Carlos Ramirez

Carlos Ramirez was born in Cuba. For political reasons his family moved to the United States when he was a child. His family’s story is like that of many immigrants, and he recalls those early days in New York. As an adult I can now admire their courage and determination. In their late thirties they landed in a country where they didn’t speak the language, had no financial resources, and a small child. Ramirez always drew and painted, but as the only child of an immigrant family, his parents were concerned that he have a structured profession, rather than take a chance on a career as an artist. In college he focused on drawing and drafting in the hopes of pursuing an architectural degree, but at the last minute, due to the prodding of his father, he applied to law school. He received a full scholarship to the University of Miami Law School, where he excelled but soon realized his heart was not in it. In his last year he left the program to follow a vision of putting a fashion collection together. “I applied all of my drawing, sketching and design skills to this new endeavor,” he notes. At age 23, he established the label Liancarlo. The label has dressed dozens of celebrities, and his work has been featured in countless fashion magazines. Throughout the years of growing his business, he became a designer by day, painter by night, taking workshops with such greats as painter Wolf Kahn—making time to pursue this passion.

“My work plays the edge between abstraction and representational. Ink sketches within the work depicting leaves, petals, stones loosely reference nature, while the underlying structure and palette remain rooted in abstraction. This contrast between the recognizable and the obscure allows for the viewer to connect with the work on various levels. I presently live and work in Tucson, out of an airy light-filled studio that looks out to the mountains on one side and a sky-blue pool on the other. My work is a visual record of the world around me. It contains the experiences and moments that I carry with me, but not in a literal way. I am not interested in replicating nature, but in communicating the bits and pieces that have struck a cord with me. I am drawn to nature’s expanse, its color, and its all-encompassing aspect that makes us feel
small. My underpainting mostly resembles a labyrinth of lines and grids. These lines criss-cross the canvas, making connections within the work that lead you further into the piece. Obscuring most of this linear pattern is an interplay of thick and thin gestural strokes that create a tactile surface. White negative space brings a calming contrast to the paint, while also adding an element of restraint. This play on the delicate balance between chaos and order is a central theme that runs deeply through all my work.”

Education

1980 BA Florida International University, Miami, FL
1983 University of Miami, School of Law, Miami, FL
2002 Wolf Kahn, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL
2014  Abstract Painting Workshop, Thomaston, ME
2015  Master Artists-In-Residence Program, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL

Exhibitions

2024 Stories From My Walks, Gardner Colby Contemporary, Naples, FL
2023 Stories From Neighborhood Walks, Gebert Contemporary, Scottsdale, AZ
2022 On the Road, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2020 At Dusk, Pryor Fine Art, Atlanta, GA
2020 Winter in the Tropics, Addison Gallery, Delray Beach, FL
2019 New Year Show, Cadogan Contemporary, London, UK
2019 Lost in Paradise, FP Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Spring, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2018 Context/Art Miami Fair, FP Contemporary, Miami, FL
2018 Splash – Group Show, FP Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Five Painters Paint, Hunter Kirkland Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2018 LA Art Show, FP Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Winter Group Show, Hunter Kirkland Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2017 Carlos Ramirez: In My Garden II, Craighead Green, Dallas, TX
2017 Flower Exhibition Show, Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2017 Carlos Ramirez: In My Garden, Hunter Kirkland Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2017 Carlos Ramirez: Garden Views, Kobalt Gallery, Provincetown, MA
2017 Brand Spanking Blue Group Show, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
2016 Carlos Ramirez: Outside My Window, Addison Gallery, Delray Beach, FL
2016 Summer Group Show, Kobalt Gallery, Provincetown, MA
2016 Chevere Group Show, Sirona Fine Art, Hallandale Beach, FL
2016 Carlos Ramirez: The Natural World, Stanley Korshak, Dallas, TX
2015 Autumn Abstractions, Addison Gallery, Delray Beach, FL solo exhibition

Publications

2025 Luxe Magazine
2025 Contemporary Art Curator. Carlos Ramirez, 100 Artist of the Future.
2019 Rooney, Aoife. Nature and the Artist – Carlos Ramirez.
2018 Art and Life with Carlos Ramirez. Voyage Atlanta
2018 Contemporary Art Curator Magazine
2018 An Atlas and Survey of Latin American History.
2017 In My Garden. American Art Collector
2017 Life in Color. Dallas Modern Luxury
2017 Luxe Magazine
2017 Art and Fashion. Modern Luxury Weddings
2016 La Rosa Blanca. Poets and Artist Magazine
2016 The Gold Luggage by Salvagno, Alessandra
2016  The Jealous Curator by Danielle Krysa
2012 The Niche Niche by Salinetti
2009 Carlos Ramirez, Expert Advice by Martha Stewart