Juan Manuel Delgado, Costa Rican painter and Carleton graduate, has an impressive résumé.
“From a very early age I had a fascination with art, not only as a way of learning from what I see, but also as an escape,” he said in an e-mail.
Born in San José, Costa Rica, Delgado moved to Ottawa at the age of three and lived here until the completion of his studies in architecture at Carleton in 2010.
Delgado returned to Costa Rica that same year and began his career as a visual artist. He paints in the style of hyper-realism, and said his medium of choice is oil paint.
“[Oil painting] is a slower process,” he said, “However, I feel that with it one can achieve a greater transparency within the layers of colours applied, resulting in a more realistic work of art.”
In 2013, Delgado painted a portrait of Pope Francis. With the completion of the painting, Delgado had the chance to present the portrait to the Pope at the Vatican.
Upon returning to Costa Rica, Delgado said he received a lot of support.
“The Post Office of Costa Rica contacted me to use the painting I presented personally to His Holiness as the face of 15,000 postage stamps,” Delgado said.
This portrait is one of many Delgado has done. He has also painted physicist and former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz, the President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, His Majesty King Simeon II of Bulgaria, and others.
This month, Delgado is returning to Ottawa to offer his support for the Ottawa Children’s Gala on Feb. 21 which is a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
According to Vanessa Grant, media spokesperson for the gala, this gala is the first of its kind in Ottawa.
“It’s a formal event for adults and children, so the entertainment and activities are geared to both parties,” Grant said.
She said this gala is in support of CHEO’s Plan-It Safe program—which aims to increase knowledge about preventable childhood injuries, as well as raising money for safe parks and recreational places.
Delgado will be providing a painting for the silent auction at the gala.
“I felt the need to participate in [the gala] to raise awareness based on my experiences in Costa Rica, and as a way to improve prevention programming and create safer living environments to all children across Canada,” he said.
Delgado said he’s looking forward to being back in Ottawa.
He said being back in Ottawa will allow him to showcase his experiences and Costa Rican culture through solo exhibitions.
“I have continued to be enthralled by always seeking to document the progression of my memories [through my paintings] which always carry a deep attribution to my inner most feelings and emotions,” Delgado said.
