Carina Barajas

An artist of Basque and Mexican descent living in Salt Lake City, Carina Barajas has been interested in drawing, crafts and painting from a young age. While in high school, she decided to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. At first, Barajas’ paintings were strictly inspired by her Basque culture, and the Basque dance group, the Utah ko’ Triskalariak. But during her BFA program, Barajas began to look at herself and her images differently. She used questions about body image as a central trope in one of her self-directed painting classes—and this eventually led to a larger body of work consisting of intaglio prints and various drawings. Barajas has made a study of various digital techniques to help her compose photo images, employ poses, and use color as an effective reference point in her paintings. She has also learned various brush and pallet knife painting techniques that enhance the texture and intensity of her work. Carina Barajas is currently a senior in Painting and Drawing at the University of Utah’s College of Fine Arts. She is interested in both manual works of art as well as digital forms, and is pursuing a minor in Arts and Technology in addition to her major. After graduating from the University of Utah, she hopes to travel widely and document her experiences. She is also interested in advancing her studies with an MFA in both digital and traditional artwork.