Federico Carosio Exhibit at Wirtz Gallery, June 1

One of the most popular South Florida artists whose work is visible decorating the backdrop sets of television shows on location in Miami and along the walls of historic institutions like The Biltmore in Coral Gables and The Kampong in Coconut Grove, Federico Carosio got his start in South Miami while building a career here and raising a family. The international artist will host an evening of his latest work in The Wirtz Gallery at the First National Bank of South Miami (FNBSM) on Friday, June 1, from 6 to 9pm.

Carosio’s artwork is on permanent exhibit in the lobby of the bank and FNBSM has worked closely with him for many years to present the work to the community. “I am able to bring clients there and show them my work,” said Carosio. “It is an important venue where I can have public exposure and it beautifies the bank at the same time. Customers at the bank relate to the art. I have sold many productions from there and am grateful for their support.”

The classic landscapes Carosio is known for take the observer along famous local streets like Tigertail, Old Cutler, Main Highway, Granada, and Coral Way. The work is elegantly framed by a realistimpressionist interpretation of the huge Banyan trees, Royal Poincianas, and Bouganivilleas one encounters on those picturesque roadways.

“Nature has a way of pulling you in and capturing your attention. You want to understand it and come up with an interpretation. Through the years an understanding becomes your own and people identify with it. I am constantly learning from nature and trying to perfect it and will most likely die trying.”

Carosio’s unique point of view allows for a fresh impression of these well-known pathways and offers a bit of a mystical twist where the landscape shadows dance along with the sunlight almost in unison, beckoning the observer to walk into the piece and take an adventure into another dimension.

“The dappling of the light that comes through the shades of the trees leaves wonderful mysterious shapes like hearts or maybe ghosts perceived as light. You have color, light, and shade working together to give you the illusion of atmosphere. One of the things I am trying to achieve is this illusion of depth and space in a different ambience so it draws people in to make a connection with the image.” By his numerous award winning recognitions and poster artist selections from festivals like Coconut Grove and South Miami, along with his international pieces of scenes from his native Colombia and the Caribbean, Carosio seems to enjoy the innumerable connections artists have made with his work. He says he is blessed to be able to dedicate full time to his craft. “There are so many artists who are brilliant yet unable to devote their time to creating a library of work and I am blessed to be able to do so. Whether it is an original watercolor or a giclee reproduction or a poster reprint, the connection and the love in the work remain true.”

In addition to his landscapes, Carosio will also be presenting a selection from his abstracts, as well as work from his pop art series. The abstracts are J a c k s o n Pollockish in style with a classic bold Caribbean flavor visible through the selection of bright island colors intermixed with softer hues. Carosio’s pop art series was born of his days in Soho, New York in the mid 1970’s. “In my pop art I initiated crushing aluminum cans as an anti-advertising, anti-publicity product. An awareness of what goes into sodas and what we call junk food can make a connection to the symbolism of the crushed can. Then I started creating faces out of the can that people can identify with like the face of the Joker in the crushed Pepsi can.

Carosio’s one man show at the First National Bank of South Miami Friday June 1 from 6 to 9pm is also a chance to give back to his loyal supporters and invite them to enjoy the different ambience of his work in a nice atmosphere. “It is creating a new dimension and beyond. I am trying to do the opposite of what the roadrunner beep-beep cartoon does. He draws a road for Wile E. Coyote to slam into a wall and knock him up. I am rather creating a road to take all of us in.”

For more information call 305-213- 0957.


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