Tall Trees 16

Joseph Villanueva is a sgraffito abstract impressionist artist based in Melbourne, working primarily in acrylics. His technique involves scratching through a layer of still-wet paint to reveal complementary colours underneath.

He has a background in Architecture and Landscape Architecture. His paintings are inspired by his surroundings and the sensation of colors and textures. He enjoys landscapes in bloom, wonderous skies, garden vistas in explosions of flowers, and bright colors. Interiors are also a favorite subject inspiration from his plant collections at home. His palette of colors is often bright and optimistic, which echoes free-flowing linework dancing over the surface. Painting may seem totally abstract at first, but soon you'll realize the compositions are grounded in figurations and structural elements describing the flora, landscape, and bursting sky.

The elements of land, sky, and nature overlap each other in the painting. His technique is layered with consideration to background colors and washes, which eventually are uncovered in the final piece. He draws freehand over the wet paint with virtuosity and imaginative flare from memory - sometimes from observation and references.