Meet Damaris Chamorro | Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Damaris Chamorro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Damaris, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
The world of art spoke to me from a very young age. When I moved from Ecuador to the United States at the age of nine and had to learn a new language, books were my motivation. While I couldn’t understand the words, I understood the language of images. I was drawn to the illustrations in the books and I found so much value in how much they could translate. I found art to be such a beautiful and universal language and I knew that from that moment on, I wanted to be a part of it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Whether I’m drawing, painting, or taking pictures, I want to make sure that what I’m creating is reflective of my interests, what I stand for and essentially who I am. My work reflects themes of the working class and the impact that they have in society. Working on this subject matter has taught me to become more observant of the people around me and now I strive to paint genre scenes of people who are often overlooked and should be more appreciated for their work. Within my work, I’ve also found myself exploring the relationship that we have with nature. The 2020 pandemic made me realize how we can take the time to be outside for granted and it propelled me to study how we interact with our environment in our daily life. I enjoy working with different mediums ranging from Oil paint to Watercolor and Colored pencils because I am constantly learning new ways to work with them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area and they were just visiting New York for the first time, I would introduce them to the Jackson Heights neighborhood- no doubt! Jackson Heights is so beautifully diverse that if I wanted to take someone to try Colombian, Mexican or Peruvian food, and then they wanted to try some Uruguayan, Vietnamese or Indian food, it would be possible to go on this food crawl adventure because they would only be a few blocks away from each other. I would also invite them to walk with me along Paseo Park on 34th ave to look at the block murals and stop by Travers Park to rest and perhaps paint or sketch a little.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to everyone that would motivate me to keep pursuing art from a young age. My parents, for example, have always been supportive of what I’ve wanted to follow as a career from the beginning and I’m truly grateful for their constant support. I’ve also had the opportunity to be in classrooms with wonderful and inspiring teachers that have pushed me forward and encouraged me to keep practicing what I love. Specifically teachers from The High School of Art and Design, The Fashion Institute of Technology and The Art Students League. I’ve learned so much about what it means to create work in these places and been introduced to drawing and painting from life as one of the key components to keep on improving and learning as an artist.

Website: https://www.damarischamorro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createtheframe/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damaris-chamorro-89674516b