Porthole-sidescuttle Painting

Originating from Mexico City, Pilar Cortes graduated in 2007 with BA in Visual Arts at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Based in Bristol, since 2008, she works her studio in Mivart Studios, Easton. A sense of uncertainty and continuing self questioning drives my daily practice. Nothing ever feels certain in the process of painting, and this uncertainty drove me to paint through the ever-changing symbolism of water. A lot of my paintings start from painting on the floor; through the plasticity of the paints and mediums. Water or air emerge from the simple action of making a mark on the canvas. Other paintings are inspired by both my own photography and online images, which I alter digitally, both before and during the process of painting. Through my work, I aim to invoke a sense of the sublime.