FP Contemporary is pleased to announce the inaugural Los Angeles solo exhibition for Carlos Ramirez titled “Lost in Paradise”, featuring his most recent paintings. “Lost in Paradise” features Carlos’ new works that are inspired by nature and the chance encounters that occur. Carlos’ loose application and deep layers add a sense of movement and direction. The effect of blending and layers creates an aspect of chance, or chaos that is always present in nature.

“This body of work relates to nature as I see and experience it daily. Going for a hike in the mountains or simply working in my garden, I find myself swept up by the world around me, losing myself in its majestic beauty. It is that moment, that feeling, that inspired this body of work. My paintings are not an attempt to replicate the places I have been to - but rather an homage to the memory of those moments, capturing their essence in color and movement. This feeling of total immersion; of being suspended in time and space is what brings me to the canvas.

On canvas, the resemblance to nature is further echoed in the looseness of the paint application. The use of opaque and translucent layers create varying degrees of solidity and airiness that move the eye both forward and back within the painting. The layering and blending of the paint, mixed with the bold contrasts of tones, mimics the disarray and chaos seen in the natural world. Drips form an organic vertical framework and the horizontal stripes at the edges further enhance that quadrant effect. Using twigs dipped in ink for the line drawings further encourages chance and spontaneity, while a sense of structure is created by horizontal and vertical elements. This play on the delicate balance between chaos and order is a central theme that runs deeply through all of my work.” – 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:

“My parents came to this country with nothing but the clothes in their suitcase. They gave up a comfortable life that was deteriorating in hopes of a safe future. 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.

Ramirez 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.

Paintings by Ramirez can be found in countless prominent public and private collections around the world. Today Ramirez dedicates his time solely to painting and can be found most days working in his airy, sunlit studio in Santa Fe, NM.