We were lucky to catch up with Nelson Cardenas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nelson, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I have always expressed that there are two things in my life I can do without any fear art and cooking. Mainly with art I take lots of risks, I don’t follow the conventional rules I create my own canvasses in unusual shapes and forms, I paint with fire, I use a welder to draw on metal sheets, a belt sander to create indentations on wood, I make strings from leather scraps to resemble hair or a mustache, sponges to smooth out large surfaces with paint, polishing tools to create texture, Oh! and let’s not forget the usual artist brushes. From a very early age I was obsessed with drawing then moved up to painting, I then discovered pyrography and I was mesmerized by using a hot tool like a pencil that created smoke and flames and the most beautiful ember tones on wood canvasses that sometimes crackled with the heat process. But my thirst to evolve was just beginning and one day working in the kitchen caramelizing sugar on a crème brulee with a small blowtorch I got my answer. This blowtorch was going to take me to the next level because I always love to paint large, the bigger the better and when I created my first fire painting on a wood panel that was 48″x48″ it was love at first try. Now I use all kinds of materials that sometimes people donate to me wood, metal sheets, leather, glass, mirrors, canvas and old musical Instruments like pieces of pianos and string instruments. I put all these materials together in different shapes to create my own unique style of canvas. I can really say I’m literally a canvas rebel.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in Medellin, Colombia and came to live in the United States at the age of 13. Even though I didn’t speak nor understand English, one day while watching public television I discovered a show with a soft-spoken man creating these landscapes and I was immediately mesmerized. Every night I would watch every episode of Bob Ross the Joy of Painting and as soon as the show ended, I would run to my bedroom and recreate the landscapes from memory and that’s how my passion for art started. I am a self taught artist, who received a scholarship to attend an amazing art school however my scholarship was denied when I informed them that I wasn’t a legal resident at the time. All though I was hurt and disappointed, I promised that I would teach myself all I could about art. It hasn’t been easy but my passion for art is greater than any obstacle I’ve encountered. I stopped painting for 10 years when I moved to FL and enrolled in culinary school but my soul needed art again so I came back to art with an accumulated 10 years of creative explosion that is still in full bloom. My work is unique, viewers appreciate that my pieces are put together in a way that makes them wonder how it was created. Some of my paintings are put together with different materials and textures, some have motion and are interactive, the way I create them is a show on itself creating a new visual experience.

Also you can find some stories about me on line: https://www.insideedition.com/hospital-chef-uses-blowtorch-to-create-stunning-portraits-of-frontline-workers-59881

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

For about 10 years in my early 20’s trying to pursue my art career I also started working with non-profit organizations helping the community with various public services. This jobs made a big impact in my life because I learned so many stories of struggle that people have to endure and one of my goals as an artist is to use my art to eventually help others. I would love to create a program to award scholarships to disadvantage students. Sometimes I drive in my city of Kissimmee, Florida and I buy signs that homeless create on “A street canvas” asking for money, as I consider this works of art and these signs are displayed in my art studio as a reminder of how fragile life is and how our circumstances can dramatically change for any of us.

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?

I consider myself an extremely lucky individual to have been given this gift of creativity. The thing I will like to enlighten any non-creative with is that any skill requires many years of constant work and struggle, sometimes self-doubt and frustration. As with anything that you want to be good at you have do it all the time to improve. If you have a special talent it requires development that can only be achieved by simply doing it, no matter the results, just keep at it, not giving up, making excuses in your head or being afraid.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: nelsoncardenas72
• Facebook: NelsonArt.