It was no fluke that contemporary artist and designer Klara Chavarria chose La Jolla as the site for her new working art studio and gallery.

“I love nature and am so grateful to have natural beauty like that at La Jolla Cove, and I’m inspired by that,” said the Guatemalan-American visual artist, who set up shop at 7920 Ivanhoe Ave. about three months ago after moving from Prospect Street. “There is also a community, and a very nice group of artists and galleries here.”

Chavarria is now a fixture in the growing La Jolla art scene and was recently elected to the board of the La Jolla Village Merchants Association representing local artists and other entrepreneurs.

For more than a quarter-century, Chavarria has worked in different mediums, specializing in painting, while also being a graphic designer with over 20 years of experience. Her work is recognized internationally for its expressionist themes and human concepts dealing with anthropological concepts in symbolic and abstract forms. Her art explores themes of existence and the human experience, devoting thought to relationships, emotions, and nature.
That is evidenced on Chavarria’s website at klarachavarria.com, which showcases her imaginative, thought-provoking, individualistic art. “It’s figurative, abstract work and very expressive,” she said of her work adding, “I am interested in the human experience and condition. So a lot of my pieces have their own story, their soul. I want to focus on what unifies us, rather than what separates us. That’s my interest.”

Born in Guatemala City, Chavarria relocated to the United States as a student.
She started her career in marketing and graphic design, having her own company for many years before devoting herself full-time to art. She has taught painting, drawing, and sculpture workshops at different venues nationwide.

Her work is part of the prestigious Museum Casa Santo Domingo Collection in Antigua, Guatemala, Central America. Her works are also in hundreds of international private collections including Spain, the United States, Guatemala, Netherlands, France, México, Monaco, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Spain, and Argentina, among others. Her work was also displayed at the Public Collection at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, as well as at O’Hare International Airport.
For Chavarria, art is one of the purest forms of self-expression which she noted can be both “philosophical and intellectual.” She pointed out that nature is one of her favorite subjects to render through art. She said her art helped her “find my voice which I express through different pallets of color which include recognizable figures and landscapes, all very abstract.”

The contemporary artist welcomes the public to visit her La Jolla gallery where she is presently working on a new series of abstract paintings she said are “totally inspired by the California coast where I live. It’s nature and the human concept together. I’m just bringing those two together.”

“We have so many environmental challenges in the world,” concluded Chavarria. “Nature, we are part of it. We need nature more than we think. And we’re part of nature more than we think.”

KLARA CHAVARRIA

Where: 7920 Ivanhoe Ave.

Información: klarachavarria.com, 305-282-2116.