not there yet Painting

I am a painter from Bolivia who recently moved to Dallas after receiving degrees in Architecture and Painting from the University of Arkansas. My work represents space and how people perceive it using color and the core principles of perspective drawing to provide a tridimensional quality to a two-dimensional realm. My paintings are not a direct depiction of a specific space, but rather an interpretation of experiencing that space. By providing the viewer with nothing else except the line drawing, the artwork becomes a symbol of space itself, whether the spatial subject is literal, fabricated, and in many cases liminal (both and neither). Color takes a dimensional quality with soft color gradations in the background and a violently bright line drawing on the foreground. The perspective drawing suggests depth in the depicted space, however, it is paired with a specific color which repels against the depth perspective, confusing the audience by leading them into the canvas, while paradoxically reflecting them out. This experience leaves the viewer with a sense of magnetism or repulsion, but in both cases causing a visual vibration, obvious to the audience. My interest in architecture, perspective, and color can be traced back to the places I lived. Growing up in Santa Cruz, Bolivia I was surrounded by a rich palette of bright Amazonian colors and colonial architecture. This interest in architecture was further developed while living and studying in Germany. The Cologne Cathedral, Kölner Dom, located directly outside the main train station, left a shocking impression on me, sweeping me into an interest of tunneling space and forced perspective. My fascination in architecture continued as I received my degree at University of Arkansas, as I eventually realized that my deepest attraction to the field lied in the visual elements of constructing space. I prefer to work on large canvases to allow the audience to visually enter into the projected space. I aim to create a sense of wholeness by covering the entire surface with a color gradient including the edges of the canvas. When the viewer walks around the painting, the edges transform the piece into a physical entity, which projects an imaginary space in the room. A human scale proportion is suggested by a large canvas in combination with the perspective drawing. In my artwork I seek to create an experience through an image. The experience of moving through space or staying static. I’ve mostly attempted this through painting, but I’ve also experimented with installation, reflective surface, and artificial light. I have a desire to evolve my painting by including the context that surrounds the artwork. Making the surrounding space a component of the artwork is instrumental in creating an illusion of space. As we find ourselves spending more time in the highly organized yet physically void environment of the internet, my reductive depiction of a room or hall calls into question how illusion and artificiality can stand once stripped of its ornamentation.