land/sea/sky, the works of ana carolina pesce imlay

​Illustrator and contemporary artist Ana Carolina Pesce Imlay creates vibrant acrylic paintings on rice paper and reclaimed wooden boxes. In search of a way to make it easier to transfer her detailed drawings onto wood, Carol found inspiration in her husband’s love of surfing. Rice and mulberry paper are often used in transferring logos and drawings to surfboards. In borrowing this technique it also helped make the surface smoother and less absorbent for her application of acrylic using fine brushes.

The practice of painting on rice paper has a 2,000 year old history. Ink was applied to the paper for calligraphy. Carol blends both ancient and modern techniques with her own unique past. Growing up in Brazil, she was exposed to Brazilian artists Candido Portinari and Os Gesmeos who had a considerable impact on her artistic style, such as subject matter that incorporates the strength of simplicity. Although there is often one main subject, Carol incorporates realistic detail into her botanical and marine animal paintings, evoking the fun and whimsical side in all of us. Her rainbow palette brightly shines in the foreground of the wood panel that the rice paper is applied to.

In 2008 Carol moved from Brazil to California, where she frequented San Francisco sushi restaurants over the years. She became fascinated with the respect that sushi chefs had in utilizing the fish and the tradition of sushi itself. This led her to research the craft, which she represents in her use of uni boxes. Carol’s last name Pesce means fish in Italian.

Here at Stafford Gallery we will be hosting Land/Sea/Sky, a solo exhibition examining the parallels between Carol’s works on December 11, from 5-8pm.