Carlos Barbón has been awed by the beauty of Coral Gables since he first came from Cuba as a young boy. Today, he continues his quest to document the city’s beauty one watercolor at a time.
Barbón’s favorite medium is watercolors. For him, it is a medium that lends itself to tropical and colorful themes. He adds that a watercolor is full of energy manifested through the quality of brushstrokes and color palette.
Early Coral Gables founding artist Denman Fink used his watercolor renderings effectively to market the beauty of the new city.
Aside from Fink, Barbón counts watercolorist John Singer Sargent as among his favorites.
“I have been drawn to render Coral Gables in this medium much the same way John Singer Sargent was compelled to render Venice,” Barbón observed. Other artists influential to his style include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maxfield Parrish, and Winslow Homer.
Barbón was born in Matanzas, Cuba and developed his talent as an artist as a young boy in grade school. Immigrating to Miami with his parents, the family settled near Coral Gables. He remembers being fascinated with the historic landmarks in Coral Gables as he rode his bike around town.
Growing up, two of his favorite landmarks were the Coral Gables City Hall with its classical columns and the former fire and police station with its lookout tower and sculpted faces. Today, the police station is the present-day Coral Gables Museum. This year, the museum will be celebrating the building’s 80th anniversary.
“The architecture alone lets you know you are in a special place,” Barbón said.
In college, he decided to go into advertising, where he could combine several of his interests: communications, commerce, photography and drawing skills. He graduated from Florida State University with a BA degree in art and a minor in art history and made a career as an art director in the catalog industry and designing and directing photoshoots for major clients such as Burdines and Jordan Marsh.
Life has brought Barbón full circle and he has embraced his gift as an artist almost full time. He plans to document Coral Gables in a fresh and vibrant way through watercolors showcasing the city’s historic landmarks, its lifestyle, and its hidden gems and details.
He wishes his watercolors will stand the test of time and be appreciated not only as significant works of art but also for their historical value.
Carlos Barbón’s watercolors have been exhibited at the Coral Gables Museum and Ninoska Huerta Gallery of Coral Gables. His artwork has been featured in magazines and other publications. Most recently, the Coral Gables Museum, as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations of the 1939 Phineas Paist building, commissioned Barbón to create an original watercolor as the anniversary logo. The logo will be displayed as a banner in front of the Museum during several months.
Finally, asked about his favorite Coral Gables landmark, he responds, “The DeSoto Fountain has a special place in my heart. Not only for its inherent beauty but its execution to detail and artistry completely captivates me. I have done more pieces of artwork on this landmark than any other.”
Carlos Barbón is a member of the Florida Watercolor Society and The Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables.
Karelia Martinez Carbonell is president of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables.
