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Artist Statement Home Current and Recent Exhibits Thumbnails Art Portfolio Recent Projects Bio Contact Me
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Art has
always been a well-rounded experience for me, both academically and
recreationally. I minored in
art history, taking classes at However,
art touches me more deeply than just through academics.
It is my passion and a veritable part of my life.
Someone once asked me why I mainly paint black and Hispanic
women. While the obvious
reason would be because I like to express a part of my culture, I
answered the question with a question: why does Western art focus on
depicting white women, and when they do choose a more colorful subject,
why does she usually represent the exotic, the embodiment of sexuality,
with no focus of her character? There
was no comment. I seek to
give essence to each subject, to show that more exists in human
representation than just physical beauty.
I want my art to provoke emotions in the spectator and send
electricity through his/her veins in the same manner that the process of
creating touches me and my life. I
also want people to see themselves in my work regardless of race, class,
socio-economic level or religion because everyone deserves to be
represented. If the observer
sees a subject that looks nothing like him/her but evokes the same
emotions, maybe he/she will realize that we are not so different after
all. By the same token, if
someone looks at my work and sees a subject that looks like him/her, I
am touching an audience that might have felt marginalized in the Western
art world. This desire to
make the world a little smaller is also present in my academic endeavor
to live among as many cultures as possible in order to grow internally
while strengthening my relationship with my surroundings.
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Courtesy of Sebastien Barret |
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