VALDIF

DRAGONFLY

DRAGONFLY

DRAGONFLY

Technique: Hollow ceramic reliefs, ceramic smalt, acrylic background. Exclusive technique.
Dimensions: 82 x 120 cm.
Year: 2013

Synopsis:
"Dragonfly" is a surrealist vision of a natural environment. 

It is one of the first works in which Valdif applies his technical expertise with ceramics and high reliefs to environments with a flat, textured, and painted background, applying the term "sculptopinturas."

An example of the stylistic shift from the artist's previous works, he delves into surrealism and transforms his technique and works into a clearly innovative contribution to the contemporary art world.

Artwork History
Valdif’s LIBÉLULA stands as a poetic celebration of lightness, metamorphosis, and spiritual transformation. The dragonfly, a timeless symbol of wisdom and renewal, becomes the central figure in this composition where the artist captures the fine balance between fragility and strength.
Its wings, delicately rendered with subtle luminosity, appear to vibrate in a suspended space between reality and dream.
The work transcends mere natural representation, offering instead a meditation on the fleeting nature of existence and the liberating power of transcendence.
Across cultures, the dragonfly is seen as an emblem of truth, maturity, and the overcoming of illusions.
Valdif embraces this universal symbolism and reinterprets it within his own visual language, blending nature with cosmic energy in a painting that radiates motion and inner light.
LIBÉLULA belongs to a cycle of works in which Valdif explores the interconnection between life, light, and the essence of the human spirit
More than a painting, it is an invitation to reflection, renewal, and elevation towards the luminous.


Biography

Miguel F. Valdivieso — VALDIF
Painter, muralist and ceramicist
Born in Granada, Spain, 1952 — Self-taught
Miguel F. Valdivieso, artistically known as VALDIF, is a multidisciplinary creator whose work encompasses painting, murals, ceramics, and hybrid works combining relief and painting.
With a career spanning over four decades, he has developed his own techniques and has exhibited widely both in Spain and internationally.
His work is characterized by constant innovation and versatility, moving fluidly between decorative art, abstraction, surrealism, and symbolic explorations.
Artistic Development.
1980s–1990s — Marble sand murals: Around 1980, he developed a personal technique using marble sands, producing murals and large decorative works.

1992 — Ceramic workshop: He opened his own ceramic studio, which became a turning point in his career, enabling him to create friezes and large-format ceramic pieces.

1992–2011 — Oriental and Arabic-inspired friezes: He produced a long series of works inspired by Andalusian and oriental decorative traditions, evolving them into new geometrical and contemporary expressions.

From 2009 — “Sculpto-paintings”: He introduced hybrid works fusing ceramic reliefs (glazed and fired) with traditional painted backgrounds, bridging the boundaries between sculpture and painting.
Themes & Style.
His works explore geometry, minerals, organic matter, esoteric and symbolic imagery, often combined with a strong decorative element that adapts well to architectural and mural formats.
Some series also reflect his personal research into “psychic channeling” as part of the creative process.
Exhibitions & Projects

• First solo exhibition: 
• Centro Artístico de Granada, 1975.
Since then, he has held numerous solo and group exhibitions, and participated in international art fairs.

• He has received commissions for murals and large-scale decorative projects in hotels, halls, and buildings both in Spain and abroad, including projects in the Middle East and India.

Awards & Recognition

• Fondazione Costanza Award, Madrid, 2019

Leonardo da Vinci Award, Florence, 2020.
Presence
VALDIF’s works are featured in international platform such as Projects Luxury MT Andorra , and his career has been documented in specialized art magazines, catalogs, and interviews.