Today we’d like to introduce you to Carleen Carrasco.
Carleen, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born and raised in Orange County, CA and I started drawing at the age of 8, forcing my dog or my two younger brothers to sit for me. One day I completed one of those magazine art school ads to draw certain characters. I took an envelope and stamp from my father’s desk and mailed it. A few weeks later a man in a brown suit appeared at our door. I remember my parent’s surprised look when the man asked to speak to me about attending fashion school. My father laughed and told him to wait a few years since I was only 8. But instead my mother taught me the art of embroidery, and my projects were given to others as gifts. There was no verbal acknowledgment if my art was good or not, but I just enjoyed creating my art.
My drawings continued in grade school as my teachers were surprised with my illustrated covers to the book report assignments. At 14, my father died of cancer when he was 44. My father, a WWII Veteran, was just beginning to support his family well, but when he died that world fell apart. What was once a financially supported family became a single mother’s struggle to support her 5 children. But I didn’t allow that to prevent me from my desire to draw, or to perform in school plays and sing. Without any professional instruction, as in those days, it was considered as a “hobby” and not taken seriously; I took my part-time babysitting funds to explore my interests further, as I dabbled in jewelry, wood sculpturing, ceramics, pastels and ink drawings and more. By high school, I worked part-time after school to buy my first car and graduated with a scholarship to CSULB. I continued my art, theater and music; while performing with my family music group, The Carrasco Family (appeared on a CBS TV show “Sunflower Company Show” for 6 yrs. and recorded a demo album at A&M studios in Los Angeles, CA). Then at 21, during my first year of marriage, my mother died of cancer at the age of 49. My art world fell apart as I found myself divorcing 7 yrs. later, and raising my 3 yr. old daughter, as a single mother with a devoted focus for her success. Finally in 2014, after a corporate layoff from a 15 yr. corporate office career, I decided it was time to focus on my true love of art and find where my art path would lead me. Immediately, my life changed while I attended Orange Coast College full-time, and devoted to Narrative Illustration and Digital Media Arts & Design- Graphic Design. During the following 2.5 yrs., I went from exploration of my skills to developing a portfolio of works, being exhibited and published, and finally arriving where I should have been years ago. My career in Graphic Digital Design has begun, while I continue to create and paint. Although it is a late “re-start” in my life, I feel it is never too late and you are never too old to just do it! I’m excited and extremely happy to see where my art journey takes me now!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a creative conceptual designer specializing in Graphic / Multimedia Design, Narrative Illustration, and Fine Art. My art has provided a continued path of learning, exploring and creating from one media to the next. For an example, recently I’ve taken photographs of my paintings (acrylic surreal-impressionistic styles from my own painting series called “My Life in Trees – Childhood Lost, Marriage, New Beginnings, etc.”), and I have printed them as blank note cards. Now they are an extension of my paintings and can be seen in a new format of my expressions in art.
My inspirations and creative imagination ranges from real-life stories, starting with my own life’s journey (as expressed in the “My Life in Trees” series). I didn’t want to express my past in the typical “over-done dramatics” that some artists do by pouring out their painful heart to the world. But instead, I hope that my illustrations and paintings will be received in the viewer’s own interpretation, understanding and feelings. If I can “move” a viewer to “feel” a message in their own way, then the art piece is successful.
As a young child, my first book of children fables had colorful and magical illustrations, which seemed to be the influential basis of my love for story telling illustrations; which poured into my early years of performing theater and music. It seems that I’ve always followed the advice from my first mentor (my beloved deceased father) who advised me, “Never let a day go by where you haven’t learned something new.” From this advice, I always find myself being intrigued and challenged to learn something new as opportunities come along.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I feel today’s artist needs to be focused on their style and craft, and yet at the same time it is beneficial to them to explore not only the hand craft of art, but dive into the digital world that is constantly evolving in our world today. Stay up with the times of new products and developments in order to be competitive, yet unique in your style, and marketable at the same time. But above all, find what makes you the happiest and just do it, otherwise you might miss your true path.
Continue with your art no matter how and what life brings into your life that may appear as obstacles; for they are just temporary life learning lessons. Never stop growing in yourself and your craft.Surround yourself with positive people and environments.
Just being in a room of other artists is a great inspiration to work and interact with others. Contribution in giving each other artistic critiques with different perspectives of one’s creation in-progress; adds to a learning environment and self-development to grow further. I would suggest enrolling in a painting class where there are different levels of art (from beginners to advanced), and yet everyone has their own styles and are different in their expression of art. Or, travel around the city and “urban paint” on the spot. On a hot day, I’ve even been known to visit a local Starbucks and just sit in the corner to paint or draw amongst the “white-noise” of the room! You can draw or paint anywhere! But there is nothing “lonely” about simply being in your own space at the right time for happy meditation-therapy painting; while you get lost from the time of day while working away in solitude. Wherever you are the happiest to work, will be the best location of all. Just do it.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I have been in previous art exhibits at the Frank M Doyle Arts Pavilion Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA (2014 – 2017), and at the Administration Business Management offices of Orange Coast College, while being published in the Orange Coast Review Journal (2014 – 2016); and have continued painting and illustrating (children’s books included).
I’m working to develop another painting collection of both water color and acrylic paintings for exhibit in a local gallery soon. In the meantime, I can be seen on my website at: https://www.carleencarrasco.com, and on Instagram: “carleencarrasco.designs”, where my love of taking photographs of the clouds “My Life in Clouds” series and of trees “My Life in trees” series have added to my future painting studies.
Contact Info:
- Address: Huntington Beach, CA
- Website: https://www.carleencarrasco.com
- Phone: (714) 336-3257
- Email: carleencarrasco.designs@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram: carleencarrasco.designs
- Other: LinkedIn: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/carleen-carrasco
Image Credit:
All images are of my original artwork.
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