You may have seen his recent work on the southern sides of Urban Oak and Tease Hair Salon at Main Street, but what do you know about the artist himself?
Carlos Barboza was born in Costa Rica, and at ten years old, moved to the U.S. He’s lived in Oklahoma ever since. He started drawing and painting at the age of six, and has never stopped. Carlos draws inspiration from many different things, from the Renaissance masters, to other muralists, and even to Andy Warhol. He says, “It’s a mixed bag of whatever images I come across on any given day.”
Barboza only recently began creating murals, before he focused mostly on paintings, sketches, and digital art. He humbly thinks of each new piece as “trying something new”, and if it comes out amazing, then it’s a pleasant surprise. “…if you go into a project thinking it’s gonna set the world on fire, you are more than likely gonna fall victim to disappointment.”
Barboza believes that local public art gives something interesting for the public to view, but also creates a sense of pride in the place they call home. “So, support local art! Without it, we are nothing but a blank brick wall covered in spider webs.”
You can find out more about Carlos Barboza by going to his website, https://www.carlosbarboza.com/! You can find more of his amazing art and any new projects on Instagram at @cbarboza_art