Oil painter
Carlos Cruz
City lights after dark, Atlantic mornings, and a new series of Florida inlet paintings now on the easel.
New work · In progress
First Year on the Inlet
First Year on the Inlet is a new series of oil paintings drawn from the year Carlos spent in Boynton Beach after moving to Florida from New York. He lived in a house on an inlet, close enough to kayak to the restaurants along the waterway, and the paintings follow that water from early morning to midday.
Carlos now lives in Ormond Beach, about 15 minutes from the ocean and the Ormond Beach inlets, which he plans to paint next. The paintings are not finished yet. Progress photos will be posted here as they develop.
If you'd like a first look at a painting before it's finished, or want to hear when the series is complete, send a note.
Urbanscapes
Large-scale oil paintings of cities at night, from Miami to East Lansing and New York. Digital prints are available for most works.
Sold works
Oceanscapes
Water, sky and shoreline, painted in the studio and en plein air. New oceanscapes are in the studio now and will be added soon.
Travels
Studies painted on location in Greece and Thailand, plus sketches from Miami. As Carlos puts it, “Now that I've landed, I can start to actually finish paintings.”
Icaria, Greece
Gouache studies painted on the island of Icaria.
Thailand
Painted en plein air on the beach.
Miami
Marker sketches over an acrylic wash, drawn on canvas.
Portraits
Portrait commissions in oil. Contact Carlos to discuss a commission.
A Tribute in Three Portraits: The Georgia VanPelt Garnsey Commission
Commissioned by Albert Rose, these three realistic portraits capture the grace and legacy of Georgia VanPelt Garnsey, a tribute that preserves her memory through paint.
Ask about a commissionAbout
Carlos Cruz is an oil painter known for large, light-filled paintings of cities seen from above, and more recently, the Florida coast.
He earned his MFA as a Distinguished Fellow at Michigan State University and his BFA at the State University of New York at Purchase, after studying illustration at Parsons School of Design. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in New York and Michigan since 1990. It also hangs in public collections, including commissions for Capital Bancorp Center, Michigan State University and Mid-Land Realtors.
Alongside painting, Carlos taught art and design at the college level for more than 20 years, most recently as Chair and Professor of Graphic Design at Berkeley College. He now lives and paints in Ormond Beach, Florida, about 15 minutes from the ocean.
Selected Exhibitions
- 2016Berkeley College Faculty Exhibition, Woodland Park, NJ
- 2014Solo exhibition, 515 Gallery, Clare, MI
- 2013Solo exhibition, Art Reach of Mid Michigan, Mt. Pleasant, MI
- 2012Serendipity Gallery, group exhibition, Midland, MI
- 2007Grand Galleries, gallery representation, Grand Rapids, MI
- 2006"Urban Sprawl," solo exhibition, Delta College Galleria, MI
- 2006"Master of Fine Arts Exhibition," Kresge Art Museum, East Lansing, MI
- 2005"The Ever-Changing Landscape," Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
- 2005"Arts in the House," Michigan House of Representatives, Lansing, MI
- 2004"Dialect of Place," two-person exhibition, Hankins Gallery, East Lansing, MI
- 2001Solo exhibition, Taller Boricua Gallery, New York, NY
- 2000Solo exhibition, 18 Orchard Gallery, New York, NY
- 1999George Billis Gallery, group exhibition, New York, NY
- 1994"The Impact of Two Worlds," Yale University ARTSPACE, New Haven, CT
- 1990"The South Bronx Exhibition," Fashion Moda, Bronx, NY
Full exhibition record
- 2011Solo exhibition, Mid Michigan Community College, Harrison, MI
- 2007Solo exhibition, Mid Michigan Community College, Harrison, MI
- 2005Paperworks Gallery, gallery representation and group exhibition, Grand Rapids, MI
- 2005"Off Off Art," Robert Morris Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI
- 2005"Exchange," MSU graduate exhibition, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
- 2005"Coupled," Robert A. Peck Arts Center, Central Wyoming College, Riverton, WY
- 2004MSU Graduate Exhibition, Delta College Galleria, University Center, MI
- 2004Hankins Gallery, gallery representation, East Lansing, MI
- 2004MFA group exhibition, Kresge Art Gallery, Michigan State University, MI
- 2004"11 Artists, 1½ Ideas," Mott Community College Fine Arts Gallery, Flint, MI
- 2003–04Faculty Exhibition, Delta College Galleria, University Center, MI
- 2003MFA group exhibition, Kresge Art Gallery, Michigan State University, MI
- 2001"Peep Show," Get Real Art Gallery, New York, NY
- 2001Red Bicycle Gallery, group exhibition, Locust Valley, NY
- 200118 Orchard Gallery, gallery representation, New York, NY
- 1999Tarrytown Library, group exhibition, White Plains, NY
- 1999Westchester Arts Council, group exhibition, White Plains, NY
- 1998Backdrop designer, Bick Collection fashion show, Hofstra University, Long Island, NY
- 1998"Vision 21," independent exhibition, Williamsburg, NY
- 1998Independent exhibition, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
- 1997–98Tunnel Gallery, group exhibitions and performance art, New York, NY
- 1997Solo exhibitions, Cheetah (digital projections) and Twilo, New York, NY
- 1995–96Taller Boricua Gallery, group exhibitions, New York, NY
- 1994"Americans All: Conversations Between Cultures," General Foods USA, White Plains, NY
- 1993Solo exhibition, Visual Arts Gallery, SUNY Purchase, NY
- 1992Westchester Arts Council, group exhibition at PepsiCo, Purchase, NY
Contact
For original paintings, digital prints, commissions or studio visits, send a message here or email Carlos directly.
carlos@carloscruzart.com @cruz.gallery on Instagram