Breathing Color, Carlos and Sandra Caicedo
Eclipse Mill Gallery, North Adams
By: Charles Giuliano - Jun 04, 2026
Breathing and Color, Carlos and Sandra Caicedo
Eclipse Mill Gallery|
243 Union Street
North Adams, Mass 01247
June 3 to 30, 2026
Opening June 6, 5 to 7 PM
As you enter the Eclipse Mill Gallery the impact of Breathing Color, Carlos and Sandra Caicedo, packs an immediate visual wallop.
Straight ahead in a niche under the gallery logo is a mosaic work of Sandra’s intricate small drawings attached to the wall, edge to edge, with double sided tape. The disparate parts merge into a vibrantly cohesive whole.
Turing to the left the same technique has been executed to create a stunning, panorama that shimmers with intricate color patterns. Assembled in this manner the individual drawings may be regarded as the tesserae of a Byzantine mosaic such as those that I have encountered in Ravenna. In another art historical context the obsessive patterns she creates call to mind the work of the Austrian artist Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (1928-2000).
While I make those connections the artist is not aware of other work. What she creates, intuitively, is entirely original and autodidactic. Encouraged and nurtured by her father, Sandra, who has Down’s Syndrome, expresses herself in many artistic formats. She is a joyous dancer and performer. As an artist the work is exceptional with a great use of materials, an array of color markers, with a strong sense of pattern, design and the relationship of colors.
There is a drawing table in the gallery and when the artists are present she will be working. It was my great pleasure to observe this process as she selected a color and enhanced the drawing with makings. The process of this appeared to be unhesitant and fluid.
Looking to the right in the gallery we encounter his complex, abstract works on an arrangement of easels as well as on walls.
In the studio he uses lighting to enhance small, table top sculptures, created with cut and bent paper. Color lighting further articulates these manipulated forms. They are then photographed and sent to a collaborator in Montreal. Initially, a film was created then attached to an aluminum rectangle. More recently the image is printed directly to the surface. He attaches twigs to the surface to create gossamer shadows.
We have engaged in discussions about how to define the work. I have suggested the term non objective abstraction. Carlos explains that the images are derived by photographing a real object. Also an examination of the images reveals evocative forms. One he pointed to suggests a reclining nude woman, another may be regarded as a mask, while there is a piece with a red circle that may be the nose of a clown above what may be lips.
In commonality with the work of Sandra all of this is done with whimsy. What I feel in the gallery is the mood of joy and love.
Recently, Carlos worked on monotypes with the printmaker Brandon Graving. These are displayed, unframed, suspended as banners. In a more painterly manner they are very different from the works on aluminum. One we discussed evoked a landscape with horizon line. Dried leaves and forest ephemera are attached to the surface. No doubt this material is gathered during routine nature walks.
Sandra also participated in the printmaking session and these works are a leap forward in terms of color, expressive movement and collaged elements.
Overall, this is a remarkable exhibition and truly I have never seen anything like it.
What follows is text that I requested.
For more than five decades, Carlos Caicedo has redefined visual storytelling through his art. As a creative force whose work transcends boundaries, he continues to explore the delicate balance between form and emotion, transforming the simple into the extraordinary. His latest photo series turns humble materials like paper into poetic abstractions of light, shadow, and imagination. Each image invites viewers to rediscover the beauty of what is often overlooked, a signature of his boundless creative curiosity.
My creative journey
In making art, I always say that the process is usually more enjoyable and stimulating than the final result. You start a project with a blank canvas, where nothing has been scripted. It’s you and your endless possibilities. Everything plays. I am my own client. I am the audience. Once the project has been completed, the public is in charge. You rely on others to keep your work alive. The “acceptance” word comes into play, and it’s out of your control.
Carlos is a multi-award-winning Graphic Artist. His work, which spans over 55 years, has been shown throughout the United States from Alaska to New York, as well as South America and Europe. His work includes drawing, watercolor, and acrylic paintings. During the last few years, he has concentrated on exploring photography as an art form. Carlos’ background also includes Graphic Design and advertising. His name has been associated with more than 400 national and international awards. Carlos moved from Colombia to the United States in 1981.
About Sandra…
As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry expressed in The Little Prince, “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
That can be said about Sandra Caicedo’s vivid world of color. She doesn’t have a formal art education, but her images reflect maturity, and are garnished with a smile she always puts into everything she does. You can call them unique, unpredictable, spontaneous, and unmistakable joyful. When you are in front of her artworks dressed with such an extraordinary variety of hues, go ahead and close your eyes. Her rainbow won’t go away. She might have difficulty expressing herself with words because she has Down’s syndrome, but her paintings shout “Look! This is me!
As applied to Sandra and expressed in The Little Prince, “We must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if we wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.” She is such a flying character.