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Carlos RamirezLemon Trees by the PoolInk and Acrylic on Canvas60"h x 55"w -
Carlos RamirezThe Tiki BarInk and Acrylic on Canvas54"h x 54"w
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Carlos RamirezSailing on a Summer BreezeInk and Acrylic on Canvas65"h x 48"w
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Carlos RamirezThe Garden Path in MoonlightInk and Acrylic on Canvas60"h x 50"w
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Carlos RamirezRio ChamaMixed Medium on Canvas72"h x 100"w
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Carlos RamirezIn a Moonlit PoolMixed Medium on Canvas
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Carlos RamirezFiltered Sunlight on the Ocean FloorInk and Acrylic on Canvas54"h x 54"w
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Carlos RamirezThe Bougainvillea TrellisInk and Acrylic on Canvas65"h x 48"w
"My work is a visual record of the world around me; capturing those moments that have become rooted in my memory. I am not interested in replicating nature, but rather the bits and pieces that have struck a cord with me.
I tend to work large, starting with bold black ink sketches that reference organic shapes. I then obscure parts with multiple layers of broken color. I work back and forth in this manner developing a thick build up of paint in some areas while others remain thin and open. Washes contrast with impasto and interplay with the loose drawings within the piece.
The essence of my work is exploring the beauty that is present in the natural world. In this process I take in what draws me to nature and bring it back to the canvas via my own voice."
- Carlos Ramirez
Carlos Ramirez was born in Cuba. For political reasons his family moved to the United States when he was a child. His family's story is like that of many immigrants, and he recalls those early days in New York:
My parents came to this country with nothing but the clothes in their suitcase. They gave up a comfortable life that was deteriorating in hopes of a safe future. As an adult I can now admire their courage and determination. In their late thirties they landed in a country where they didn't speak the language, had no financial resources, and a small child.
Ramirez always drew and painted, but as the only child of an immigrant family, his parents were concerned that he have a structured profession, rather than take a chance on a career as an artist. In college he focused on drawing and drafting in the hopes of pursuing an architectural degree, but at the last minute, due to the prodding of his father, he applied to law school.
He received a full scholarship to the University of Miami Law School, where he excelled but soon realized his heart was not in it. In his last year he left the program to follow a vision of putting a fashion collection together. "I applied all of my drawing, sketching and design skills to this new endeavor," he notes. At age 23, he established the label Liancarlo. The label has dressed dozens of celebrities, and his work has been featured in countless fashion magazines.
Throughout the years of growing his business, he became a designer by day, painter by night, taking workshops with such greats as painter Wolf Kahn-making time to pursue this passion.
Today he dedicates his time solely to painting and can be found most days working in his airy, sunlit studio in Santa Fe, NM.
