Lives:  Penrith Valley

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Genre:  Oil on Canvas

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Short Bio

 

Ivan was born in Ecuador, South America in 1949. He worked as a teacher in the Ecuadorian school system after graduating from University with degrees in Mathematics and Science.

The Ecuadorian government later employed Ivan to live with and teach the Spanish language to Ecuadorian Indians in the Amazon.

 

When Ivan was unable to speak the language of the natives in the Amazon, he realised that he would not be able to carry out the commission given to him by the government.

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Feeling a little rejected and very unhappy, he then sat upon a rock and played his guitar for comfort and solace where upon hearing Ivan playing the natives gathered around him to hear his music.

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Ivan and his wife Nelly lived for a time in the Amazon with the natives where Ivan taught the Spanish language to both children and adults.

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The images Ivan has captured here of the mother & child and the fisherman in his paintings are a reflection of the experiences he had while living amongst the natives of the Ecuadorian jungle.