Painting is an introspective journey, a gateway to my most intimate places. I retrieve the images that are already there waiting to be set free and transfer them to the surface. By the time my brush first touches the canvas the painting has been completed many times over in my head.
When people look at my work I want them to feel connected. Like meeting an old friend, like reviving an old feeling. Something they forgot was there and now it’s back again. Then, the invisible thread that links us all is revealed. I feel great joy when my painting creates a bond between the viewer and I.
I begin all my pieces by writing and sketching my intentions. This leads to size and surface selection. As a girl I loved puzzles, as an adult I believe that we are not whole until all of our parts fall into place. Therefore, the challenge of multiple canvas pieces is one that excites and intrigues me.
The roles of women and what is expected of us are ever present subjects in my work. I grew up in Mexico, spending my most formative years by the California border. At home, roles and upbringing corresponded with the more traditional Mexican model. Crossing the border was a different story. The feminist movement and sexual revolution were at full throttle. It is not hard to see why I developed a dual value system and since then I’ve been fascinated and troubled with these arbitrary expectations of women around the world.
I believe my work reflects the need to express that our roles are constantly evolving; that women now-a-days wear so many hats that is futile to try to categorize us or make us fit in pre-cast molds.
If you're in the area please visit Sycamore Fine Arts in Goshen, IN |
