Meet Manaure Penalver | Visual artist & creative consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Manaure Penalver and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Manaure, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Consistency is cliché but it is so because it works, if you can deliver consistently for a long period it will be noticed, it will become your voice, and brand, never stopping can be powerful. You might not see the fruits of your labor in the short or medium run but you can be sure it will bear fruit. Just to name two cases where doing your thing relentlessly worked out: Charles Bukowski gained fame when he turned 50 and Amancio Ortega who was the owner of the Inditex group (Zara, Bershka, and Pull & bear) started his business in 1963 and only in 2021 became publicly traded. I think I’m pretty far away from those levels of success or recognition but I always remember those examples.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is mostly paintings, illustrations, and murals. what I think sets me apart from others is that I want to communicate on a very basic level, not hoping for a profound realization on the part of the viewer, just a little thought and a smile are more than enough for me, my technical level is very basic, even mediocre but I think that is also part of the message, which in its core is “anybody can do it”. The thing that excites me the most about my work is that it has led me to many places and to meet many people, I come from a small port city in Latin America, my great-grandfather never left his country or even his home state, and I get to live in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world! just because I can draw something that makes people laugh, to me that is mindblowing. Getting where I’m at was and is not easy but I like challenges and a little fighting, if it were easy everybody would have it and it would lose its value. The main lesson is to follow through with a plan, focus on the objective, and make everything for that to happen, there will be setbacks and situations out of your control but it is always a matter of being persistent and a dash of luck. If I can leave a pearl of wisdom to this world it might be to treat everyone with respect and dignity. everyone deserves that first clean slate of respect.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think it depends on the interest of the friend, a good example was a recent visit from my CSLC buddies (education from pre-k to high school), they are runners so we went running in preparation for the New York City Marathon, we also went to eat at Chinatown and Williamsburg, but the main thing was running the city. another brother who is into skateboarding went to pier 64 to skate some massive bowls, it changes with every friend but I think New York has something for everyone. even if they want to surf we can go to Rockaway and catch some mediocre waves.

But as a plan for a general good time, it will be:
Bar beli or the Flower shop at LES
Doyer Street in Chinatown.
The Brooklyn Museum (my wife’s favorite museum in New York)
Walking any of the bridges but the Brooklyn Bridge.
Catch the open market at dumbo.
Eat at Chinatown in Flushing Queens or Jackson Heights.
get some doughnuts at Peter Pan or Cloudy Donuts

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First, my mother, who passed away in 2010; always disliked my style and the kind of art I did, the fact that I loved skateboarding and surfing did not please her but she always encouraged me to keep doing art and the activities I loved. Second my wife Laili Lau, an example of resilience, the kind of person who can follow anything to the point of exhaustion and also is incredibly talented with impeccable taste. All the skateboarding, graffiti, and surfing, El Hase, Jimmy, Tenaz, Morreo, Bellera, Aunty Nena, Vadim, Chaviela, Anabella, Lord Shamú, Carlos Quijada, Salah Saade, Andrés Sgambato, Rosa Carrión, Big Blas a Baby Blas and all the homies from CSLC mad love for you all.

Website: www.manaurepenalver.com

Instagram: @manaure45 @45amorloco

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manaure-pe%C3%B1alver-70228b23/

Image Credits
@ng.nyc Leo Ng for the first photo (portrait in front of the tagged gate) the rest is myself and Laili Lau