Meet Jasiel Caminante: Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jasiel Caminante and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jasiel, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
After graduating from college in Arizona, I realized I had no idea how I was going to survive with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I took jobs at museums in Phoenix and later in Atlanta while I kept drawing and painting during my free time; having financial stability while being creative was the goal but something still felt off. It felt like I had the tools but I did not have a purpose.

It was during my job at the High Museum of art that I became extremely inspired observing local artists show their work and become completely connected to the community at large through their work. I saw artists caring for their community by empowering each other through knowledge, respecting their work, and validating their visions through it. I saw artists immersed in what they did and most importantly, I saw a community that cared to learn about their artists’ visions and listened to. To experience that was to experience love where the only right thing to do was to join in by recognizing myself as being part of that blooming multicultural community.

Since then things have changed drastically for me. Every time I go in my studio, wherever this is, it becomes similar to a ceremony where I am only channeling what my heart is telling me, feeling all the love and gratitude for being present in this beautiful time on this wonderful planet Earth. I focus my energy in the moment of creation, and automatically fall in love with everything that comes out by being aware that it is coming out of love for me, for this world, and for a bigger purpose than making money out of it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Jasiel Caminante focuses mainly on working with acrylics, oil and mix media paintings on canvas, and drawings on paper. Recently, shirts with original designs, limited edition prints, stickers, and artisan drawing books have become a part of the line of work. Aesthetically, color and line are emphasized in my paintings, transforming them into elements of my visual vocabulary to communicate how I sense energy around me or in a conveyed situation.

Getting to where I am now has been an amazing journey! We usually label experiences as good or bad, but lessons are embedded in everything we walk through. When I look at past challenging events and my approach to them in those moments, I see myself sometimes complaining and rejecting what was happening to me, but now I can only be thankful. Had I not experienced those challenges, I would probably be in the same comfort zone I was in 10 years ago. I am thankful for all the people who inspired me, which is every single person I have encountered in life. This includes those who believed, as well as those who did not believe I could do something. All of them were my teachers. On my journey I learned a new language, I became the first one in my family to go to college and obtain an art degree, I saw my internal fears and made peace with them, and now I can paint straight out of love. I am not trying to change the world but rather myself to be a better human being in every moment I can and in every decision I make.

My brand is Jasiel Caminante and I am just another you sharing my heart’s vision, through my art, of a world sustained by the energy of love and creation where every form of life is admired, respected, and honored because we are all related.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I wanted to show someone a good time in Atlanta, I would definitely take them for a bike ride at the belt line and around Piedmont Park. After that, I would take them to have lunch at Ponce City Market and also taste some local beers there. Edgewood is also a cool place to visit at night, there are some really cool murals in the area as well as bars to check out.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is dedicated to Tyree Smith and Nikia knight from Artlanta for allowing me to participate in Hundu, my first group art exhibition in Atlanta. Tyree Smith is now the founder of Chace Village and Stained Gallery. His and Nikia’s Instagram addresses are as followed: @tyreesmith @1nikiaknight

Instagram: @jasiel_caminante