Thirty-three year old artist Joe Colunga has been making art since high school.
"I like to use gesso and thick paints. It's easier for me to feel," he says.
Born blind, Colunga’s art is all about texture. His latest abstract series mixes his love of music, structure, and faith.
"I like to sing southern gospel music, church music, hymns, and stuff like that. I sing at my church," he says.
Hymns used in Colunga’s work are by prolific hymnist Fanny Crosby, who was also blind.
Colunga is one of nearly 20 artists at Art Works Santa Barbara.
The studio offers classes from the basics…
"Warmups we do, we start with the basic circles... and then we move on to our basic shapes… where we try to make the lengths of the side all the same," Colunga explains.
To more advanced pieces…
"You are working in layers so you won’t see this part," he adds.
Studio manager Jacob Allio says the primary goal at the studio is for artists to learn art fundamentals while making their own choices without the pressure of creating in a standardized way. And for Colunga, his biggest lesson so far is patience.
"Don’t rush it simply," he states.
