Creative Advisor
Paulina Rodriguez Arango
Paulina Rodriguez Arango has been a photographer for more than 35 years, drawn from the beginning to environmental portraits and the quietly unnoticed moments of everyday life, family rhythms, simple interactions and the small corners where ordinary existence unfolds with its own natural grace. Her work has always been guided by a deep fascination with human expression and shaped by the interplay of light, colour, gesture, architecture and texture. In recent years, her practice has shifted towards something less figurative and more exploratory, with photography becoming one stage within a broader artistic process in which image, material and abstraction are brought together in an ongoing and evolving conversation.
Showcase
Seven pieces, and what is behind them
Click on the artwork to see it larger, and read Paulina’s own description of each piece.
Work 01
Indian Beauty
Traveling on a train during a spiritual journey, I met this girl with such an expressive gaze. The light coming through the window made it impossible to resist taking a photo of her. I painted it with watercolour to have an Indian organic feel. Watercolour/double exposure/snap art filters
Work 02
Nostalgia
When we said goodbye, I felt a deep sense of nostalgia. She kept looking at me, and I stole a picture and walked away. My journey had come to an end. Working with encaustic and oil paint, I erased the lines of her face. It doesn’t matter, I carry them in my memory forever. Encausti/oil paint/double exposure
Work 03
Prayers
They prayed with the devotion, completely absorbed in what they were doing. I was fascinated, observing them and their robes trying to capture the depth of their faith with my camera. I created circular lines which I double exposed with the photo and paint in an attempt to unify the prayer they were chanting. Circles on a substrate/ double exposure with music sheets/watercolour and snap art
Work 04
Konso girl
Her eyes seemed larger than she was, her gaze so intense that I had to stop and take a few portraits of her. Through the angles of the lines, I try to emphasise the vast reach of her gaze through those remarkably large eyes. Acrylic on a gelli plate/double exposure
Work 05
Boko
My friend Boko, with his ever-penetrating gaze, kind, calm, and serene. I remember him as I am adding white acrylic to his gray hair and I am lightening his yes to emphasise his serene gaze. Watercolour/acrylic/double exposure
Work 06
Split and Divided
Despite her young age, she was full of questions and doubts, constantly searching for answers, charming and serene. By cutting her in half and creating a collage, I tried to portray her doubts, questions, and inner chaos. Collage/ paper tearing/double exposure
Work 07
Pitonca
No one wanted to get close at first, but Pitonca, the gentle, calm beast with silky skin, won everyone over. I tried to add som drama with natural light from the window, ink and some thread. Inks/thread/light
In her own words
How Paulina got here
As a photographer for more than 35 years, I was drawn to environmental portraits and the different ways people live, connect, and express themselves through habits, traditions, and everyday life. I loved photographing simple moments that often go unnoticed, family activities, quiet interactions, and the small corners where daily life unfolds naturally. I have always been fascinated by human expression, whether through the eyes, body language, or attitude. My photography has been deeply influenced by people, aesthetics, architecture, colour, and texture, always guided by three essential elements: light, colour, and gesture.
Today, through creative processes and artistic interventions, I work with photography as one stage within a broader artistic process. I am creating increasingly less figurative pieces in which the image becomes part of an evolving exploration of material, ideas, and abstraction.
The path she took
She finished the Masterclass
Paulina completed every workshop in the programme. It begins with Getting Started in Art Photography, which is where all of this starts.
Look at Getting StartedThe others
Eighteen more artists
Every creative advisor came the same way, and each one has a page of their own with the work they make now.
See all the creative advisorsPaulina’s creative journey began with just one course
Every artist on these pages started at the same place, unsure whether any of it would come to anything. Getting Started in Art Photography is where that begins.
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