Una Vida Haci Print

This is an example of one of my earlier pieces of art. The style was very "layered" with washes of pigment thinned out with linseed and turpentine. Honestly, I was just trying to get the most bang for my buck back then I think. But then that translated to a love for the white of the canvas and the love for painting over other paintings. I would put up a piece for critic, then take it down and do something almost completely different over it. To this day I do regret not saving more of my original works but as a student with limited funding, we tend to make ends meet. Aside from that, I was truly enamored by a newly framed canvas with a fresh coat of gesso. The possibilities seemed endless! In one aspect I would try to preserve the original canvas and that translated to me makings wisps and more transparent marks. As a writer, I love the room in between glyphs. I love how a page carries itself so well not in spite of, but because of, the negative spaces. Thus, my images back then were more gestural and somewhat ghostly. "Impressions" of figures rapidly displayed and not so labored. I keep this work around to remind me the beauty of simplicity. The subject matter was an ex and at the time we were going through a rough spot. I wanted to express my frustrations. I wanted the viewer to look at someone and say, "Seems okay" but then have the text imply that it wasn't all sunshine and hay. The translation for the text is basically, "A Life lived as Such, is not A Life Lived," or "Not a Life Really Living." The crux of the matter was that we often choose to numb out from reality but in so doing, you might look good in a social media post, but you're not really taking advantage of your short time here on Earth. It was a snapshot of youth. Of my youth. It's one of the paintings I'll pull out when going through my studio and say, "Wow, I used to be so good!" BUT, I feel as if that's how every yearbook album photo looks. Original Artwork is for sale though this treasure is also available as an Open Edition Print.