Image: Video still from minidoc, “What’s Your Inspiration,” by Tingmember
About
Luis Colan was born in Lima, Peru in 1980. At age ten he and his family moved to Connecticut, where he continued his education from middle school through college. Attending the Hartford Art School, at the University of Hartford, Luis was influenced by artists and professors Stephen Pat Brown, Fred Wessel, and Jeremiah Patterson. It is from these mentors he learned new techniques and color theory that pushed his work further. While at the Hartford Art School, Luis was introduced to abstraction under the guidance of professor Pat Lipsky. During the short period of experimentation with abstraction he was able to further explore color and the physicality of oil paint.
After graduating in 2004 Luis moved to New York City, where he currently lives and works. He has continued his education by taking classes at the Art Students League and the Teaching Studios of Art in Brooklyn, both schools have exposed him to the teachings of Dan Thompson, Adam Miller, Robert Zeller, and Bennett Vadnais. Working closely with these artists has allowed him to refine his ability to depict landscapes and figures. Partaking in numerous events and workshops, including Plein Air workshops in Tuscany in 2013 and 2015 has allowed him to continue to develop his vision as a landscape painter. He has been exhibiting in New York and surrounding areas in several group shows,
five solo exhibitions, and in 2010 became a Junior Member at the Salmagundi Club.
It is at the Salmagundi Club where Luis was reacquainted with Monotype printing which has become an important part of his practice. The process has allowed him to explore and use what he has learned in painting the landscape outdoors to execute images from imagination and memory.
CV
Education
2010 - 2011 The Art Students League, New York, NY
2009 - 2011 The Teaching Studios of Art, Brooklyn, NY
2007 The Art Students League, New York, NY
2000 - 2004 Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, BFA in Painting and Minor in Art History
1998 CCY (Center for Creative Youth),Wesleyan College, Concentration in Visual Arts
Solo Exhibitions
2021 From Brooklyn, with Love, Now or Never, New York, NY
2019 P.R.I.N.T., Now or Never, New York, NY
2016 Magnitudinem, Dacia Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Recent Paintings, New York Public Library 115th St Branch, New York, NY
Group Exhibitions
2023-24 Unique Impressions: Salmagundi Monotype Exhibit, Salmagundi Club Library, New York, NY
2023 Please, Don’t Wake Me, Eric Schindler Gallery, Richmond, VA
Unique Impressions: Salmagundi Monotype Invitational, Spring Bull Gallery, Newport, RI
2021 Shades of Blue: Drawings, Watercolors, and Works on Paper, DFN Projects/Equity Gallery, New York, NY
2020 Terra Incognita, The QNS Collective, Virtual Exhibition
Trees of Life, The Blue Revie, Virtual Exhibition
Biophilia, Sugarlift, Virtual Exhibtion
2019 Argentum: Contemporary Silverpoint, The Daughtrey Gallery, Hillsdale Colletge, MI
Sketchbook Vol 1, Sugarlift, Long Island City, NY
2018 DRAW: Artists Take Over the Subway, Sugarlift, New York, NY
Monochroma, Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, Grand Rapids, MI
2017 Single Fare 4, Highline Stages, New York, NY
2016 First Annual NYSE and SCNY Artists Exhibition, Invitational, Patron's Gallery, Salmagundi Club, New York
Historic Landscape Through Modern Eyes: Re-envisioning Theodore Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill, Old Orchard Museum, Oyster Bay, NY
SCNY Summer Non-Juried Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
25th Annual Juried Show, Bowery Gallery, New York, NY
8th National Juried Show, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY
Landscapes & Cityscapes, The Natural & Manmade, Dacia Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Special Junior/Scholarship Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
2013 Spring Fling, The Lounge Underground, Brooklyn, NY
Art of the Salmagundi Club Junior & Scholarship Group, Mehu Gallery, New York, NY
Small Works 2D 3D 4D, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY
2012 Junior & Scholarship Members' Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
2011 Teaching Studios of Art Student Show, Locust Valley Gallery, Locust Valley, NY
City Life, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Summer Potpourri Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Palette & Place: A Plein Air Exhibition, The Koenig Center, Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay, NY
2010 Summer Potpourri Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
127 Annual Members Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Thumb Box, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Teaching Studios of Art Student Show, Jericho Public Library, Jericho, NY
2008 HAS Alumni Small Works Show, Silpe Gallery, West Hartford, CT
Moleskine Detour, London Book Fair, London, UK
Moleskine Detour, Interior Lifestyle Fair, Tokyo, Japan
Moleskine Detour, ISOT (International Stationary & Office Products) Fair, Tokyo, Japan
2007 GLAAD Out Auction, New York, NY
Wrap It Up, Westchester Arts Council, White Plains, NY
2006 Three Approaches to Painting, I Gallery, New York, NY
Dinner at Far Mill Benefit, The Kennedy Center, Trumbull, CT
Diversity & Solidarity, I Gallery, New York, NY
2004 BFA Group Exhibit, Silpe Gallery, West Hartford, CT
16th Annual Alexander Goldfarb Juried Exhibit, Joseloff Gallery, West Hartford, CT
2002 Open Studio Group Exhibit, Art Space Gallery, Hartford, CT
17th Annual National Arts Program, LTR Gallery, Hartford, CT
Public Collections
Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Teaching/Workshops
2021 Drawn to Nature: Sketchbook Drawing with Pen and Ink, online workshops, Teaching Studios of Art, NY
2022 Drawn to the Masters: A Reinterpretation in Pen and Ink, online workshops, Teaching Studios of Art, NY
Publications
2022 The Path of Drawing: Lessons for Everyday Creativity and Mindfulness, by Patricia Watwood, Monticelli Studio