Interview with Alfaro Carozzi

Alfaro Carozzi is originally from Lima, Peru / New York.   She has worked in New York City most of her adult life.  During an interview with Design & Fashion, she told us ” I am very interested in psychology. To create a painting I look at the scene from an analytical and psychological point of view. I see many stories within a story and I invite the viewer to engage, and create his own story. I create narrative, paintings.” The viewer is prompted to question,  “ What are her characters doing? Why are they doing that?  Is there any reason why she is there? What is happening in that moment?  Rosa understands the feeling of each character and the emotion the painting carries.  “ I love people, gatherings, special occasions and parties. I also love to be Peruvian, so I enjoy adding something related to my culture into my paintings”, she said. 

Rosa has her own style and she keeps it genuine thru all her paintings.  She studied painting at Columbia University and later at the Arts Students league.  Her work is greatly influenced by her previous background in cinematography. She has been painting for 24 years and had many styles along the years, but came back to the style of the first painting she created “La Casa de mi Tio “ during her studies at Columbia University. 

Rosa, known as Rosie has been very successful. Her work has been in a private collection at Salans, an International Company in New York.  One of the partners, collected her work. ” I had the honor of seeing my painting in his beautiful office at 620 Fifth Avenue “, she told us. 

“ I sold many paintings and my work is also in the private collection of Mrs. Iiams, in Connecticut, the private collection of a television producer in The Hamptons, and other homes. “Rosa was born and raised in Lima. Some of the objects that go into her paintings are memories of her life in Lima, Peru.   She attended Villa Maria in Lima were she began studying English at the age of five. Inspired by her quest to see more of the world, she moved to New York City as a Foreign student at the age of twenty and studied Film Production at Hunter College where her thesis won an award for her black and white short film. 

Then, She worked for Troma Films as a wardrobe designer, at Showtime as a Quality Control Supervisor, at Viacom as a Supervisor of International distribution of Films, at PS 87 as a teacher and as a lead art teacher under the supervision of Kyle Arnold, who was the director of the Afterschool.

“I am moved by challenge “, she told us.  Every painting is a new challenge and it keeps me excited and happy.  My mind is always creating.”

In 2018, Rosa moved to Fort Lauderdale and created her art studio where she works full time.

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you started in the arts? And your first experience in art making?

My name is Rosa Alfaro Carozzi.   I was born in Lima, Peru.  I moved to New York City as a foreign student in 1980 to study in college.   I studied Film Production at Hunter College.  I was granted an award for my black and white film.   I worked for Showtime cable TV, and later Viacom International. I studied drawing and painting at Columbia University in 1990. I entered the graduate program and used my knowledge of film to paint. 

At the end of the semester my artwork was chosen to be exhibited in the Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University.  I had a very encouraging professor and I developed a love for painting. I like poetry, dance, music, photography and film so I was in the right place.  

I later joined the Arts Student League where I became a member.  I have been painting since 1990.  My first experience in art making I was taking painting I at Teachers College , Columbia University so on a Saturday I went to the art studio and I started painting all of the easels in the studio using my understanding of a black and white film. When my teacher saw it, she was impressed and asked me how I did it. Since then she was very encouraging. 

I never stopped painting after that. 

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

I know that all my work has the same style.  I learned to own it and appreciate it and more than anything to trust it.  I had been experiencing with abstracts but somehow I wanted figures that were doing something like in real life.  I liked my figurative style and I did not want to make it more realistic because I liked what I created. I am very demanding with myself and it can take me 50 hours or more to complete a painting until I say to myself I like it.  It does something for me.  I am constantly trying to learn something that will help me with my art.   I have a very positive outlook in life and I like to do things differently.  I take risks and face new experiences. 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I like things that are unusual , and elegant.  So, I am drawn to show you a beautiful woman that could be from any country.  Beauty, design, color and shapes inspire me. I love nature, antiques, films, photography and an interesting scene of something that I can portray onto the canvas. 

What emotions do you expect the viewers experience when looking at your art?

I hope the viewers are interested enough to look at the painting closely and enter the painting to understand it. I expect them to be happy, or to wonder.

When do you know that an artwork is finished?

It is finished when I myself   am drawn to it and wonder.  It is finished when I love it for a specific reason which could be it makes me happy. It is finished when I am impressed and say I got it. 

What has been the most exciting moment in your art career so far?

The most exciting moment was when a Gallery called me in 2017 to tell me they had sold 4 of my paintings in one day.

How long does it take to produce one work?

It takes me approximately 40 hours to produce one piece of work and it happens in the lapse of one or 2 months.  I never work 40 hours straight.  I usually paint and then stop for a day or two while I study the painting. For me painting is not a job where you work every day.  I work on a painting the days I feel like and can. .  It is difficult to explain art in words because painting has a different language.  The language occurs between the artist and the canvas and it does not use words.  I do not speak to the canvas. It is a mental communication.

What exciting projects are you working on right now?

I paint what I feel like at the moment.  I might plan a project and two days later I cannot see what I thought. So, I do not plan projects. Whatever I feel at the moment is what I will paint. 

Can you describe what an actual working day for you looks like?

I paint when I feel like painting.  One day I might paint for a few hours and then another day will be different. I do not paint everyday.  I have to be in the right mood to paint. I unpack my brushes and oils and set up for painting. 

Where do you see your art going in five years?

I like exhibiting my art.  I have been exhibiting since 1990.  I most likely will continue to exhibit my work as I continue to grow as an artist. I have about 27 exhibitions in my resume.  I enjoy getting feedback or simply seeing the viewer’s reaction. I do not expect everyone to like my work.  I do not like everyone’s work.  So, how could I expect that. 

I am very particular in what I like and I like a painting to look elegant. 

You can purchase Alfaro Carozzi artworks on SINGULART:

https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/alfaro-carozzi-33693?campaign_id=1049.

Website www.alfarocarozzi.com