HECTOR GUSTAVO MONCAYO MERINO
Born December 7, 1943
In Quito, Ecuador, South America

From early childhood, Gustavo Moncayo appreciated painting.  Watching his parents painting was so natural in his home, it was only expected that he and his siblings were born to, or would readily acquire artistic abilities in this environment, and also that they would have a talent for sculpturing, carving and other manual skills including carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work.

Being the 5th of 7 children, 3 painters, he assimilated the characteristics of the style from his father and his brothers, although his painting mostly resembled that of his father, Hector.

In school he was very talented in art and won provincial competitions every year, which recognition came in the form of  diplomas, including once in 4th grade, when he won a Unicef-sponsored International Competition in which his works were sent to Japan, along with the works of other children from the world over.

His studies began in his early years in Quito, Ecuador, at Escuela Cuba and he later attended Escuela Experimental Eloy Alfaro from second through sixth grade.  He continued secondary school in the Instituto Nacional Mejia and in the Nocturno Quito.  By the age of 13, he had already dedicated himself to painting, and from 16 years of age he was already well on his way to becoming a professional artist, which soon became his passion as well as his profession.

He started painting bullfighting motifs and later dedicated himself to landscapes. This is not to say that his exclusive work -   on the contrary, the variety of  works realized on his canvasses is quite extensive as he paints portraits, landscapes, still life, flowers, fruit, colonial scenes, seascapes and beaches, oriental or tropical jungles, daily life motifs, natives, faces of the elderly, children, etc.,  In the end, he paints whatever the client wishes for him to paint.  Personally, he most enjoys painting horse scenes.

He is self-taught which he learned from his elders, none of them having studied art. Only his father having enrolled at a very young age in the school of fine arts, a place where he stayed for about two months and later he left because he did not learn anything from his teachers (rather his teachers wanted to keep him painting to watch and learn from him!)  While Gustavo has been asked to teach or apprentice students, he has turned down these offers, as he doesn't feel it is his calling.

At 22 years of age, he married Sonia  Durán, a lovely young lady who captured his heart, and to this day he has no doubt that this was the woman that God created for him.  They have 4 children:  Eduardo Moncayo (33), Elena Moncayo (31), Freddy Moncayo (29) and Aracely Moncayo (21), all of whom are very talented, but none have dedicated themselves to painting, but he believes that if they tried it, they would readily be able to succeed at it.

G. Moncayo has a beautiful grasp of lighting in stormy rainy weather -- several of his pictures are appear so wet and rainy you can almost smell the fresh dirt and rain when you look at them!