a child, I was always pretty good at drawing, while all the other children studied science and math. I spent my classes doodling in my textbooks. I imagine that's why I always failed and had to come back in September to make up my exams.
I've never had any interest in painting. I think my hobby came to me by chance, or perhaps fate had it in store for me. I painted three paintings in the early 90s and took a break for over ten years. Then I painted another painting for a great friend as a wedding gift and took another break for almost another ten years. In 2005, I painted another painting for a great friend who helped me through difficult times in my life. And so far, these five paintings have been my contribution to art.
In 2017, I was interested in doing something like going to the gym, yoga, salsa dancing, hiking, or any other activity to pass the time. I looked for alternatives but didn't find anything I liked. Until one day, while walking through my neighborhood, I happened upon a painting school. I signed up and spent some time learning some painting techniques. Unfortunately, I had to drop out of the course because I had a big project on my hands, to which I had to dedicate all my time. So once again, I put down my paintbrushes…
In 2019, I posted a photo of a sunrise on social media, and a friend asked if I had painted it. This gave me the idea to capture the photo on canvas, but that wasn't much more than that. The introduction of painting into my life was a long time coming.
In 2020, the wonderful pandemic arrived, or at least for me. There was no escape, no excuse to take advantage of that time locked up at home. So one day, unintentionally and unknowingly, I started painting a picture, painted another, another, and another, until I reached more than 43 paintings.
I owe all of this, and I'm grateful, to all my friends who posted every time I finished a painting on social media. There were so many comments of encouragement, amazement, support, and admiration. Those wonderful comments gave me the strength and enthusiasm to start painting a new picture.
My Pop Art Exhibition
The exhibition I did in 2024, started as a joke among friends, and now here I am, in a museum in Marbella, exhibiting my paintings. Who would have imagined it? It's my first exhibition, so I'm very excited, but also very nervous and very responsible.
I consider myself a normal painter. I recognize that I'm just starting out and I have to keep learning. It's true that, I'm amazed by the final result of each painting I make.