Carmen De Urquijo

I was born in the always active Mexico City, in a family of artists. I grew up among canvases and sculptures, watching my parents work and enjoying weekends filled with exhibitions, museum visits, theater presentations and classical music concerts. I was always very close to both my grandmothers which taught me their world view, my grandmother Sol taught me the worlds of textile, embroidery and painting on ceramics, and my grandmother Flor made me drawings of sirens and damsels and taught me all she knew about opera.

I grew up with those strong role models, surrounded by working women, dreamers and artists in their own way. That is why I grew up wanting to achieve high goals and ambition took me to studying fashion design. Not being able to separate myself from my artistic side, I ended up working in costume design, dressing theater, cinema and short film actors, until I achieved one of my dreams, which was to work for the Cirque du Soleil.

My spirit was still anxious for more creativity, more expression and more art. I worked in several different projects where I learned a lot about different ways of working and distinct materials, among which are metallic thread, epoxy resin, polymer clay and wood.

Guided by my mother, the painter Maripe Icaza, I continued learning in the already familiar world of painting. Several of the paintings you can see in my portfolio relate events from my personal life, such as phobias, nightmares and dreams, and were created with a touch of satire presented in colors and shapes. My hyperactive and sensitive personality is reflected in each and every one of my paintings.