Spotlight Artist

Carlos Luna

South
Artist profile photo
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement

I am a contemporary artist who bases his work on tradition.

My need to express myself comes from memories of growing up in a little rural town, which is full of the colorful stories and personalities that are only found in country places.

I work with oil on canvas and drawings on Amate paper. My drawings are the black and white interpretation of my life’s journey, while my paintings acquire an apparent happiness because of their coloring.

There are two personages who are characteristic of my work: “El Guajiro”, who is a peasant and, the true hero of Cuban national life, and “The Rooster-Man”, the magical, mythical, animal side of this Guajiro. These characters provide an ironic undercurrent in my work that simultaneously questions and sublimates Cuban history and, therefore, my own.

It is my desire to show that it is possible to establish a personal vocabulary in the traditional visual arts— painting and drawing—that is as contemporary as any other expressive medium. Each time my work looks more to the past, to the origins that serve as a bridge to my own cultural past, it leads me more into my future.

Artist's Additional works

Works shared by the artist outside of their featured New American Paintings selections

Featured artwork
Featured artwork

Discover more artists from the South

THE MAGAZINE

Explore our magazine to discover exceptional artists

Open magazine with text, modern illustrations, and a list of artists on a pink background.
View issues

Call for Artists

Submit your work for consideration

New American Paintings is a juried exhibition-in-print and digital, presenting the work of 40 emerging artists in each issue.

View competitions

Your gateway to new art

Discover tomorrow's art stars, today

Two books on a wooden table with a modern decorative sculpture in the background.

PRINT + EARLY ACCESS DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$179/YEAR

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$99/YEAR OR $10/MONTH

Each issue of New American Paintings features forty artists selected through our juried competitions—presented in a beautifully curated, full-color publication. Subscribers receive six issues per year, plus exclusive online access to current and past editions. Are you a collector? Consider our premium subscription and receive our museum-quality printed publication + access to each new digital issue two weeks before its general release.