Today we’d like to introduce you to Luba Caruso.
Hi Luba, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, a Villanova University graduate, attended The Parsons School of Design, NYC, and studied Fine Arts in South Kensington, London. I have always been an artist and found great inspiration in my travels painting the light and color I see. Alongside my paintings, I am a package designer, creating wine labels for clients worldwide. My work can be found at famous marketplaces around the country, such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, BevMo, World Market, Boomtown Wine from Walla Walla, Washington, Sams Club, Costco, Dreyfus Ashby, Blusushi, PCC Community Markets, Vino Volo and many other private labels.
I have been focusing on my large-scale oil paintings of seascapes and, most importantly, my narrative storytelling artwork. Spending time at an NJ seashore town surrounded by the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers and the ocean, I am always close to the shore’s beauty. The inspiration for these places is evident in my work, expressed in my compositions of daily life along the shore. But my love of travel and storytelling has brought me to Austin, Texas, where the vibrancy of life, outdoor living, color, and light is mesmerizing. For an artist, storytelling, the images I see are abundant. Austin is my second home, where the light casts orange and pink on the waters of the Colorado River. Chasing the light in what I see here and worldwide will forever be my passion.
Traveling to meet the demands of the art world, I find my heart here in Austin, Texas, where I share an apartment with my daughter in the South Congress area of Austin, the “SoCo” area beaming with artists, musicians, and “techies” that have embraced the chill cowboy lifestyle. For me, it’s a synergy of cowboy vibes mixed with the energy of city life. As I say to all my friends who visit, put away your Manolos and get yourself a pair of cowboy boots.
Presently my focus on painting characters and personalities that I meet is my passion which has led me to Austin. My narrative storytelling is the favored discipline that allows me to tell a story in brushstrokes. A storyteller at heart, each piece is unique as I set out to draw an audience into a narrative experience with characters on a magical stage surrounded by lyrics, poems, and images. Each piece starts with a poem. And in every changing palette of color, I strive to mimic each brushstroke to the words of my poetry.
I am presently represented at Beauregard Fine Art Gallery in Rumson, New Jersey, where I showcase my artwork to a large metropolitan collector base. My clients and collectors are now throughout the United States. My exhibitions have been in Rumson, NJ, NYC; Princeton, NJ; Bryn Mawr, PA. Malvern PA; and Cape Cod. I have also been featured at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. From Los Angelos, San Francisco, London, Miami, Palm Beach, NYC, and now Austin, Texas, my work is showcased on beautiful interior walls of art lovers. I feel incredibly grateful to my client base and enjoy meeting new clients to meet their interior design needs.
My vision for my future is to have a gallery representation here in Austin, Texas, to meet the growing demand for one-of-a-kind narrative character paintings for art lovers or perhaps my very own gallery here in the heart of Texas, where I will be greeting my clients in my cowboy boots!
Artist Statement
“As artists, we search to capture the light in what we see, then transcribe a stroke onto the canvas with our brush. Every artist looks to capture the light in its beauty, from Van Gogh to Picasso. To be real, an artist must abandon oneself truthfully every day in his studio. My brushstrokes evoke my emotions, exposing my inner self onto the canvas and telling the stories of my life in color and light. And with that said, as I interpret my stories onto the canvas, I will forever be running chasing light, a muse of beauty and wonder.”
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As an artist, I show my vulnerabilities every day onto the canvas. One of my many challenges as an artist is not worrying about exposing my inner soul but abandoning myself every day to be truthful as a visual artist. I strive to set aside my inner critic and allow myself the freedom to express myself and create.
Another area for improvement for many artists, including myself, is gaining proper representation. It is a challenge, but if I continue to be unique in my style and grow my client base, the representations will increase. I am very grateful to be represented in Rumson but look to find other galleries throughout the US.
And lastly, as an artist, I sometimes struggle for inspiration, but as Picasso once said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” When I find myself in an artist’s block, I remind myself of Pablo’s words and seek the comforts of my studio, where I immerse myself in solitude, surrounded by my art books, sketchbooks, and journals. I draw, find my inner voice and set myself free to my imagination.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an artist whose primary focus is large-scale oil paintings of seascapes and narrative storytelling work. My inspiration comes from my travels along the Northeast, specifically Cape Cod, and my time spent at my NJ seashore hometown surrounded by the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers and the ocean. I am always close to the beauty of the shore. The inspiration for these places is evident in my work, expressed in my compositions of daily life along the shore. But my love of travel and storytelling has brought me to Austin, Texas, where the vibrancy of life, outdoor living, color, and light mesmerizes me as an artist, storytelling the images that I see are abundant. Austin is my second home, where the light casts orange and pink on the waters of the Colorado River. Chasing the light in what I see here and worldwide will forever be my passion.
My seascapes boats and narrative paintings adorn homes throughout the Northeast and the US. In NJ, I am known as “Luba” with a fan base that is proud to own one of my original paintings; where the saying goes, “Is that a Luba?” I have also gained a base on Cape Cod, where I prepare my “Storm” exhibition on May 29-June 24, featuring large-scale storm oil paintings, sculpture dresses, and acrylic panels. I am most proud of this new exhibition, working with a fantastic Director at the Cape Cod Cultural Center, where she has prepared my presentation describing it as such.” An Introspective collection of large-scale oil paintings orchestrating color, space, and movement through fluid emotion and personal awakening drawn from her time on Cape Cod. Her work will showcase a canopy of nature’s force that unfolds itself through a visual experience reinterpreted through inner emotion, both allusive and effective, and is translated onto canvas.”
I am incredibly grateful to paint the beauty and light I see and to give joy to those who own my work. Clients tell me the peace they get when admiring my work or the memories they evoke from their childhood. With this profound joy, my passion for creating strives within me. Chasing the light has brought me to this point in my career, which I am proud of. As an artist, I search to capture the light in what I see, transcribing a stroke onto the canvas with my brush. I chased this light from Cape Cod, Cape Ann, Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket, the shores of Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Long Island, across the ocean in Arles, Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Provence, Nimes, and Burgundy and to Malibu, and now Austin. The colors cast light so differently in mesmerizing force. I found the changes of reflective light so captivating, dispersing itself through clouds and sea, mountains, and trees—colors differing from place to place. The yellow in Arles, Provence, matched the yellow of Cape Ann, Gloucester Massachusetts. The muddy blue-grey light existed only on the flats of Cape Cod Bay. At the Campuget Vineyard and the beaches of Les Saintes- Maries-de-la-Mer, Provence, where the tan and orange glow with a touch of baby blue cast its glow on ancient stone. And I found the same orange glow from the south of France in Austin as the light sparkled off the Colorado River to Lady Bird Lake. I remember each sunrise, watching the yellow glow awaken the night or the sunset soothing the day with its cool blue light turning to red warmth, each more beautiful than the other and never the same in color and light. And with that said, as I interpret my stories onto the canvas, I will forever be running, chasing light, a muse of beauty and wonder.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
As an artist, I enjoy writing poems and stories that coincide with my original artworks. What I find most revealing is when I allow my words to follow my brushstrokes. Here is a piece of writing created while painting and vice versa for my recent upcoming STORM exhibition; it is part of my creative process that ties it all together for me.
“Morning awakening of all the roads I traveled, the journey back to myself was the most magnificent. It could only be revealed after the endless canopies of nature’s force under thunderous skies, torrential rains, and pounding surf awakened. This canopy of energy, unfolding before my eyes, both allusive and affective, transforming my emotions as I navigate the facets of my identity, beat at my heart countless storms, tear-stained skies, and tidal waves until I allowed it to spark my inner core of self-awareness was I able to let myself be drawn in, to see my light within, harmonious and clear revealed like a butterfly. In the center of every storm is where you’ll find the magic. You just have to find it.”
Pricing:
- Large scale works range 40×60 $12,000
- Large scale 48×72 and above 15k-25K
- Small works $350-$10k
Contact Info:
- Website: Luba-artstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luba.artstudio/
Image Credits
(First pic) The portrait b&w photo of me close-up by Lisa Tice Photography, All others are me and my daughter Kate Caruso
