As a man who juggles many hats, Anel Omar Rodriguez Barrera (Aguadulce, Cocle, 1964) maintains a hands-on and committed participation in Panama’s public, professional and diplomatic life, though he categorically confesses that painting is his dearly passion. «I cut my teeth in painting at an early age, egged on by my uncle, my mother’s brother. However, in 1989, on the heels of the U.S. invasion against my country, I went unemployed and that was the moment when I truly embraced painting, embraced the arts much stronger and took a course at Panama’s National School of Fine Arts. Nonetheless, I basically pigeonhole myself as a self-taught painter. «In the course of my artistic creation I’ve painted many landscapes, still life, portraits. Then I moved to abstract painting back in the 1990s with works that I dare label as abstract expressionism. Later on, and encouraged by The Gulfweed Sea –a beautiful poem composed by Panamanian writer and poet Manuel Orestes Nieto- I started painting a series I called The Residents of Sargon and that could perfectly fit in the category of figurative abstractionism». Anel Rodriguez is head over heels with Aguadulce, his hometown. «Regardless of the fact that I moved to the nation’s capital when I was 18, Aguadulce will be forever in my heart. My feelings have been linked to that city. It’s been four years now since I moved back to it, even though I’m still working in the capital. I’ve tried my hand at the local politics and I ran for a seat in the local Parliament. Right there, I head the Foundation for Culture and Development. «I’m doing a job that I like. It’s true I’m not a career diplomat because I’m a politician. However, this is being an extraordinary experience. You learn a lot in the diplomatic corps, especially in a place like Cuba, a country I’m very proud of. I feel strongly for the Cuban people. So, whenever I’m not doing my job as a diplomat, I spend time painting –my great passion».