By Natalie Taylor
I love landscapes—out in the open, or in a well-executed painting. When visiting Fabrica La Aurora, I walked into a gallery, and was suddenly stopped in my tracks. On the wall hung a vision of an island amid crystalline turquoise waters; so clear, you could see fishes swimming below the surface. It was a painting of Mljet Island in Croatia, a country we had visited last year. The crystalline waters of the Adriatic had been captured just as we had seen them at the time.
Jorge Carral creates images that seem more life-like than reality. His hyper-realistic landscapes are not simply a copy of a photograph, they are pictorial designs of a new realty—in Jorge’s case, a softer, more idealized version. In his paintings, he adds subtle details that may not have been visible to the eye.
Jorge has been painting since childhood, and became known in school as the “art kid,” who drew or painted any subject he found interesting. Caricatures of teachers were especially well-received by his fellow students. After high school, he wanted to pursue the arts, but his father was vehemently opposed. He wanted his son to go into a money-making profession. Jorge complied and started at the school of Architecture at UNAM, but soon realized this was not right for him. He confronted his father about leaving the university and was given an ultimatum: “Go back to school, or you’re on your own!” Jorge would not give up. He got an art scholarship at Instituto Allende and came to San Miguel in the 1970s. A woman from Los Angeles advised him to expand his horizons. “What the hell are you doing in San Miguel? This is for old people!” she admonished.
She recommended he apply to the LA Art Center of Design. He did, and was one of the 40 applicants chosen out of a pool of 600. During his time at the school he learned design, drawing, graphic design, and everything else related to art. He completed his studies in 1978, and returned to his parents’ home at his mother’s request. When he met his father in the hallway, they simply said “Hello.” After seven years, with no talk, the impasse was over. He got a job with an advertising company in Mexico City, then started a clothing company called Bye, Bye Clothing which became quite successful. While living in Mexico City, Jorge met Lucia, a good friend of his younger brother—“enticed by his brother”—Jorge says. It worked. They got married in 1980 and are happily together to this day.
Jorge had such fond memories of San Miguel, he always wanted to return. He continued painting, although during this time it was more of a hobby. He and Lucia, a psychologist, were raising four children, and concentrating on “making a living.” In the late 90s, he began working for his brother, whose business needed a web designer. The new technology fascinated Jorge and he stayed with his brother for about three years, until the business was sold.
The next stage for Jorge was working as a freelance consultant for marketing companies. Then his wife suggested: “Why don’t you do what you really like—paint.” Since he had been out of school for so long, he wanted to take some art classes at the university. But he was confronted by the sad reality of college education for adults in Mexico—they would not accept him, because he was over the age of 25! Since Jorge had continued painting through the years, he found good instruction online and began to concentrate on landscapes. They were well received and resulted in many commissions.
For years, he and Lucia would visit San Miguel on their wedding anniversary. The city had held a special spot in his heart all along, but his wife was not ready to relocate. Then one day in 2015, Lucia returned from work frustrated. “I hate the traffic here!” she exclaimed. “I am ready to move to San Miguel.” Shortly thereafter, they found a parcel of land which overlooks the Presa, and built a house. They now live in this idyllic countryside, surrounded by mountains and many plants, both on the grounds and in a nursery. Jorge has a definite “green thumb”! His studio, flooded with sunlight, is the perfect spot that allows Jorge to craft wonderful landscapes. Visit Carral Gallery at Fabrica Aurora to see Jorge’s work—including the one of the island. Or check his website: jorgecarral.com
Natalie Taylor: BA in English Lit and Journalism, Loyola University, Chicago, 1995. MFA in Creative Writing, Vermont College, Montpelier, VT, 1999. Published writer, editor, journalist. Spanish teacher in the US, English teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Translator. www.natalietaylor.org Contact: tangonata@gmail.com
