About Carlos

 

 

I was born in Mexico City and enjoyed a beautiful childhood in the suburbs of that large metropolis. I always loved artmaking: in elementary school, I asked my mom to purchase the teacher's art project book and did all the projects at home.

My family immigrated to the U.S. when I was a teenager. Coming from a middle-class family in a country where food on the table and a roof over one's head is paramount, I went to high school and college thinking I had to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. Fortunately I loved math and computers. I made it to MIT, became the first person in my family to obtain a Ph.D., joined Google in Silicon Valley, and enjoyed a successful engineering career culminating in my work receiving a most-influential award in the field's top conference.

Despite my success in tech, the desire to make art never disappeared, and I found my way to evening courses, workshops and long-term study with artists like Sadie Valeri, Justin Hess, Tony Ryder and Carl Dobsky. Coming from the digital bubble of tech, I was fascinated by the physicality of art-making. The woodsy smell of sharpened pencils. The gentle smell of freshly-applied oil paint. Crucially, painting for me represented the ability to communicate beauty in a way that is not possible via machines and algorithms.

As time goes by, I have moved from the academic approach towards my own individual style of painting. Regardless of style or subject, my aim is to show the beauty and complexity in the everyday: flowers, fruits, the face of a mother or sister.

I thank you for visiting, hope you enjoy my art, and welcome you to follow along as I continue developing as an artist and human.

 

Education

  • Drawing and painting Full-time study, Safehouse Atelier, Los Angeles, 2015-2016
  • Drawing and painting Summer study at The Ryder Studio, Santa Fe, 2015
  • Ph.D. Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009
  • M.S. Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005
  • B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics, University of Texas at Austin, 2000

 

Awards

  • Top-ten winner, Portrait Society of America members only competition, 2015, entry: Mazatleca
  • ICSE Most Influential Paper Award, 2017, entry: Feedback-Directed Random Testing
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 2004-2006
  • Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, 2002-2004
  • AT&T Research Labs Fellowship, 2002-2008
  • MIT Presidential Fellowship, 2002-2003