Artist spotlight - Carlos Gamez de Francisco

Claire Elizabeth Gallery is pleased to spotlight artist Carlos Gamez de Francisco. Gamez de Francisco is a Florida based artist who grew up in Post Revolutionary Cuba. He trained in a manner governed by the “Russian Academy ” which emphasized the figurative arts. Determined to be an artist from a very young age, he was painting 8 hours a day by the time he was 15. Upon immigrating to the United States and teaching himself English, he enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Watercolor is a medium that feels natural to the artist. Growing up in Cuba, he became adept at creating washes and pigments out of any material he could find including coffee, wine and toothpaste. In his own words: Art supplies were very expensive. A tube of oil paint cost $4, and my Mom only made $20 a month.

Although he paints a variety of subject matter ranging from still lives to more fantastical genre scenes, Gamez de Francisco is well known for his portraiture. As a student at the Art Institute of Chicago, he would often copy Renaissance portraits. He takes inspiration from the past and applies his techniques in a contemporary fashion - rather than paint dignitaries or purely an elite class, he chooses everyday people rendered with strength, confidence and elegance.

We are honored to share Carlos’s work. For inquiries or commission requests, please, email us.