We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carolina Dalmas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Carolina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
A few years ago, a client of mine, Sandra, contacted me to paint a contemporary mural in her home. The dining room walls were painted pristine white, and Sandra envisioned giant tulips as the main element using bold colors drawing inspiration from a wallpaper placed along Sandra’s staircase that showcased geometric patterns in vibrant colors. In addition, botanicals on a neutral color scale would be added to create a nice flow and resonate with the furniture.
Since flowers are the main inspiration for my art, I was thrilled by this project! Back in my studio, I started researching about tulips, with their eclectic and interesting seedpods, leaves, and twigs. Along with my research, I used old botanical prints, books, and reference pictures from a trip to a tulip field north of Dallas.
The project was done in 2 blocks. Painting it was a delight as I was accompanied by their dog, Sherman, and cat, Winston, and the coming and going of Sandra’s family who helped me photograph the work progress. The outcome was outstanding. The color scheme resulted in mainly bright ultramarine blue and oranges which were used for the big tulips, along with purples with blue and red tones. I outlined the elements with a neutral color that relates to the black-grey small botanicals I mentioned previously.
That was the last mural I’ve painted since I decided to focus on fine art and teaching. This project inspired me to paint big canvases with Hemerocallis (also known as daylilies) using a white background and very vivid colors. I love the Hemerocallis. They are so elegant with gorgeous colors, but like anything beautiful, they last only 1 day. To complement the composition, I decided to use weeds on the black greyscale. Far from fragile, weeds are widespread, but they also have their beauty. During my walks, I collect and photograph weeds to incorporate into my compositions. If you are curious about the mural, you can find it on my website (Carolina Dalmas art.com) under murals.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was born in 1969 in a small town in Argentina and grew up surrounded by nature and freedom, traits that have shaped my art. A curious mind, from a youthful age I always showed eagerness to learn and an affinity for the visual arts. My art portrays the texture and colors of the vivid world around us. You can easily distinguish my paintings due to my use of vibrant and dynamic colors, and contemporary realism style. Let me take you through my “journey”, which was not easy, and involves a lot of learning, discoveries, opportunities, and obstacles while doing what I love the most.
My artistic journey started when I was 7 and my mom registered me into a youth Art Academy, which I attended for years. Here, I built a passion for drawing and painting in all mediums, which gave me a solid foundation in visual arts. My teacher was a nun who shared my admiration for Michelangelo’s art, inspiring me with the anecdotes about him painting the Sistine Chapel against his will. Eventually, I set aside my career as an artist to attend school. I chose a scientific path and have an undergraduate degree in biochemistry with a postgraduate degree in medical analysis and food science. I practiced in hospitals and clinics in Patagonia, where I lived at the time with my husband. It was there where my 2 daughters, Micaela and Caterina, were born. After moving to the United States in 2004, I left behind my career as a biochemist and turned to my love for painting as a way to reconnect with my roots. As an adult, I have continued my artistic studies with renowned artists around the world who have helped me transform my style from classical and neutral to a more dynamic, contemporary, and colorful one, which I refer it as “Contemporary Realism’
Artistically Painted & Designed, my business, was launched after seeing the positive reaction I received for my work when some friends asked me to do decorative painting and murals. I provide an array of artistic services from art classes for adults and kids, residential and commercial murals, painting children’s spaces, hand-painted furniture, art on canvas, and ornamental designs
My studio is surrounded by woods and windows that look out to our beautiful garden, another of my hobbies, which inspires the theme of many of my pieces. From an early age, my mom passed on a passion for gardening and taught me how to garden and cultivate flowers organically. This led to a deep connection with nature, which is reflected in my artwork, where botanical and floral themes prevail. I often say that elements of design are best depicted by nature through flowers, as they show us a wide variety of shapes, textures, tones, and amazing colors.
In addition, I enjoy drawing and painting human figures, including people doing spontaneous daily activities. I am also amazed by different and unique cultures and architectures, which I like to capture in my artwork.
Out of my many activities, I find teaching to be one of the most rewarding, sharing my knowledge and appreciation of art with others. My classes are based on observation, encouraging my students to learn to see first, in order to learn to create. I believe that this journey of discovery helps my students see the world as if they are seeing it for the first time, which not only helps them artistically but also in their everyday lives through creative problem-solving.
Acrylic and pastels are my favorite mediums, I like the freshness of pastels, it helps to keep my work light and simple.
Lately, my work has been noticed nationally by art judges. Some of my pieces have been selected as finalists or received a prize at national shows. The 3 latest artworks are “Orange Peel,” “Ready to be pickled,” and “Avocado Green.” “Orange Peel” won fifth place at the 2021 Dakota Pastel Contest (emerging artist), “Ready to be pickled”, a big pastel painting showing colorful peppers was selected as one of the 240 finalists out of 1700 entries at the American Impressionist Society Signature Members Show. “Avocado Green” a pastel has been selected as part of the Pastel 100, the 23rd annual competition of The Pastel Journal Magazine. Alongside these achievements, I received several rejections. But, I must say that just having the courage to enter those competitions is a big step. I am humbly proud of these achievements, as they motivate me to continue to grow, evolve, and create.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Lots of grown-up people tell me that they are not created or artistically gifted. I explain that creativity is something we all have, especially as a kid. As we grow up, our formal instruction tends to develop our “left side of the brain” the logical, analytical, verbal, linear, and rational thinking approach. Which is extremely useful in our daily life. Unfortunately, the right side of our brain is often neglected. With practice, we can awaken our right side, and it can have a big impact on our daily lives. As an artist, I recommend reading “Drawing on the right side of the brain” by Betty Edwards. Betty has been hired by companies to teach their employees to draw using the right side of the brain, the intuitive, relational, simultaneous, and creative side. By doing this, the employees learn to search for creative solutions to problems. In her book, you can see incredible before and after pictures archived during the workshop. I use her method in my classes to the amazement and bliss of my students.
Another great example is Eduard de Bono. de Bono was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Economics, but he is regarded as an authority in creative thinking. I heard about him from my husband’s grandfather, when still in my university years. His book, called “Lateral Thinking” is all about thinking out of the box, a quote from his website says that it is a “method of breaking old patterns and creating new ones. We don’t tell you what to think but we show you how to think for yourself, both creatively and inclusively”.
For me as a teacher, the best reward is to witness how students, after they start applying these techniques start to look, observe, and appreciate things differently.
As W.B. Yeats quotes “The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper”.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
When I first decided to start a business based on art I read “How to Start a Faux Painting or Mural Business: A Guide to Making Money in decorative arts by Rebecca F. Pittman. This book provided useful information such as how to register for DBA, tips to promote my business, and how to find clients. Of course, it was a long time ago, before social media. While painting, I like to listen to podcasts; I love Miriam Schulman’s podcast The Inspiration Place where she promotes her business coaching program. During the pandemic, I decided to register for the virtual course The Artist Incubator. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carolinadalmasart.com/
- Instagram: carolinadalmasart
- Facebook: Carolina Dalmas Artist
- Youtube: Carolina Dalmas Art https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpcAbLWI-TOezvkasva1yDg
Image Credits
Mystic Moon Photography Sally Hoyt