RAVEN ART STUDIO MARBELLA BY APPOINTMENT
"More Joy" By Julian Raven. Find the painting you love or
commission the perfect painting at Raven Art Studio Marbella
Odyssey
Julian Raven's contemporary art studio in Marbella, is where modern art meets the passion, energy, and boldness of large-format impressionist & abstract expressionist painting and fine art photography.
Although born in Richmond-Upon-Thames, in London, Raven hails from Marbella, Spain. Raven’s family moved to Marbella in 1972 when he was 2 years old. Raven embarked on his artistic journey growing up in Marbella and studying at the local English-speaking schools, Calpe College, Aloha College, and the English International College where American painter and art master David Bodlak mentored him.
After attending the prestigious Chelsea School of Art in London, England, Raven returned to Marbella to begin his journey as an artist coupled with other entrepreneurial endeavors. That path would lead Raven and his brothers to open one of Marbella’s notorious watering holes, Locos, a 35-year-long-standing nighttime rock 'n roll venue in Marbella port.
Existential Crisis
An existential crisis led Raven up mount La Concha, Marbella’s iconic natural wonder, on his quest for truth. There Raven encountered the Great Artist behind all creation, and had his life changed forever. Raven’s search for self and his missionary calling led Raven to America.
After over a quarter of a century living in the United States, in New York and Virginia, Julian Raven has returned to his hometown, to live in Marbella, Spain. Since his serendipitous encounter with a Marbella art gallerist in 2010, Raven has dedicated himself fully to his craft, evolving into an international selling professional artist.
In 2014, Raven showcased his captivating works at the Sammer Art Gallery Magna Marbella also in Puerto Banus, marking his triumphant international art debut hailing from New York. Since then, his artistic trajectory has been a testament to the highs and lows inherent in the life of a painter. With his pieces being sold globally through Saatchi Art, Raven's art has graced prestigious platforms from the pages of The New York Times to the iconic Time Magazine.
Marbella
Establishing his contemporary art galleries in New York and Virginia, USA, Raven's impressionist and abstract artistic footprint expanded across continents. Now, after years abroad and the recent loss of his cherished mother who lived in Marbella, Raven, accompanied by his wife, Gloria, returns to his hometown with renewed artistic fervor.
Setting up his contemporary art studio in late 2023 within the esteemed home of famous Spanish painter Pepe Morales, Raven pays homage to the local artistic legacy. Recently, Raven curated a compelling four-artist show at the Campanario Art Center in Puerto Banus, honoring the memory of Morales's late wife, Berta Gomez. Raven also participated in the Marbella and Lisbon modern and contemporary Art Fairs in 2024.
Nestled in Marbella's premium industrial district, el Polígono La Ermita, Raven's contemporary art studio, located at no. 9 Calle Oro, pulsates with creativity. While immersed in his own inspired creations, Raven extends his brush and talents to those seeking bespoke art through fine art commissions and large format photography.
Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism
The abstract expressionist art movement of the 40s and 50s of the last century, typically associated with artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem De Kooning, attempted to capture the artist's immediate and innermost emotional states through artistic expressionist painting. This painting style allowed the artists to explore their inner world and pursue immediate gestural expressions and responses to the perceivable impulses of the human heart, mind, and spirit.
This bold and passionate artistic genre became one of the vehicles for my own artistic pursuits as a man once lost in darkness and confusion. My transformed inner world, having been born from above, was not because of some intellectual assent to a religious creed, but because of a series of transformational spiritual experiences. These happened when I was alone, sitting on Marbella's La Concha, the magnificent mountain in Southern Spain.
These dramatic and life-changing divine encounters positively affected every aspect of my inner life and have continued to do so over the last three decades. The time came when my artistic gifts and faith experience would converge to produce joyful expressionistic paintings that reflected my transformed inner world.
This artistic technique would also continue to develop from my abstract expressionist paintings into post-impressionistic paintings reflecting my love and awe of the natural world. Meditating on nature, I came to faith.
Through my art, I speak of that joy and light.
Nature compels me, driving me to its presence and arresting my attention. These impressions of the wonders of creation then find their place in my heart as I ponder their magnificence, perfection, and beauty. Once filled with the imagery, I paint on the spot or head off to Raven Art Studio Marbella, with the natural impression seared within. There I express that overwhelming joy, awe and wonder through large, colorful, energetic, and bold expressionistic and post-impressionistic paintings. These have become my pictorial language through which I attempt to express the sublime and the beautiful.
Raven in studio at the Campanario Art Center, Puerto Banus, Marbella
Raven Art Studio Marbella is honored to be featured on Marbella's official tourism and culture website.
