Manuel Alpañés Ramos

Manuel Alpañés Ramos is a prominent Spanish watercolor painter and current President of the Agrupación Española de Acuarelistas (AEDA — the Spanish Watercolour Society), and has served as a judge for both the Second and Third Venice International Watercolor Festival.

Manuel holds a professional degree in Civil, Road, and Port Engineering. He began exploring watercolor around 1995, developing his skills largely through self-study and by observing master painters at work. It was not until his retirement in 2014, however, that he was able to devote himself fully to the art. His background in engineering has given him a natural sensitivity to perspective and geometric structure, qualities that are particularly evident in his urban landscape and architectural subjects.

In terms of style, Manuel works in pure watercolor, without recourse to special materials or auxiliary techniques to generate texture, preferring instead to harness the natural flow and spontaneity of the medium itself. He is especially drawn to urban scenes, figures, and portraiture, and is a committed plein air painter, which he regards as the most demanding and formative training ground available to any artist. He taught figure and portrait classes at AEDA for five years, and continues to lead advanced painting courses for the association's more experienced members, reflecting his deep commitment to arts education.

Founded in 1945, AEDA is one of Spain's oldest and most influential professional watercolor institutions, with a history spanning more than eight decades. Under Manuel's presidency, the association has actively pursued international collaboration and academic exchange, steadily raising the profile of Spanish watercolor art on the European and global stage.