Carlos Serra-Marchal
Artist’s Catalog Spring 2013
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www.CarlosSerra.com
Cover Painting: Friendship 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas 2
“Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.” Cicero, 106 BC – 43 BC
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Carlos Serra-Marchal is a member of the
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Bio • • • • • • • • • •
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Born in Caracas, Venezuela. Although his father is an artist with academic training, he is a self-taught painter. From first grade his natural drawing skills attracts attention; he’s labeled as the school’s artist. Works in architecture for over a decade while diving as a hobby, but eventually becomes a professional diving instructor. In 1993 migrates to the United States, becoming U.S. citizen by 1998. Also in 1993 he’s licensed as a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Course Director, the highest rating in the scuba diving industry. In 1998 becomes the owner of the second largest dive center in the Florida Keys. With the ocean as an inspiring source, and in parallel with his diving career, continues to paint as a leisure activity, responding to an intrinsic call to express his creativity. Next to his dive shop is the studio/gallery of renowned artist Thomas Fundora, who after examining his artworks, strongly encourages him to pursue a career as a full-time artist. Between 2003-2006 he invests three years in the process of writing a book now published. After a tragic event, and following the advice of Thomas Fundora (also known as the creator of the pop-music band Miami Sound Machine and the Spanish lyrics’ composer of the song “Feelings”), Carlos Serra-Marchal becomes a full-time artist, exhibiting through galleries and art shows. In 2010 is chosen - by unanimous vote - as a member of the Ocean Artists Society founded by famed artists Wyland, Guy Harvey and cinematographer Bob Talbot. 5
More than providing an image enticing the viewer’s emotion, I seek to provide a story in which the observer’s imagination can provide the continuation of it, and, at times, become part of it. Carlos Serra-Marchal
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Artist’s Statement I’m an artist, first and foremost, because you are born with the call; you either have it in you or you don’t. But it’s also a way to escape from a world full of limitations. You have time restrictions, timeframes, speed limits, language barriers and ideological fences in all aspects of life; political, physical, religious, conceptual; but who can raise a wall to enclose imagination or build a fence to restrain it?
When you are a kid you are told what to do, how to dress, what to eat. That’s understandable. But even as an adult you are told how to live your life; at what time you start to work, at what time you finish work, at what speed you must drive. But when I paint, I feel free; free to paint and create my own little universe. The feeling is of total freedom and of complete communion with my inner self. That’s when imagination or inspiration flows devoid of restrictions and rules. Through my paintings, I can create a world of harmony and love. I can paint a planet in which no one gets killed, robbed or betrayed. I’m entitled to create an ocean filled with dolphins and whales that never get killed. I can create a world free of death, free of greed, free of envy, free of negativity. When I paint, I can create a perfect world; a world that resembles - for me - the spiritual world… a world filled with love and care, a world of freedom, a world of imagination and color. Whether you are a painter, a composer, a writer, or a sculptor, only through the creation of an artwork, you allow the spiritual side of you to flow outwards into shapes and forms; to become tangible and to express an idea, a vision, and a dream. As Frank Zappa once said, “you are creating something out of nothing”. I’m a firm believer of God, and I’m aware He is everywhere around me; but in that canvas, He allows me to be like him; in a tiny, miniscule scale, but a creator, nonetheless.
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A Race in Paradise 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas
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Morning Exercise 24” x 36” Acrylic on Canvas
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The Chain of Fear 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas
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Calamari Platter 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas
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Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
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Fruits of the Tropic 24” x 36” Oil on Canvas
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Honey, I’m Home 24” x 36” Oil on Canvas
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Welcome Back 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas
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The Rest of the Honu Warrior 24” x 36” Acrylic on Canvas
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All art is an imitation of nature. Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD)
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Sunset over the Honu 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas
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The Rest of the Warrior 24” x 30” Acrylic on Canvas
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The Hula Dancer 24” x 36” Acrylic on Canvas
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Older Works (previous to 2010)
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Once Upon a Time 24” x 30” Oil on Canvas Mermaids: are they mythical figures or did they actually exist? Maybe they still exist but continue to be elusive, just like the giant squid was once a legend, as well, but now a living proof that, sometimes, legends are more than just fairy tales. The title, "ONCE UPON A TIME", leaves open to the viewer's imagination how the story continues. Who is there to say that, if it exist in your mind, it isn’t real?
Once upon a time; that's how most tales will commence There is a mermaid and a dolphin, but the rest is in suspense Because this is like no other story you shall ever get to discover As how the story continues, your imagination I dare to uncover... Carlos Serra-Marchal
Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech. Simonides, Greek poet (556 BC - 468 BC) 34
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Kepono Ho I’kaua (When is right, we’ll go back) 24” x 36” Oil on Canvas The title and theme were inspired by a Hawaiian song from 1994, by Keali'I Reichel, who is, along with the late and yet venerated Iz, one of the most popular Hawaiian singers today. The original title of the song is "Kawaipunahele". The song seems to refer to an old love that is like "never-fading lei" and one with the "adornment of the night". Waiting for the return of such love can be painful as the song states "I'm lonely, I'm hurt, come let's go back". The artist, after listening to the lyrics, wanted to portray this surreal-like scene in which a lonely wahine dances while waiting for the right time to go back. She's inviting to go back to a time of greatness and freedom; a time in which Hawaiians were the only possessors of their legacy; to go back to a time in which they could exert the birthright to exercise their beliefs, their strong family-rooted values and venerate their royalty; a time when love for the land, love for the sea and love for the people were their first and most sacred directive. In the "adornment of the night" lies the love of Hawaii, its first King Kamehameha, for which all Hawaiians awaits his return. Maybe not in the physical form, but in the form of heritage and legacy, in the form of all the attributes and values that existed back in the days of the King. “When it's right, they'll go back”, but for the moment, their tradition keeps their faith alive.
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Maternal Instinct 24� x 36� Oil on Canvas The systematic hunting of whales has led some species to the edge of extinction. The Blue Whale, for example (not the ones in the painting), is among the top on the list of endangered species. From a population of more than 275,000 Blue Whales when the whaling industry started, these beautiful creatures have been reduced to less than 5,000 by the time in which the international community decided to protect them in 1966. Today, Blue Whales are estimated to number between 5,000 and 8,000, showing signs of slow recovery but not getting even close to the original figure of 275,000.
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A New Dawn of Another Time 24� x 30� Oil on Canvas There was a time of splendor and natural beauty A time unspoiled by the towers of glass and steel A memory we ought to preserve as a collective duty Though the seam of past and present seems so unreal Remember the past but don't dwell there, or so they say But the exchange of heritage for progress is just too strong To destroy legacy and nature is such a high price to pay Because I know that God and nature will never be wrong No, I won't dwell in the past, but will face the future instead As I call upon the spirits to walk me down that treasured path Bring me back to another time, a time before all beauty is dead A time ahead when the flourishing land will bring my heritage back Carlos Serra-Marchal
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The Offering 16� x 20� Oil on Canvas Kanaloa is the god of the ocean and companion of Kane, the god of creation. The Hawaiian culture, deeply attuned with the divine, believes in a supernatural being that rises above us. And if there is a place on earth where God has made a home, that place must be Hawaii. A wahine, whose nakedness symbolizes purity and transparency, makes an offering with fruits of the earth, perhaps asking for the fruits of the ocean to be plentiful, or maybe, for the safe return of a lover gone in a fishing trip. The whale in the background bursting out of the water depicts an old Hawaiian tradition, representing the times when whaling was done without compromising the whale's population.
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The Mermaid and the Nai’a 24” x 36” Oil on Canvas This is the story of a mermaid and two friends Of peaceful core they would never be distant The human half in her would do some amends As the danger from men remains in existence The mermaid and the Nai'a, they live far from shore To keep away any hazard from those with harpoons Their hunt is prohibited, but they want to be sure There is a friendship to keep for many, many moons
Are these dolphins or she has them as wings? Because if angels enjoy water she must be one In their ocean realm they both live like kings And with their queen forever, freely, will run How the story will finally end no one can tell An everlasting tale has been depicted with oil So in our fantasy world forever they dwell Don't dare to end it, or the story you’ll spoil Carlos Serra-Marchal
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The Hawaiian culture is rich in legends and tradition. One of them is the legend of Pele, the goddess of fire, lightning, dance and volcanoes. The artist's intention with this painting, unlike what it may come into sight, is not to portray Pele. The inspiration came after reading the story of Hi'iaka, the patron goddess of Hawai'i and hula dancers, and Pele's favorite and most loyal sister. A friend of Hi'iaka named Hopoe is who taught Hi'iaka a hula mimicking the waves of the sea. Legend describes her as a lightskinned woman with a piety spirit and as Palaupalae, the Guardian of the Ferns. The artist represents the richness of the Hawaiian culture with the garments made of gold. Hi'iaka was also known as the goddess "beating hot in the perpetual earth fire". The small shack invokes the possible narrative being given by a native Hawaiian to his children before going to bed as a way to preserve the legend. The dolphins are added as the artist's ingrained "second" signature. There are different versions as to the end of the story goes, but nevertheless, this painting assembles hand-picked parts of the tale.
The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life. William Faulkner (1897 - 1962) 46
The Dance of the Goddess 24” x 48” Oil on Canvas 47
Inner Universe 24” x 36” Oil on Canvas Of infinite passion and serene grace I'm a servant dolphin, her hand my control A ruler of her destiny and a future to face Her nudity is purity and of love is her soul With you I will go beyond this earth Love may steer me through times of gloom Our spirit shall find a place for rebirth Should we stay behind, that would be our doom We suffer, we stray, and we both run away Women and dolphins, they hurt as they want But a time of freedom we declare on this day Our flesh may be hurt, but our souls are like one Our Inner Universe is all that we need A kingdom of hope where the petty we defeat No more wrath, or envy, or pride, or greed In this universe of dreams where love is so sweet Carlos Serra-Marchal
Freediving Peacefully 18” x 24” Oil on Canvas
Her flesh was lost to somebody's greed He was someone willing to make her bleed Someone of terrifying wrath and voracity Showing perversion and, to love, incapacity She was a gracious being in love with madness Because love is blind and can be quite silly Her spouse killed her just out of plain badness Destroying the beauty and finery of a water lily We hope, we pray that to heaven she has gone That among the stars she'll find a new dawn That her soul was saved by a dolphin's affection Taking her to God's love and pure perfection Rest in peace, rest among friends departed before May you find a new soul that you will really adore As for hate and rage you will never find above The one who once hurt you - from heaven - is out Carlos Serra-Marchal 48
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The Bully 16� x 16� Oil on Canvas A bully you are; leave us alone Don't eat my flesh or lick my bone We're gentle creatures of decoration Just put an end to your predation Don't run away, my little buddies Who's there to say I want your body I want a friend; that's all I want But to trust me, I can find no one How can anyone trust you, you're a shark For a journey in your stomach I won't embark Your mouth is huge and so is your hunger I barely escaped once when I was younger Carlos Serra-Marchal
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Narcissism 24� x 30� Oil on Canvas Some say I am proud and filled with ego How can you blame me for being so pretty? From north to south and a bay named Montego You must love me, even as, for you I feel pity Some may ignore me and pass me by The others stay; their self-steam must be low I'm the greatest, admit it, or I tell you good bye The followers can stay to enjoy my show
To be the center of attention is my single goal In my own universe of perfection I always exist Get closer to me and I will enlighten your soul That for you is a blessing, the rest won't subsist Of course only I will think on such way For many my arrogance may seem a bit odd That's because my humility has gone strayed Not realizing that above me there will always be God Carlos Serra-Marchal
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Men Away – Harmony Kept 24� x 26� Oil on Canvas A world within a world; that's the sea; that's the ocean A world of wonders and beauty in a constant motion Is a world we barely know and much less comprehend And yet is a realm that we must protect and defend
The living proof of a perfect balance and creative design Who can seriously claim that it's not one of God's shrines? Where from the smallest to the biggest, all have their space Mankind's negative intrusion can become its biggest mistake Men away, harmony kept, means don't interfere with creation Where every creature has a meaning and their world is one nation With no lines, no frontiers, is just one aquatic realm of endless beauty And for the sake of humanity, to guard it, must be our foremost duty Carlos Serra-Marchal
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Ku’ulei – My Desire 24” x 36” Oil on Canvas A long journey has passed since I started my dream To come to this blessed land and to Waikiki Beach I shall find a Kahuna who my sins will redeem For the freedom of my soul is within my reach Aloha is love and hello, but it's also goodbye I'm a tourist like many who've come to this heaven Yet to leave my prejudice behind I've come to try As my capital sins are far more than just seven So goodbye I will say to all the wrong I've done If there is a place to seek God, Hawaii it must be I promise before sunrise my old being will be gone I shall rebirth as Hawaiian, and my spirit I'll set free My desire I know now translates ku' ulei Hawaiian sarongs is all I need on my dress rack While here in Hawaii I shall never be afraid As to the me before me, I'm turning my back
Being a bit playful, the artist added names to the Malia, or Hawaiian canoes: Aleki is Hawaiian for Alex, and Kilikopela is Hawaiian for Christopher, the artist’s most precious treasure; his sons.
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The Wahine and the Nai’a Pencil on Paper You are so playful; you are so smart You are so tender and full of affection Since I was little, you stole my heart My soul with yours feels in connection
Leap high, my cousin, and feel my love for you My hula dance shall carry out my perpetual feeling It will tell the story of my friend from the big blue Who said what humanity needs is love and healing Carlos Serra-Marchal
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Dreams Pencil on Paper Dreams, we all have them, but about yours I wonder What is it that you share with the pillow you slip under? You got me curious about the smile that your face reveals I wonder if you know of the sentiments that my heart for you feels Are you dreaming of me or just of a day on the beach? Intrude in your dream is a law I would love to breach I know it's personal, and private, but I'm anxious to know Why you smile in your sleep while your whole body glows Perhaps I'm jealous of your life inside the dream realm Because in the ship of your love I crave to steer the helm No, it's not control, domination or a peculiar form of possession But if you don't love me also in your dreams, I'll die of desperation Carlos Serra-Marchal
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This drawing was made during a trip to Lima, Peru. It took about one hour to be done and was made as a birthday present to his wife, July 21, along with the accompanying verse he wrote. Excited, she went to her mother’s room to show it to her before even reading the verse. Mom then asked, “Wow, it looks just like you. And he wrote the poem, too?” Taking a moment to read it, she laughed and said: “Yeap, that’s him; he wrote it.” 61
ARTIST’S MAIN STUDIO North Bay Village, Florida GALLERIES & EXHIBITS: Rumley Art Gallery, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Gallart (Gallart.com), Aventura, Florida Dixie Divers, Deerfield Beach, FL ART SHOWS & EXHIBITIONS: • Solo exhibition at NOAA, Key Biscayne, FL • Solo exhibit at DEMA (Diving Equipment & Marketing Association) • Group exhibition at the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel (Lobby, Hall and Restaurant), Kailua-Kona, Hawaii • Permanent exhibition at the Ocean Artist Society, California • Group exhibit at Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Key Biscayne, FL • Nude Nite Art Exposé in Orlando, FL • Las Olas Art Fair, Fort Lauderdale, FL • South Miami Art Show, Miami, Florida • Springs for the Arts Art Show at The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale • Boca Center Art Fair, Boca Raton, FL • Bayside Marketplace, Miami, FL • Featured on the short film “Artists United for Water: Water Drives Nature” hosted by well-known Marine-life artist Wyland • Contributor for the eMagazine Ocean Artists United, sponsored by the Ocean Artists Society The catalog and contents herein are not to be copied, reproduced, printed, published, posted, displayed, incorporated, stored in or scanned into a retrieval system or database, transmitted, broadcast, bartered or sold, in whole or in part without the prior express written permission of the sole owner, who is, unless otherwise denoted, Carlos Serra-Marchal. Unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited and is an infringement of National and International Copyright laws. Cover Photo Copyright © 2013 by Carlos Serra-Marchal Cover design by Soco Beytia Catalog design and production by Soco Beytia Editing by Albert March Photos, paintings, illustrations, logo and poetry Copyright © 2013 Carlos Serra-Marchal
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