Meet Marina Caro | Illustrator, Graphic Designer, and Fine Artist

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

Hi Marina, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Any creative endeavor is a “risk” since you’re dedicating your time and efforts without knowing what will come of it. I’ve learned to trust that I can always ask questions and figure it out with the help of others. Most people appreciate being asked thoughtful questions and being sought out for advice, and I’ve learned to use that to my advantage as much as possible. The worst thing that can happen is being shooed away, and then you find someone else to ask! If learning and growth are the main objectives, you can never lose, and all other accomplishments will follow.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art practice is the desire to learn a little about anything and everything, and making unexpected connections from that. Exploring the convergence of seemingly unrelated ideas in a single work is what drives me to create. This has led me to accept every unexpected creative task that comes my way, offered just because “you’re an artist, right?”

I’ve had the opportunity to try my hand at murals, album covers, book illustrations, installations, prop design, social media content, fine art, sculpture, custom clothing, and everything in between. I’m excited to continue to grow my practice in every direction I possibly can, and strive to maintain both a professional and personal creative practice with gallery work.

In my personal art I seek to create work that’s at the intersection of as many things as possible. Whatever amalgamation of interests I have at the time are interspersed with my past experiences and mixed Slavic and Mexican heritage, leading to each piece. I’m especially drawn to horror and the genre’s ability to tap into the feeling of something intangible and otherworldly, surpassing the limits of human experience in a poetic way. I also love figure drawing and attend weekly sessions to keep up my technical skills.

My commission experience led me to my position at Mattel as a product graphics designer, where I work on the company’s portfolio of doll brands. I collaborate with designers and use my illustration skills to make things like fabric patterns, product stickers, and anything else on the doll or its accessories that needs artwork. I’m especially fond of Monster High, which combines my affinity for horror with my interest in alternative and high fashion

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve lived in West LA my whole life, and with how huge and everchanging the city is there’s a lifetime’s worth of cool places to visit! I’m a huge fan of visiting Little Tokyo, especially the Japanese American National Museum which recently hosted Giant Robot Gallery’s 5th Biennale show. GR2 gallery and store in Sawtelle are great art spaces to visit, along with LACMA and the Getty Center. Huntington Gardens in Pasadena has huge and gorgeous landscapes that are perfect for plein air. Prior to the LA fires, I would have said Temescal Canyon as my go-to spot for hiking. So many livelihoods and cultural landmarks were decimated in the fires, and I hope that anyone interested in exploring the city takes the time to discover what was lost. I feel very lucky to be part of such a rich and vibrant artist community here, and want to encourage others to take advantage of it as much as possible. There are so many doors out there to open!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Steve Kim was my professor at Otis College of Art and Design, and he inspired me to do more expansive research, pay more attention to the presentation of my work, and get involved in the art community at large. He’s very passionate about exploring new tech developments and putting them into creative and educational contexts. Having someone that I knew would help me get to the bottom of any creative query I had made me feel confident in taking on complex projects. His efforts are very inspiring and encouraged me to make some pretty crazy leaps, which led to a lot of the opportunities I have today. Thanks Steve!

Website: https://marinacaro.art

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marinacaro.art/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/marina-caro-84bb71204/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@marinatecarrot