Maestro Abreu

Painted live during Sinfonía en Colores in 2025. I built the central portrait of Maestro José Antonio Abreu — founder of El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education program that changed countless lives — using acrylic glazes to layer warmth into his face. Around the portrait, attendees added their own marks: musical notes, child violinists, words like Armonía, Resiliencia, Paz, Fe, Arte, Amor, Respeto, Creatividad, Esperanza. The painting now lives at The Nucleus Program, an extension of El Sistema, as a permanent tribute to the maestro's legacy.