Raised in Galicia, Spain, Clara de Bobes became enthralled with painting portraits at nine years old; her family impressed by the young girl's raw talent, they decided to send her to her first painting course at the age of 12. She was a prodigious talent and highly encouraged by her mentors to pursue a career in fine art. She reluctantly, but obligatorily, charted a course to become a Professor in Microbiology instead; a choice that has forever vexed her.
She retired in 2008 from her career as a professor and continued with her lifelong passion for figurative expressionism and has since dedicated her life to disencumbering what lies behind the skin of reality. Just as her choices have shaped her, de Bobes is bewitched by the decisions that coalesce human identity. Superimposed with both abstractionist intricacies and touches of hyperrealism, the painters' multi-faceted portraits explore the hardships and identifiers we present unknowingly to the world every day. "I like to think I can see the soul of the people portrayed through your skin," says de Bobes. "I'm interested in what gets everyone through their individual lives."
