Art Statement

 

My work has consisted of figurative drawings and paintings. In the line of paintings, there are portraits of women at all stages in life: women that surround me and inspire me to render in my work a permanent aspect of fleeting concepts such as life, age, culture, beauty and gender. Although I also work in acrylics and watercolors, I find oil paint the most fascinating medium to use. For instance, the richness of its texture helps me express sensuality in a portrait of a woman or I can achieve the thinnest transparency to indicate fragility and delicacy.

 

In another hand, while I was granted with Gallery Aferro’s Artist in Residency Program, I started creating cityscapes. Newark Architecture consists of a series of mixed media drawings that combine different materials like compressed charcoal, charcoal pencils, ballpoint pen, oil paint, hand-dyed canvas and paper.

 

The early nineteen-century buildings found in the city of Newark in the state of New Jersey have inspired these drawings. I was intrigued by the blend of magnificent architectural beauty on Market Street and the decadent neighborhood that it became after the 1967 Newark riots.