By: Ashmar Mandou

Hailing from Ecuador, Carolina Garzón is a renowned international artist whose work can be seen in festivals and galleries in various cities across the United States and South America and this weekend Garzón will showcase her contemporary abstract art at the Old Town Art Fair for the first time. “It’s very special because it’s an art festival that has nice artists and crowds; and everybody talks about it. So, I am very excited to participate in the festival for the first time,” said Garzón. Best known for her abstract works with mixed media, oils, and acrylics on canvas, Garzón utilizes various colors to convey a myriad of emotions referring to her latest collection as a “Journey Through Color,” and urges the viewer to come to their own conclusion when viewing her artwork. “I’m always interested to hear what people see in my paintings, how they are moved, what emotions come through when viewing my artwork,” said Garzón. Garzón’s art is nonrepresentational giving each piece an alluring undertone and by naming each piece after a semi-precious stone with the sole purpose to inspire the imagination of the viewer. Prior to the kick-off of the Old Town Art Fair Lawndale Bilingual News spoke with artist Garzón who shared the inspirations behind her work.

Inspirations
I am from Ecuador and my background is architecture so when I travel to Chicago I feel a very deep connection to the structures, and the amazing skyline. That is something that really inspires me. If you see some of my pieces, they look like buildings, you can see the windows of very tall buildings. Well, I’ve been painting all my life. My first passion was painting. And I studied watercolor, and oils, and all the techniques available. But when it was time to decide on a career I went for architecture. I did that for almost three years, but then I got the opportunity to travel to the United States through the international exchange experience. I ended up being in Minneapolis, so I had the opportunity to start over and go to university. So, I decided at that point I was going to pursue fine arts, instead of architecture. I just thought, for me, it was better to go with my passion that was art. So, I studied fine arts and now that I paint full-time, I merge both of my backgrounds. So, the architecture of the straight lines and perspective and composition with the beauty of color and the extra that the art gives you.

Journey Through Color
With the type of art that I do I feel like it’s a little bit challenging because a lot of people get something related to an image, a photograph, a figure, something that is there and is recognizable and you can make a connection. With my art it’s just about lines, perspective, and color. To express through lines and color it’s hard to tell people how they should feel or in which direction this painting is going, but I got to the point of mixing different palettes of color. What I explain in my booth or in my shows about the paintings, depending on the palette, the color combination, those colors are already taking you through that journey of a feeling. Each series of my collection has varying palettes of color and that’s why collection is called “Journey Through Color.”

Advice for Aspiring Artists
Be true to yourself, be true to your art. I see a lot of emerging artists just beginning to start with something but are not selling. Instead of modifying or adapting to their customers they change their style or copy something that is selling. That’s what I would say, find your own style; there is so much room to change and to improve without copying someone else’s work.

You can catch Garzón at Old Town Art Fair alongside 200 artists showcasing their work in the charming neighborhood of Old Town Triangle Historic District. For more information, visit www.oldtownartfair.org. To learn more about Garzón’s work visit www.carolinagarzon.com.