Bound Language Academy. She also painted the piano, utility
box and walls of the Morgan Hill Pop-Up Park and in 2017
organized the inaugural Morgan Hill Children’s Art Show
sponsored by the Library, Culture and Arts Commission.
About thirty-five pieces created by children ages five to
thirteen were on display.
Velasquez earned a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism
Administration from Colegio Mayor de Antioquia in
Medellin and an Associate Arts degree in Studio Art from
Gavilan College. Her love for the diversity of cultures and art
history motivated her to travel abroad to study various types
of art techniques. She has received personal art classes in the
private studios of Mariano Rico in Medellin, Patricia Delgado
in Madrid, Georgett Miller at Cambridge University, and Tian
Wang in Suzhou, China (her daughter was there as an intern
with an electronics manufacturing firm).
“Camila is very important to my art,” Velasquez says of
her daughter. “She encourages and inspires me.”
When not teaching art, Velasquez is producing art. Art
that is inspired by her favorite artists, Beatriz Milhazes of
Brazil, Frida Kahlo of Mexico, and Columbian painter and
sculptor Fernando Botero. Of Botero, she says, “I am very
proud to be from the same land as this irreplaceable and
inimitable artist.”
Influences of these artists, and her native Colombian
culture, are evident in the vibrant colors she uses in her
artwork. Combining and experimenting with many styles
of abstract painting, her artwork is unique for its intricate
themes, bright hues and colorful scenes. Each painting
encompasses a different story about life and nature,
sectioned in an almost story book composition. Her subjects
are varied, including people, gardens, flowers, and the
environment encompassing them. With a special fondness
for animals, she tries to capture their spirit in her art.
Velasquez is currently planning an exhibit entitled
“Feelings” to be held at Miramar Winery in September 2018.
To learn more about Velasquez and view her gallery of art go
to linavelasquezart.com.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
Dan Craig is a local artist and
freelance writer who lives and
works in his downtown loft in
Morgan Hill.
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