Today we’d like to introduce you to Waldo Calderon.
Hi Waldo, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started drawing when I was a child; however, I began to study painting formally at the age of 15, and I am currently 30. It has been a long journey studying the art of painting. I began studying with a teacher from my high school, then I attended other workshops, studied books, and especially relied on the vast information available on the internet. I graduated in architecture and practiced for a while, but my desire to be a professional artist made me change direction, and I decided to fully dedicate myself to painting. It was during the pandemic, in the year 2020, and I decided to open my own studio. Since then, I have dedicated myself to painting my personal work and teaching painting classes for all ages. I teach people the basic fundamentals of drawing and painting and guide them to appreciate the beauty of painting. I have participated in various exhibitions, and in 2022 I took part in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Mennonite community in Mexico with three paintings that are located in the Mennonite museum of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. I also held a solo exhibition called ‘Faces of My Community’ which was presented in the city of Colima, Mexico. Currently, I am working on a collection about the culture of charro-taurine festivals in Mexico, which I will be presenting soon. The path to becoming a professional artist is complex; there are moments when you feel desperate and want to give it all up, moments when you don’t see which path to take, and also very rewarding moments that make it all worthwhile. I am trying to carve my path, and day by day I aim to improve. I would like to continue dedicating myself to this because I love the art of painting.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a professional artist is not easy at all. You have a dream, you grow, you perfect yourself, and you realize that there is more to it than just creating art. I realized that I needed to find various ways to leverage my talent; creating alone was not enough. We all love paintings, however, few are willing to pay a good price for a piece, so I opened my studio, where I teach many people how to paint. In addition to this, I have been doing collaborations, as it is an excellent way to get known, and little by little I have been trying to find how to stand out as an artist in a career where the path is uncertain, trying to find my voice and taking daily steps to excel and achieve my goal of making a living by creating art.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a mexican-american painter. I have always been fascinated by the Baroque period; the painting of this time has incredible technique, therefore, I have developed a style based on this type of painting. Great masters like Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Diego de Velázquez, among others, have been my source of inspiration. I love figurative painting; I am an advocate for culture, especially my Mexican and Latin American culture. In my work, we can see the landscapes, faces, and situations that occur in this geography, as it is very important for me to connect with my origins, with what identifies us as Latin Americans—our parties, customs, rituals, colors, and issues, in general our way of being. Our culture makes us great and I like to share it through my art. Currently, I am dedicated to giving drawing and painting workshops for children and adults, and I work to create my paintings and thus showcase my art.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I have many memories, however one of my favorites is when I accompanied my dad to his tortilla shop, the smell of freshly cooked corn, the hot tortillas coming out of the machines, the flavors, and the fact that I could play with the corn dough as if it were clay, was the best for me, I felt like I was in an art class making all kinds of figures with the corn dough, I remember those moments of my life very fondly.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldocalde?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@waldocalderon0?_t=ZS-8wHDtZc3w88&_r=1
