MANUELA CASTRO

          As a Colombian immigrant in the United States, my journey as artist was born out of a materialistic circumstance. From the age of 6, my daily life prioritized basic necessities over the expected childhood entertainment and paper and pencil became my most consistent companion. I self-taught many of my artistic skills until l reached high school, where courses and further resources became more available to me. I spent about a year painting with watercolor and later branched out to acrylic and oil paints.  By the end of my time in school, I was met with many opportunities: from winning 5 competitions my senior year to earning scholarships and having my first exhibition in a museum. 

        Art for me is a way of letting the viewer see what I see. This can be expressed through a facial expression or just the hue of a color. Namely, I have built a fascination with the human figure and the power of body language. So far, I have taken advantage of my artistic abilities as much as I could - from teaching at elementary schools and nursing homes to designing logos for companies, doing commission pieces, amongst others. When thinking about my future in the art world, I have imagined many paths to follow that would allow to reach the same result: becoming a successfully influential artist, who can paint a mark on the communities around me. On par with this, I plan on moving to France within the next year to complete a Master of Fine Arts, a goal that I have working toward for the past three years and one which I enthusiastically intend to complete