Franklin Calvo, Passionate About the Visual Arts and Teaching

 I have known Franklin for many years and, over time, our friendship has grown stronger. I will always be grateful to him: during 2018 and 2019, he promoted my invitation as a juror at the Student Arts Festival (FEA) of Escuela Rincón Grande, in Pavas, San José, where he is a teacher. It was an honor to share with those talented children; I cherish pleasant and unforgettable memories. I also extend from here my sincere gratitude because he and his students have read and studied some of my poems and articles. This noble gesture is, for me, the most beautiful gift I have ever received.

 Let us learn more about this talented Costa Rican artist. FranD'klin has an international and diverse academic background: he studied Pedagogy at Universidad del Valle, where he earned his degree as a teacher for cycles I and II. In addition, he graduated from the Paramount Academy in the United States, specializing in oriental painting, watercolor, acrylic, and oil. His passion for Asian art led him to become a disciple of renowned Eastern masters, with whom he perfected the technique of Sumi-e (ink painting) and oriental watercolor. He complemented his studies in East and West—an experience he describes as fundamental to understanding the “inner artist” and respect for the human being.

 I take this opportunity to congratulate Franklin for the great work he has done, is doing, and will continue to do for art, culture, education, and the dissemination of knowledge. In this interview, we address topics such as his creativity, the motivations that inspire his paintings, his writing, his educational work, and his participation as co-author in the poetic anthology CANTO PLANETARIO. I am sure you will enjoy this conversation with this excellent artist. I invite you to learn more about his artistic and literary work.

Title: Returning Home.
Mixed Media, 75x55.
Year: 2022.
Author: Franklin Calvo

 At what age did you have your first contact with the visual arts?

 Since I was very young, it was all like an experimental modeler, but I consider that the artist is born and evolves with art.

 As a child, who inspired you to fall in love with painting?

 The very environment in which I was raised, since I lived surrounded by nature; but my mother and maternal grandmother always encouraged me. I also want to thank the great lady Mrs. Olga Espinach, who followed my art from a very young age.

 Where did you begin your art studies?

 I began my studies in elementary and secondary school. When I was a teenager, my alma mater was the Casa del Artista—now it belongs to the Ministry of Culture—then I went on to the Paramount Academy based in Costa Rica. Subsequently, I was a student of the famous painter Kan Yu Chien, who instructed me for 7 years in the technique of Sumi-E and Chinese painting. I studied visual arts for I and II cycle at UNED and continued with some workshops in the USA.

Title: Freshness and Charm
Technique: Sumi-E 75x75
Year: 2022
Author: Franklin Calvo.

 What does the Sumi-e technique consist of?

 It consists of beginning to learn the technique of the 4 gentlemen referred to as:

 • the orchid giving beauty,
 • the bamboo giving strength,
 • the plum tree expressing one of the seasons of the year, and
 • the chrysanthemum giving movement in the technique;This technique is millenary and touches the soul and spirit of the artist when he is capable of seeing, through monochrome, the thousand colors that life has.

 What are the main themes you address in your paintings and writings?

 My paintings address nature in all its manifestations, and my writings contemplate charity and humanity in order, through these, to reach the eternal.

Title: Through the Glass
Technique: Watercolor, 75x80
Year: 2021
Author: Franklin Calvo.

 In your early youth, you showed great interest in religious studies, but you declined to continue that career. What motivated you to dedicate yourself more to teaching and the visual arts?

 I was inclined toward a living apostolate among the masses of the environment in order to contribute my grain of sand from my knowledge.

 In what way do you believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) can affect or benefit artists?

 I believe that everything that leads to good has no negative effect on humanity, and I consider that AI is a good instrument if we know how to direct it.

 With your great experience in the visual arts, how do you define your art of painting?

 I am myself with open doors to interpretation that grant the human being peace and tranquility when contemplating my works; that is my greatest dream through my art.

Title: To My Asge
Technique: Mixed Media, 40x40
Year: 2025
Author: Franklin Calvo.

 In which countries have you sold most of your artistic works?

 My artistic works are in several countries in Central America and the United States, but where I have sold the most is in my own country and the USA.

 How has your experience been as a teacher in the areas of painting and Spanish with your students?

 The pedagogical system invites us to be creative, to use transversal axes, and through painting and the environment with my students, I have been able to implant my teachings as a teacher and, with my poetry, embellish the subject of Spanish.

 What is your opinion of the phrase by theoretical physicist Michio Kaku: “Every child is born a genius, but is crushed by society and education”?

 Everything differs; society gives you opportunities, education feeds them back. Nothing crushes you if we see life with hope, knowing that respect for what others write is essential and is only contemplated.

 What did it represent for you to be part of Canto Planetario: Brotherhood on Earth (H.C. Editores, 2023)?

 It represented joining a whole through Canto Planetario and contemplating in different poems by equals the beauty of life and inspiring myself in the creative mind of the one who convened Canto Planetario.

 What message would you share with Costa Rican authorities so that they support artists and invest in quality education?

 The message that I consider most appropriate would be: never remove art from pedagogical parameters; art is a resting room in the course of life, contributing progress within a different profile to Costa Rican education.