Costel Iarca is a Romanian-born contemporary artist known for his expressive abstract paintings and distinctive three-dimensional surfaces. Born in 1963 in the rural village of Valea, Romania, he studied painting and sculpture at the School of Popular Arts in Tîrgoviște before pursuing further studies in theology and philosophy at the University of Theology in Transylvania. His early career included teaching Religion and History before emigrating to the United States in the mid-1990s, where he settled in Chicago and began exhibiting his work internationally.

Iarca’s paintings are recognised for their vibrant colour, emotional intensity, and tactile surfaces created through a distinctive technique that builds texture and depth on the canvas. Influenced by artists such as Picasso, Léger, Klee, Van Gogh, and Matisse, his work blends elements of abstraction, expressionism, and spiritual symbolism. His compositions often combine bold colour fields, dynamic lines, and sculptural textures, reflecting themes of human emotion, spirituality, and the relationship between the soul and the physical world.

To find out more about Costel visit his website.