Peruvian artist finds success in Welwyn Garden City
Peruvian Carla Figallo has lived in many cities around the world, but it was while living in Hertfordshire when the London Osborne Studio Gallery noticed her powerful paintings. It wasn’t long after when she sold her first piece and she is now well on her way as an emerging artist. We visit her at home in Welwyn Garden City where she paints and lives with her parents, husband and two children.

A partly self-taught artist, Figallo is first and foremost all about colour. Throughout the 20 years of painting, she has followed a variety of classes but to this day she says: “I cannot draw. If you ask me even to draw a flower, the result is horrible. My idea of painting is abstract and to put colour on the canvas.” It is therefore no surprise that Figallo excels in colour. Inspired by her home country Peru, she applies strong colours and earth tones such as brown, red and ochre. Rothko is her favourite artist and there is a vague memory of his work in her art. It resembles the textures of rocky landscape, brick and clay in combination with architectural lines. Working the entire canvas, she adds materials such as sand, modelling paste and sometimes a string to the mix which makes her style distinctive in colour and texture. The result is a gripping painting with a good dose of character not easily ignored.