Finding inspiration in fleeting moments
This week we welcome Damaris Chamorro, an Ecuadorian illustrator and painter based in Queens. She works in a variety of media, including oil paint and photography, and her choice of subject matter has been influenced by the diversity of the community where she lives and by her daily observations of working people.
Chamorro began pursuing a creative career at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in illustration and a minor in art history. She recently worked with the Alliance for Paseo Park in Jackson Heights on a public art installation, “26 Blocks of Joy,” for which she painted one of the murals on granite blocks arrayed along 34th Avenue. She has exhibited her visual art and photography work at Art Retail Therapy, where she also creates curricula for art classes offered to the community.
In her words: “My love for art and illustration derives from a personal connection to images from an early age. Having moved to the United States from Ecuador, I faced a language barrier which made me realize how universal and powerful the visual world is. Despite not being able to understand the language, I understood the language of art and connected with it.
“As I quietly observed ordinary moments, my interest was sparked to create paintings that explore themes of community, nature and identity. Inspired by working people, their labor, as well as a connection to nature on regular walks, I set out to document everyday life. Through the use of a vibrant color palette, the attention is set on people who are often overlooked, illustrating their dignity and reminding the audience of the integrity in their labor.”
See more of Chamorro’s work on her website and Instagram account.
