HARRY MIRES V

I have born in Pucallpa on October 13 1977. My parents were don Jose Alejandro Mires Cachique and dona Celestina Villacorta. I had a happy childhood. I went to kindergarden when I was 5 in the Victoria Garcia Boniffatti, I was a very living boy but my parents died so that my brothers took care of me and I continued my primary studies in the Arenal primary school No 64016, finishing satisfactory and having some dipolmas. My secondary studies I started in the Inmaculada high school then in the Yarinacocha National school.
Since I was a boy I did like painting and when I was 10, I decided to be a student in the Usko Ayar Amazonian School of Painting and I am still here studying now. I let studying painting for two years about that I came back to study again. I am temporarily living in the school learning how to speak English as many others. We are studying and painting with much enthusiam as when we start studying.

JAIME VARGAS SAAVEDRA

I am a student of the high school as a student in the Usko-Ayar Amazonian Scool of Painting too; I am 17 years old and I have born on December 23, 19977 in the Pucallpa city.
My father is Jaime Vargas Coral and my mother Nancy Saavedra Rubio she is a house-wife, we are three brothers.
Since I was 9 I ready had the interest about drawing and when I was 10 I wished to learn how to paint. In the high school when I was 13 My classmates told me about Usko-Ayar and I decided to study there.
I started to draw for a while then I started to paint and I like very much because the teachings are very diferent as normal or national high schools here and this is very special.
Now, I want to painting what my eyes look at, and that with faith, hope and much practice I will be doing it, and also I try to tell people how important is nature and the environment for human beings to live on earth.

JELNER PINCHI RUIA (b. 1976)

I was born in Pucallpa. When I was 6 years old my father abandoned my mother. My family had humble financial means. When I was 8 years old I went to live with my father and to go to school. Since I am the oldest of four brothers and sisters I am in charge of helping my younger sisters. In September 1990 I heard about the Usko-Ayar Amazonian School of Painting and since I liked drawing from when I was little, I wanted to enter the school. My father refused to let me go and it was not until January 1991 that through my stepmother, at last my father allowed me to go to Usko-Ayar.
There we learn not only drawing but also we made special exercises to facilitate wrist movements and have better control of the brushes. During the first 9 months I was only drawing. Then later I started to paint with cheap watercolors, until later whn Don Pablo gave me good paper, brushes and high quality gouache paints. I gradually discovered, while painting, new things about the plants and animals and that painting is a marvelous thing. My efforts were rewarded when February 10, 1993 I was elected as a teacher. I was very happy because it was a very good way to learn to know people better and to transmit what I had learned. In April that year one of my paintings, called Aya Uma, was exhbited and sold in Miami, which made me very happy. I was one of 20 students who went to work at the Sachamana Ethnobotanical Garden near Iquitos. That was very good experience. We were all very happy to contribute to the beautiful garden.
For me, Usko-Ayar is like my second home. There I find happiness and tranquility and learn many things. It is important that we paint the forest because if people continue to fell the trees, with time it is going to disappear.

JESUS AMARINGO ARMAS

Jesus Amaringo was born in Pucallpa in 1975. His father is a brother of Pablo Amaringo, the director of the school. Jesus together with Dennis Rengifo and Anderson Debernardi was one of Pablo's first students. At that time the school was functioning in the kitchen of Amaringo's humble home. Jesus is now finishing school and he is one of the teachers in the Amazonian School. His work has been exhibited in several countries and some of his paintings have been included in scientific publications about the Amazon.

JOEL BARDALES F

I was born in Pucallpa, on October 30, 1978. I am the only child of my parents, who are separated. I live with my mother and grandparents, in a humble district near the school. I have always been very curious about the traditions and customs of my ancestors. When I was little I accompanied my grandmother to the church. I understand now that spirituality is a very important element for the good formation of a person. I also learned very much about the myths, legends and stories of Amazonian people.
To tell the truth, art didn't interest me so much. What I really wanted was to study medicine. But when I was eleven years a cousin took me to the Usko–Ayar school, and I became enthusiastic about drawing and painting. Don Pablo became like a father to me, because my parents separated when I was one year old, and my father has an another family. When I was still small my paternal aunt took me for a visit to another town, but she did not return me and my mother had to work hard in the market–place to get money to go to fetch me back.
My work has been exhibited a few times and when I participated in an art competition in my school I got the first price. I like very much the music from my region, I know some songs, and I also know some traditional dances.

JORGE ENRIQUE RAMIREZ FLORES

I was born in Pucallpa, the second largest city in the Peruvian Amazon on February 3 1979. It is a very hot city with little rain during the summer. The city is by the shores of the Ucayali River where several indigenous groups live such as the Shipibo Conibo, Ashanincas, Amahuaca and others. I am the oldest of six siblings and my parents are poor. Since I was little I wanted to paint. One day a friend of mine told me that there was a school of painting, free of charge. In this way I met Pablo Amaringo, who accepted me and give me full support. I started to draw in Don Pablo's humble kitchen when I was then 10 years of age.
Beside drawing and painting, I like poetry, sculpture and singing, as well as fishing and preparing regional foods. I am now learning English. I love animals, flowers, the forest, lakes, rivers, and sky with its beautiful colors.
I have participated in many local exhibitions. In Norway a painting of mine called "Earthquake" is on permanent display. My paintings were also in Brazil and Finland. I am very thankful to all the people who help us in our work for the Amazon area.
I am now going to school and I teach at Usko Ayar not only painting but about the flora and fauna of the Amazon and how to conserve it. I have learned some legends, myths and stories. In Usko Ayar we are like a family. We treat each other with much love and respect.

JOSE AUGUSTO GALAN RAMIREZ

I have been born in Yarinacocha, a town near Pucallpa city, on July 16 1980. My parents are Augusto Galan Sanchez and Eva Ramirez. I come from a family of poor economic resources. I liked drawing since I was a child and I used to draw animals, plants and other things. My parents always said of me that one day I will be a good one on drawing.
My primary school I did it well and in my free time I was drawing always. I started to study the high school when I was 13 and I was painting always in the high school and the teacher took me to the direction where to the next day my parents were there and the director of the high school told my parents about a school of painting. My parents went to Usko Ayar and talked with don Pablo Amaringo and he accepted for me to study in his school of art. I am learning how to paint landscapes about the jungle and I am learning English little by little.