Celesty Claudio

Holding Up a Mirror to the Contemporary World

Dividing her time between residences in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Sedona, Arizona, abstract expressionist painter Celesty Claudio lives and works in intensely artistic communities, enjoying being at the forefront of current trends in art, inspired by glorious surroundings.

"As a native of Puerto Rico, a beautiful and rich-in-color Caribbean island, my senses and emotions were always heightened by nature's beauty and richness. The lush countryside and magnificent waters captured unforgettable scents and sounds like no others! And the beautiful Red Rock Country of northern Arizona has been equally inspiring. It is a place where countless artists have been transformed. Sedona is the most uniquely beautiful location on earth!"

Celesty is self taught and began painting at the age of five, helping her kindergarten teacher with classroom posters. "I would say she and my mother were the two most important people to first discover my talent. This encouraged my mother to have me take classes at age ten with Don Victor Torres Lizardi, a local Puerto Rico artist. I also studied with painter and colleague Hector Escalante, also a local Puerto Rico artist, whose work was my inspiration for abstract art, which I am painting currently and have found is my niche, my passion and my style."

"It may sound like a cliché but I have found Jackson Pollock particularly interesting because, while I don't share his same style, we use the same painting technique, which is placing the canvas either on the floor or a table to work on. Since I started working in abstracts, I have used easels only to showcase my art.

"My art is contemporary; I try to explain and mirror the world through a glass of simplicity, magnifying just shapes and human emotions with colors and the flow of texture in paintings. That's why my choice of expression was abstract expressionism - in my paintings you can find life, nature and emotions in shapes and colors, all based on my life experiences like any other artist.

"But, as I mentioned, my technique is painting over canvas on the floor or on a table. And the reason is that I can create a rich texture with the paint. I use metallic acrylics which I feel give a certain glamour to my paintings.

"What I am trying to achieve with my art is pure and simple – my art is to be enjoyed and appreciated as part of any elegant, contemporary décor in private residences, offices or buildings. It is part of a new generation and I am filling the need for artwork in this new market trend."

Using Marketing and Branding to Reach a Global Audience

Celesty is using the considerable advantages of her degree in marketing and business to reach collectors around the world.

"I started marketing my art in art fairs and street art shows and that was the beginning of my exposure as an artist. Around 2000, I began participating in outside sidewalks Art Shows in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where I sold my first pieces. That is when I realized this was more than my life's passion!

"Like many artists, I dreamed of having my own website, so I spent some time planning the design and the marketing strategies. About a year ago, I launched Galleryartbycelesty.com and started marketing my first official collection, Emotions, on the Internet. I partner with various art sites and use Google tools such as pay per clicks, and others."

Currently, she sells her work using online galleries. The most popular pieces are the Fine Art Giclée Limited Edition prints, which are sold through her own and through partner websites, through interior designers and through other business entities.

Establishing Ownership and Protecting Her Work

Six months after launching her website, Celesty's presence on the Internet had grown 100% and with it, the risk of losing her intellectual property ownership. She decided it was time to register the pieces in her possession to create ownership, credibility and establish herself as a serious artist.

"For some time, I researched and compared the different options for art registration. Then I purchased some high-quality canvases that were pre-tagged with Fine Art Registry® tags. That's when I decided to implement the FAR® system for my work. I knew it was an important tool in protecting my paintings and copyrights. With my exposure on the Internet still growing, I feel safe having my paintings registered with FAR.

"I have about 20 paintings registered as of today and have made a commitment to register every piece as soon as it is finished and signed. It has been proven to me that this is absolutely an immediate automatic step to be taken after finishing each new piece, and the tranquility of mind and the value of it are just great.

"It is a secure way to ensure that my paintings are not going to be copied and redistributed without my permission; and also the protection over my creations is limitless. But over all it assures the buyer that the piece they are acquiring is the real deal – authentic."

"Another thing FAR has helped with tremendously is the exposure on the Internet, further promoting the Celesty branding by providing the search engines an added source of information about me. FAR also provides incredible customer service to all their partners and members. I have dealt with other Internet partners in the past and I can say the support and professionalism of FAR has been outstanding. The low registration cost compared to other registration sites is also a plus.

"It has been my experience that customers are impressed with the fact that they are buying a piece that is registered and that they appreciate the value of it. In fact, I always use it as a bullet point on my art portfolio presentations.

"As an artist, it has given me more credibility, professionalism, and reliability in the eyes of customers and potential customers. Also it has helped me in the prospecting of galleries for new exhibitions. I can honestly say that FAR has been a big factor in my success!"

See Celesty's FAR gallery here.

Artist's FAR Registered Pieces | Entire FAR Portfolio › | Sales Gallery › | Biography ›

— by Georgianna Lane  |  February 1, 2009  |  Print Version - PDF

Discuss on FAR® Forum   |   Print   |