Olivia Peguero
Encyclopedia
Olivia Peguero is a Dominican
contemporary landscape and botanical artist. Painting most of the year in the Dominican Republic
and Florida
, she is known for producing all of her studies and the majority of her finished pieces en plein air
. Unlike many other Dominican artist, her works are created in oil using a more traditional European style, many times depicting life as birth, existence and death within her flowers. Two common themes present in Peguero art are the conservation of old growth Dominican forests and pride in Dominican heritage. In 2005, she made news when a private collector requested a commission and was turned down for asking her to paint a beach in the DR but label the art as it was from another Caribbean country. In 2007, Mrs. Peguero enlisted the help of a few important collectors and corporate sponsors to form the Peguero Arte Libros Foundation and the Art Books for Education Program. Today, a large percentage of the proceeds from the sale of her art are donated to the foundation.
, and grew up in the small towns of Miches
on the east coast, and Las Salinas
in the southwest. She attended the Mahatma Gandhi secondary school in Santo Domingo
and after graduation, moved to New York to join her parents who had immigrated a few years prior. Although she was mostly isolated from the arts as a child, she was strongly influenced by the Dutch Masters style and it seemed only natural that the same style be applied in a lush, Caribbean
environment. Today, many people associate Peguero art as only tropical or island oriented, but much of her work and training focused on mastering traditional architecual, botanical and landscape methods with her early paintings often being completed in and around the Lake District
in England
.
and Florida and continued to refine her style during the course of her training. She completed a Bachelors Degree of Fine Art Studio Painting from Florida Atlantic University
, Florida, a Bachelors Degree in Management Information Systems from Mercy College, New York
and a Master Degree in Business Administration, MBA from Nova University, Florida.
ArteLibros.org
, in the El Seibo
province of the Dominican Republic, the preserve is only accessible via footpath and horseback. The countryside within the preserve was a primary landscape subject in many of the earliest Peguero paintings. Tours of the Mariposa Cocoa Preserve is by invitation only with an annual artist expedition.
[MariposaCocoa.com]
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
contemporary landscape and botanical artist. Painting most of the year in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, she is known for producing all of her studies and the majority of her finished pieces en plein air
En plein air
En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism...
. Unlike many other Dominican artist, her works are created in oil using a more traditional European style, many times depicting life as birth, existence and death within her flowers. Two common themes present in Peguero art are the conservation of old growth Dominican forests and pride in Dominican heritage. In 2005, she made news when a private collector requested a commission and was turned down for asking her to paint a beach in the DR but label the art as it was from another Caribbean country. In 2007, Mrs. Peguero enlisted the help of a few important collectors and corporate sponsors to form the Peguero Arte Libros Foundation and the Art Books for Education Program. Today, a large percentage of the proceeds from the sale of her art are donated to the foundation.
Early life and education
Olivia Peguero was born in the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, and grew up in the small towns of Miches
Miches
Miches is a town in the El Seibo province of the Dominican Republic.Miches is a small town with many smaller towns surrounding it. Historically, it has its roots as a fishing town, deriving much of its income and protein from the surrounding waters...
on the east coast, and Las Salinas
Las Salinas
Las Salinas is a town in the Barahona province of the Dominican Republic.For the battle in present-day Peru, see battle of Las Salinas.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
in the southwest. She attended the Mahatma Gandhi secondary school in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
and after graduation, moved to New York to join her parents who had immigrated a few years prior. Although she was mostly isolated from the arts as a child, she was strongly influenced by the Dutch Masters style and it seemed only natural that the same style be applied in a lush, Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
environment. Today, many people associate Peguero art as only tropical or island oriented, but much of her work and training focused on mastering traditional architecual, botanical and landscape methods with her early paintings often being completed in and around the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Training and education
Mrs. Peguero attended university in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Florida and continued to refine her style during the course of her training. She completed a Bachelors Degree of Fine Art Studio Painting from Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
, Florida, a Bachelors Degree in Management Information Systems from Mercy College, New York
Mercy College (New York)
Mercy College is a private, non-profit liberal arts college with its main campus in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and satellite locations throughout southeastern New York, including the Bronx, Manhattan, White Plains and Yorktown...
and a Master Degree in Business Administration, MBA from Nova University, Florida.
Peguero Arte Libros Foundation
Mrs. Peguero is the founder of the Peguero Arte Libros Foundations US 501(c)(3) and the Art Books for Education Project that focuses on art education for young Dominican children in rural areas. In 2007, the case was presented that even today, many Dominican children in rural areas are not exposed to and do not have the opportunity to learn fine arts such as painting, sculpture, poetry and story writing. And for a country so rich in the music and dance arts to not have an emphasis in these areas was a loss for every child. One of the programs currently under implementation by the foundation is to supply rural schools with a set of Spanish language art books that cover painting, sculpture, poetry and story writing. These would then be given to the school for their library and as some schools don’t have a library, it would be the start of a long term collection to benefit all students.ArteLibros.org
Art and the preservation of the Dominican Rainforest
The Mariposa Cocoa Preserve is a private preservation initiative owned and run by the Peguero family that combines sustainable organic cocoa farming practices and forest management with the protection of wildlife and nature. Located just west of the town of MichesMiches
Miches is a town in the El Seibo province of the Dominican Republic.Miches is a small town with many smaller towns surrounding it. Historically, it has its roots as a fishing town, deriving much of its income and protein from the surrounding waters...
, in the El Seibo
El Seibo
El Seibo , alternatively spelt El Seybo, is a province of the Dominican Republic. Before 1992 it included what is now Hato Mayor province.-Municipalities and municipal districts:...
province of the Dominican Republic, the preserve is only accessible via footpath and horseback. The countryside within the preserve was a primary landscape subject in many of the earliest Peguero paintings. Tours of the Mariposa Cocoa Preserve is by invitation only with an annual artist expedition.
[MariposaCocoa.com]