Changarrito with Celeste Sarabia

Cover image artwork: (Closeup) Ked, 2017, Acrylic, Oil, Encaustic & Gold Foil on Panel, 24 x 23 inches

About the Artist

Celeste Sarabia is a Latina artist who was born in El Paso, Texas. Her portraits explore the idea of capturing personality through painting. She paints her subject’s auras in order to be able to express their unique personalities. Her biggest influences are portrait artist Jonathan Yeo and genre painter Johannes Vermeer. They inspire her to prioritize attention to detail, the average person, and to focus on the essence what she sees. 

Sarabia earned her BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting from Texas State University. She lives and works in Austin, Texas. Celeste has previously worked for artist Caitlin McCollom and she currently works as an Assistant to artist Court Lurie.

Artist Statement

“My work captures personality through painting. I enjoy studying the unique physical features and personality of my subjects. I use art as a way to make intimate connections with people in my life. By painting my subjects this way, I am able to show my viewers there is more than meets the eye. As a person who has always been sensitive to peoples’ energy, I use paint to describe my subjects’ interior selves, the things that are difficult to say with words. A photo is taken in order to capture a moment where one’s personality shines through and then becomes the reference for the painting. I emphasize certain body parts by adding more detail in order to help the viewer see personality by way of physical features. I pay attention to how my subjects move when talking or how they react when something is being said. Clothes are left transparent in my paintings to call into question the relevancy of material objects. The backgrounds describe the subject’s identity by selecting colors that specifically represent that person’s aura at the time the photo is taken. I also use specific mark-making to reflect one’s individuality. A person’s raw nature and bare flaws are expressed through the exposure of the wood.”

Artists have the opportunity to sell their art on the Changarrito cart in front of the Museum (or an offsite location, as representative for the Museum during various Austin festivals). Changarreando expands the reach of the artist by presenting their gallery online, while allowing the option to sell merch over Instagram and receive 100% of the sale.

For the launch of the 2018 season, Mexic-Arte Museum featured six Changarrito residencies during the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. On Wednesday, March 14, Celeste Sarabia was on hand.

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