Carolina Zambrano

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Animals

Children

Conceptual

Fantasy

Graphic

Line

Nature

People

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Sensitive, unique, and award-winning.

Inspired by the Renaissance, botany and fauna – award-winning works that take your breath away!

Animals and nature play a huge role in her work aesthetically and thematically, and she loves drawing everything from monkeys to sea life. The scales on a fish, a cat’s fur, the gnarled skin of an octopus – these are textures she dexterously brings to life on the page. How past generations have depicted the natural world is also a key influence, bringing further nuance to her work. Carolina’s imagination feeds on old botanical illustrations, the planets, alchemy, classical and renaissance ornamentation, with the music of Satie, Ravel, Chopin or Dead can dance playing in the background as she draws. Originally from Colombia but now based in Argentina, Carolina studied graphic design and illustration, and is a specialist in Jungian art therapy.

Approach

Carolina begins with a conscious investigation of the subject, then an exploration of techniques in both the active imagination and the directed imagination from which visual ideas emerge unconsciously. Her own knowledge, story and skills are integral to each image as it forms via hand sketches, then final drawings and digital colouration.

Style

A highly individual style that painstakingly depicts natural forms and textures, merging them with arcane symbology to celebrate the strange and surreal with a soft, traditional feel.

Languages

Spanish and English

Awards

2022 – Latin Expressions – Latin American Illustration Award - Winner 2021 – Antonio García Cubas Awards – Youth Book - Winner 2021 – CANIEM Editorial Art – Books for young people – Winner 2019 – Association of Illustrators of Argentina Awards – Children’s Illustration – Winner

Impressions

Interview

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator? I became an illustrator because I realized that in difficult moments of my life I always felt the need to draw and in the beginning I didn't know why it happened this way. Drawing was always a way to enter a deep meditative state that allowed me to feel freedom and harmony even in the midst of uncertain situations. Drawing gradually took another meaning when I began to understand that through art the unconscious manifests itself with its own language which are the symbols. Illustrating is a way to connect the inner world and the outer world, it is really wonderful. Did you study illustration at university? I studied graphic design at the University of Nariño in Colombia and took illustration in the degree program. Then when I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, I took classes with professors from the University of Buenos Aires.Where did you grow up? I was born and raised until I was 25 years old in a city full of big mountains and volcanoes called Pasto in Colombia. Then I traveled to Argentina where I currently live.Do you have any childhood memories related to drawing or art that you hold dear?I have many memories since a lot of my relatives were and are artists. My grandfather was a multifaceted artist who worked in wood sculpture, painting and muralism among others. He was also a collector of art and antique objects, so he created a small museum. This is something that is very present in my works, the antique pieces of art always seemed to me fascinating and full of history. My father, my aunt and brother are also artists who work in wood carving and although what I do is drawing I always feel attracted by the artistic creation and the transformation of forms and materials.Where do you live now and what brought you there? I have been living in Argentina for 11 years in a city called Mar del Plata. I live here because I think Argentina is a wonderful country with a great culture and diverse artistic spaces. I also decided to live in a coastal city like Mar del Plata because I love the sea and I have a deep connection with the water element, as well as the marine animals and the whole coastal environment.Do you have a studio pet?I have my cat Cosmo, he is my adventure companion. He is 7 years old and since he was very young he has always traveled with me. I draw him frequently, he is part of my personal life and as an artist since he is very present in many of my works.Who or what is your greatest inspiration? Undoubtedly nature, animals, plants, water, fire, earth and air. The magic and perfection of their shapes and colors are a mystery that I have tried to discover little by little through drawing. Music and alchemy are also themes that inspire me a lot and I try to integrate them into more organic natural forms.If you could collaborate with another artist or creative of any genre, living or dead, who would it be?I would love to illustrate the poems of Fernando Pessoa as he is one of my favorite writers whom I deeply admire. I would also like to create artwork for Chopin, Debussy Satie or Dead can dance.If you were funded for a dream artist residency, where would you go, and what would you create?I would like to go to Italy to learn about classical art and get inspiration from other artists. I would create a series of illustrations related to the dream world, since I have been recording and analyzing my dreams for years from a Jungian perspective and this has allowed me to know my inner world.If you had to write your own epitaph in one sentence, what would it say?Where the first light was created. The seed of blue sky germinated. I return to the place where I was born.What's your favourite way to spend a day off?My favorite way to spend a day off is to go to the beach, sunbathe, go swimming, bring a book to read and write down ideas. I enjoy it equally whether I go alone or in company.What causes are you passionate about?I feel very connected to the activism that supports the care of the environment, the seas, the jungle, the animals. I support these causes as well as the promotion of recycling and waste reduction. I also support animal protection foundations, especially those that protect dogs and cats abandoned on the streets.What is the first album you bought?The first album I bought was "Colores Santos" by an Argentine singer called Gustavo Cerati. It was a birthday gift, I still listen to it and remember wonderful moments of freedom and magic.Who is your art hero?There are many but Gustave Doré is an artist whom I admire for the beauty and darkness of his works.If you weren't an illustrator, what would you be?I would be a musician, I am passionate about listening to music and singing.What is the best advice you have been given?It is a phrase from Steve Jobs that I take as advice - "If you don't work for your dreams, someone will hire you to work for theirs."Have you any hidden talents?I don't know if it's a talent, but when I enter the water, whether in the sea or in a pool, I am very receptive to mental images appearing, and when I enter into dialogue with them, they help me resolve situations that I am experiencing or serve as inspiration for me create my works.What is your favourite comfort food?My favorite food is any healthy, homemade food that has mushrooms, cheese, potatoes and a lot of love.What movie can you watch over and over?The movie Labyrinth with David Bowie.What was the last exhibition you saw and loved?It wasn't the last one, but the one that I loved the most was an exhibition that Remedios Varo held in Buenos Aires. It was amazing, no words for so much beauty and magic.What is your favourite book?My favorite book is The Keeper of Sheep by Fernando Pessoa's heteronymous Alberto Caeiro.What career advice would you give your younger self?You are doing well, resist, trust your process, your soul protects you and guides you. Create networks of friends, share with them, create meaningful collective projects.Do you have any advice/tips for other illustrators?I would tell them to use illustration as a way to get to know themselves and the world, in this way work will always be a discovery and a surprise that brings great learning and wisdom. I would tell them to listen to their intuition and their creative impulse, and to maintain discipline and perseverance in their work. The processes are usually slow but if you are conscious they will be worth it because the result is your own voice and not only as a style but as a way of seeing life.

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