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Bio
Carla Caletti is a self taught artist, born and raised in the California Bay Area and now living and working in Northern New Mexico where she has her studio.
Her work has shown in both galleries and non-profits from California to New York City as well as her own curated pop ups and group shows including, "One World, Many Faiths; A collections of Installations by Bay Area Women” at SOMArts Gallery in San Francisco. Also at SOMArts, she was selected for 18 years to be in the annual Día de Los Muertos exhibition originated by visionary community artist and activist René Yañez.
Carla’s work has been published in books and articles, most recently in a Bay Area Anthology titled, "Essential Truths”. Before moving to New Mexico, she also ran an Art Residency in Sonoma County, CA and was co-founder of Art Box Studios in Oakland, CA.
Always creative, Carla only learned about "being an artist" in her 30's when she started painting while pregnant with her daughter. She wanted to be able to show her daughter you could follow a dream with passion, perseverance and hard work. Prior to painting, she had been creative in design; making travel altars that she sold at design shows. They were featured in both the Los Angels and San Francisco Saks Fifth Avenue main display windows. Without formal training, Carla has made up her own road map and continues to follow the signs that develop and expand her career as a working artist.
https://www.instagram.com/carlacalettiart/
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Statement
Art is a language I use to articulate the less rational and more mysterious realms of being human. An exploration of liminal space is inherent in my process; the traversing to and from worlds, here and beyond. The abstracted figures in my paintings act as a cross between superheroes and totemic beings, guardians that bridge the seen and unseen. They surface in some ways without my knowing, slipping in through the cracks.
I am drawn to practices of mending and repair, gathering disparate parts and fragments and creating new forms and associations that occupy a mysterious landscape in their response to the world at large. The use of wax and paper with acrylic paint adds layers and depth to my surfaces. The process of adding and subtracting materials creates a sense of time, and speaks to the impermanence of the physical realm.
“Form was not born from an idea. It was an idea vanishing.”
– Cecilia Vicuña
Header image" "Dreamers in Water" by Carla Caletti
