He initially studied art in Salto, and later in Spain alongside the artist Antonio Aramburu.
Later, Carmelo won a scholarship with which he travelled to Paris to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and Académie Colarossi, and then at the Académie Vitti, where Kees van Dongen and Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa were teachers.
Two other official scholarships lead him again to study abroad in following years.
In 1935 he attended classes at the Torres García Workshop and joined the Constructive Art Association.
Carmelo represented Uruguay in multiple exhibitions abroad, notably including the Iberoamerican exhibition in Seville (gold medal, 1930), Uruguayan artists (Buenos Aires, 1915), Autumn salons (Paris, 1926 and 1927), La Maison de l' Unesco (Paris 1949) From Blanes to our days (Ecuador, 1955) In Uruguay he participated in multiple exhibitions, competitions, salons, being the winner of the 1st Prize in the II National Hall in 1938, of the 1st Prize in the IV Hall in 1940 and of the Grand Prize of the V Hall in 1941.