Artist Statement
In my paintings, I explore the destructive media representation of women. As an artist, I am particularly interested in the connection between gender-identity and the biology of the socially constructed body. Through my pictorial narratives, I intermingle gender-specific objects with socio-political references to re-define the relationship between biological functions and gender-identity.
Using figurative elements, limited color palette and shallow perspective, I seek to create a conceptual, albeit representational, form. Compositional planes create alternative readings of the painting; perspective in the classical sense is non-existent. All the elements work to coherently define and support the concept in my paintings: the hegemonic media as a purveyor of power over women.
While I typically use translucent oil paint to build the images layer upon layer, I also apply transfers and collage in order to comment on and critique the medium of advertising itself. I will continue to experiment with both analogue and digital media as an integral part of my constructions.
As a practicing artist for the past twenty years, I’ve personally worked with important artists like Jose Luis Cuevas, Leonora Carrington, Arturo Rivera, and Gunter Gerzso, all of from whom I have shaped my conceptual and artistic capabilities. Monica Mayer, the Mexican conceptual/multi-media feminist artist has also influenced my vision, and in some ways, has lead me to explore the visual language and gender theories of biologically-oriented thinkers, such as Donna Haraway, a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Santa Cruz.