Luis Sottil offers us an appreciation of Mother Nature in a new art form called "Naturalismo." The first time you meet Luis Sottil, you know where his paintings come from: vibrant, alive and inquisitive, his art is very much an extension of himself and his love and appreciation of nature. Born in Mexico City in 1959, Sottil was raised in Tampico, Mexico, an area rich in beautiful natural resources. His childhood was that of nature itself, surrounded by the beauty of the plush tropical interior of his native country. Was it to be any wonder that the young man, prone to drawing and painting from early childhood, would today be an extension of his environment. To unlock the full appreciation of the artist and his work, one must realize that his paintings are derived from his desire to represent Mother Nature in an art form that could bring together essential values of intensity and serenity of life. These values combined to create his unique technique called "Naturalismo." The first component in the "Naturalismo" process is the use of a rich coat of gold leaf that serves as a background to each painting. the second component is the use of natural pigments from many different sources such as vegetable roots, mother of pearl, minerals, and the rare cochinilla beetle shell found only in the tropical, humid, high altitude areas of Mexico.