About CALMA
Biography
CALMA is the name and artistic practice of Carlos Alberto Lopez. Born in Beacon, New York and raised in Broward County, Florida, his work draws from lived experience with structure, movement, discipline, and the machinery of modern life.
Carlos is a U.S. Army veteran who served fifteen years, including deployments to Afghanistan and Eastern Africa. After leaving the Army, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California, where he completed formal culinary training.
Following graduation, he returned to South Florida and pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Barry University, majoring in Graphic Design. His multidisciplinary background informs a practice grounded in precision, intuition, and an awareness of how systems shape everyday life.
Artist statement
My work investigates how beauty survives within everyday life, particularly where the mechanical and the natural meet. Drawing from my American and Colombian upbringing in South Florida, I bring botanical imagery, neighborhood scenes, and manufactured objects into paintings built through saturated color, repeated marks, and visible layers. Flowers, fences, cars, and waterways become ways to consider how we inhabit and move through our surroundings.
I work across canvas, paperboard, photographs, and found surfaces. Drips and spontaneous marks remain visible alongside recognizable forms. My background in graphic design informs the organization of scale, rhythm, and contrast, while the physical surface preserves the energy of making.
Studio and inquiries
Miami, Florida
Studio: los@calma.art
Management and bookings: bookings@hyphentalentagency.com