Featured Artist Carla E. Reyes

Featured Artist Carla E. Reyes presents her work and discusses her inspiration and goals. Visit her website for further information and a complete portfolio.

What are your goals?

I’m fortunate to have a career in the decorative arts that is creatively stimulating and supports my studio practice. I plan to continue my work as a decorative finisher; designing wall surfaces for interiors and displays, while developing and exhibiting my fine artwork. I have been getting more involved in collaborative and public art projects like murals, teaching art workshops, children’s art events, and theater/scenic art projects.

One of my goals is to do more of this kind of work, as I find it very rewarding and stimulating to collaborate with other artists, work with young people, and engage the public in artistic exchange. I am also in the process of applying to graduate school to further my studies with a Masters in Art Education, to eventually become a traditional art teacher or start my own fine and decorative art school.

What are you working on now?

At the moment I am working on a body of textural paintings called the Texture Garden: Flora Series. I created the first piece back in 2008, and have been collecting images and ideas ever since. This series of mixed media floral paintings explore the cycles of nature and the human desire to capture and possess it. All of the paintings are inspired by actual images of man made objects that depict a floral motif, and were created from a variety of materials (natural and man made – clay, metal, stone etc.) set in a natural environment, and undergoing the natural and chemical processes of aging and weathering.

Most of my artwork explores the color, texture, and character of natural and man made surfaces, particularly in a state of change or interaction; which I find both profound and beautiful. Flowers in particular, are cherished objects of nature that humans seek to preserve, but their seasonal appearance in nature, and short life span in unnatural environments, reminds us of how fleeting and precious life can be. The work is meant to bring attention to the cycles of life, nature and change, and the beauty of the processes that take place. The Flora Series will be on view at Yashar Gallery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in my next solo exhibition: Flower Power! Mixed Media Floral Art by Carla E. Reyes from June 3- 24, 2010.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the visual beauty of everyday things that we take for granted. The colors and textures of a deteriorating wall on a subway platform can have the most beautiful pattern and surface if you take the time to notice.

I am always inspired by nature, and by the creative work of others. I love taking lots of different workshops, Googling everything, reading, doing yoga, walking through the city. There really is inspiration to be found in everything, as long as you are open and awake to it. I just feel so fortunate to have to the ability to create and express myself through an artistic medium and share it with others. I am happy to go to work everyday in paint spattered jeans and create things that enliven or beautify the environments people work or live in.