Carlos Canon
Los Angeles, CA
“Every mistake, tragedy, bad decision, stroke of bad luck, has a lesson attached to it. You can listen to what the universe is trying to tell you and grow, or you can choose to ignore the lesson and repeat it over and over until it’s your time to evolve.”
Carlos Canon grew up with a family that was a real source of beauty and inspiration—filled with artists, world-class musicians, poets, and filmmakers. But his family was also a source of real struggle, too. It was the 80s and 90s at the height of the narco-trafficking epidemic in Miami, several of his family members were incarcerated, kidnapped and murdered. As a kid, Carlos spent lots of time in courtrooms and visiting prisons. This duality between beauty and art, hardship and stigma was formative. It taught him how to cope with opposing forces in a deep way. This was incredibly useful later as he struggled with his own neurodivergent mind, and how it seemed to work differently than his classmates in school. Instead of believing he was bad, or inadequate, he was able to embrace what made him different—and art has been a very important part of that.
Carlos’ artwork expresses his internal battle with ADHD, “My artwork is a window into my neurodiversity; I have works that are very meticulous, symmetrical, and sticker- like in their need for perfection, I find this level of order calming. On the other hand, the works that are pure chaos reflect my own state of discomfort, where I’m fighting the urge to make everything perfect.”
Carlos is a husband and father of two kids, and an avid traveler. He has worked in the fashion industry for most of his adult life, his work taking him all over the world and landing in Los Angeles where he is based. Carlos’ future goals include incorporating his advocacy for racial equity into exhibitions, “I would love to be part of a gallery show themed around Hispanic artists or even artists of Colombian descent.”
Carlos’ process also speaks to the opposing forces present in his life and inner experience. The materials he uses, for example, are quick but slow, precious, but also not precious. His go-to’s are “Acrylics first and foremost- I love the way they look and they support my impatience. Once I start a painting I don't really stop until it's done so I don't have the luxury of waiting for paint to dry.” Carlos enjoys the exploration of various media for the different feelings and styles they can evoke. He shares, “I love watercolors and water color paper- I love the softness that they bring to my work. I love wood for the opposite reason- It supports bold paints, strong lines, X-acto cuts, peeling tape. It's not so precious.” Carlos’ work offers viewers insight into his love of media exploration through the interplay of softness and hardness, and color combinations that are calm yet retain a certain tension.
Throughout his artmaking experience, his process has evolved. He used to be very meticulous about planning every aspect of a piece. Now, he doesn’t prepare or sketch anything in order to let his intuition speak. What he loves about art is this: “The ability for a unique idea, no matter how abstract or ridiculous, to all of a sudden exist in someone's mind and for that person to have the ability to express that idea through whatever material they work with and then have that idea make people feel something very real.”
Neurodiversity is what Carlos considers his superpower, and art is his meditation. “Very few things in my life calm my thoughts down and focus my attention on one thing. It simply doesn't happen at any time in my life other than when I am painting.”
