lyle carbajal – ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon

Paintings by Lyle Carbajal

Lyle Carbajal is an American born artist working in a style possessed of a primitive energy, as well as sophistication of detail that is incredibly diverse and unique. His work, which he calls Urban+Primitive, has been shown internationally and has been associated with the following organizations: London’s Raw Vision Magazine, The British Consulate in Los Angeles, The Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) in Seattle and the Tennessee Public Television for the Arts.

While studying at the Art Institute of Seattle in the early 1990’s, and later on furthering his education in Nashville TN, he became interested in an array of related (and unrelated) subjects, which saw coursework in the fields of English, finance, law, negotiations as well as advertising and design. Shortly after receiving a degree in Nashville, he spent the following year volunteering full-time with a domestic Peace Corps program. While serving the southern United States he was exposed to as well as educated in southern regional culture, which would become the primer for much of his present work.

“Childhood memories and my Latin American background helped me search for a primitive expression of the world. Just like Debuffet, Twombly and Appel before me, my pursuit of “Brut” has lead me in both tangible and psychological directions, which I presume will continue indefinitely.” -Lyle Carbajal

Lyle Carbajal, “Oranges as Orange as Crayons”, Mixed Media on Wood

Lyle Carbajal uses his paintings to explore the unintentional. Through the use of color, bold line and image placement he hopes to capture the naiveté of daily life. Citing references to childhood imagery such as comics, monsters and machines, Carbajal juxtaposes the innocent associations of youth with the complicated path of maturation.

His focus on the face is evident in each painting, where visages are wild-eyed and gripped with anger, terror, confusion or pain. The depictions of extreme emotive states in his paintings are as raw and innocent as those of a child. Childhood memories and his Latin American background have helped Carbajal search for a primitive expression of the world.

Lyle Carbajal holds a degree in design yet is self-taught as a painter. His work has been exhibited in galleries around the world such as Museu de Estremoz in Portugal, the Caro D’Offay Gallery in Chicago, and Art Fair in Denmark. His work can be found in many private and corporate collections.