Academics

Hello, beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well!

I am very excited to discuss this new chapter in my life with you, as I continue to dive deeper into my passion for creating! So far, although the adjustment back to school is always difficult, I am really enjoying the process of beginning to see my ideas and visions for this project come to life. While research is key for my project, because it involves art history, I think I have honestly spent more time reflecting on my experiences as a woman, and other women in my life.

One thing I have especially been focusing on is which women in my life I would like to paint, and what I will ask them when I speak to them about their experiences of being a woman, walking through a gallery or museum space. I really want to reflect a sense of love, admiration, and power in these paintings I create throughout the year. Recently, I purchased a novel written by Bell Hooks titled All About Love, which was introduced to me by one of my favorite artists, Gio Swaby. A renowned scholar, cultural critic, and feminist, Bell Hooks writes about her philosophy of love and provides new visions for a society filled with lovelessness. Beginning to read All About Love helps me dive deeper into how women models were treated throughout history, and if men painting them was truly an act of love, pleasure, or both. 

I have also been able to squeeze in enough time to work on a rough draft painting, mapping out how I would like the paintings in my exhibition to look. Already beginning to dive into my work for this project has been an incredible experience, and it makes me very excited to begin reaching out to women in my life over the next few months, and starting to paint my community. 

That's all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day!

Hello beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well! 

This month was filled with alot of research and preparation, as my peers and I worked on writing speeches about our Odyssey projects, to perform for our friends and family. Being able to voice my thoughts that have been present for so long to a small audience was honestly such a rejuvenating experience, and it made me feel much more confident and excited for my project. I was especially excited for my speech, because I was able to reach out to two women in my life who I would possibly like to paint, and both of them were able to attend! It was amazing to have two amazing and talented women who I admire very much, watch me take flight as I dive into this project. 

The novel All About Love by Bell Hooks which I began reading last month, is truly fascinating, and I feel like I am already able to view love from a different perspective. I just finished a chapter that touched on the issue of lying, and how it affects love between individuals. Hooks writes about how, so often, women are taught to mask who they really are, in order to attract men or a partner in general. This stems from societal restraints that put women on a pedestal to men. For Example, men are encouraged to propose to women rather than women proposing to men, forcing them to comply with certain societal and beauty standards, which encourages them to lie about who they truly are. 

Personally, I feel like I see this heavily applying to the representation of women in art in general. Because representation of women in art has been heavily dominated by men, we see figurative paintings of women that are painted by men reflecting their view on how women should act and look, rather than how women actually see themselves. In other words, women have, in a sense, been silenced through art history, because there were little to no women artists who were encouraged to show their story, or their experiences as a woman through their art. I truly believe that when you look at someone's art, you are getting a peek into how they see the world and the people around them. I also think that because the majority of the art world has been dominated by men, and we see the female nude represented so much in fine art, we are truly able to see how society, and especially men, viewed women throughout history.  

Another exciting thing I was able to finish this month, was a rough draft for how I would like the paintings in my exhibition to look like. For my first reference, I used a piece that I was able to see in person at The Art Institute of Chicago this summer, done by Gio Swaby, who is one of my favorite artists and by far the biggest inspiration for this project. Working from a figure done by Gio Swaby, and slightly altering it into my style, helped me explore the energy and aesthetic I want to capture in these paintings. 

That’s all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day! 

Hello beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well!

This month was an extremely productive month when it comes to research as well as taking small steps toward my exhibition. I spoke with two women this month, including my mother, who I was also able to photograph. It was a beautiful fall evening, the sunflowers were bright, the sun was shining in our eyes, and I honestly think we both had the time of our lives. We got several beautiful shots and decided on one where my mother is staring at an indigo bunting perched in a tree, her foot resting on a rock beside her, and rows of sunflowers behind her. We both fell in love with this image, and after I printed it out, I began taking the steps to begin painting her. I purchased my first canvas, sketched out my mother’s figure in my sketchbook, and finally transferred it onto my 40- by 30-inch canvas. 

Although I have only begun painting my mother's face, the experience of representing someone I know is drastically different from working from my head, or from photographs of celebrities who I admire. As I blended the soft shadows of my mother's face, I felt a strong sense of love, almost like I was giving back to her the life she gave me. As I gazed upon my mother's face, I think it may be the most realistic painting I have ever done, in that the painting truly shows who my mother is. There are no filters hiding who she is from the world. She is being seen through the eyes of someone who knows her, who understands her, and who recognizes and honors who she is. 

The other woman I was able to interview had wonderful insights relating to how the female body has been represented throughout art history. It was lovely to speak with someone who is so gentle and wise and had so many amazing things to say about women artists, as well as women in the art world in general. It is so easy to become trapped in the often disturbing history of women's representation in art, so being able to connect with women from a contemporary perspective has been life-changing for me. Although researching the treatment of women models throughout history is key to my project, I am also trying to completely immerse myself in contemporary women artists and what they are doing with their art. As an artist, it is so easy to get stuck with what you are doing, and to reach out into the world and see what others are doing both inspires me and exposes me to the modern-day art world. 

On an endnote, I was extremely excited to attend the National Portfolio Day just last weekend! I spoke with several art schools and was able to showcase some of my work. As I lay some of my most recent works in front of administrators for different schools, I felt so vulnerable, but, at the same time, incredibly brave. To speak about my art and my process in front of strangers was such a rejuvenating experience! Everyone was so sweet and supportive of my work, especially my visions for this project!

That’s all for now. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Hello beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well!

This month was by far the month that flew by my eyes the fastest. It seemed as though the minute I picked up my pen to write down the things I needed to accomplish this month, the calendar had suddenly turned, and it was already December. Although this month went by so fast, several groundbreaking events happened this month and are even going to happen! Recently, I was able to schedule an interview with the visual arts curator from the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and I am so excited to interview her this coming Thursday. These past few weeks have been filled with editing my planned interview questions for her, as well as back and forth emails figuring out what times worked for both of us. This will be my first professional interview, and I am very excited to see where it takes me, as well as being able to connect with professionals in my community.

I met with a friend about two weeks ago to discuss her feelings as a woman in museums and gallery spaces, and although we didn’t speak for too long, it was nice to hear her opinions on the issue. We also talked a bit about how she would like to see herself represented, and I am looking forward to photographing her in the future for a painting. 

I was also lucky to be able to attend a gallery showing in downtown Albuquerque, where I was exposed to an extremely talented artist, who focused mainly on conveying womens stories, struggles, and resilience through her nude figurative self portraits. I was extremely drawn into the stories, compositions, and styles of her paintings, and am hoping to reach out to her as a possible interviewee.

The painting of my mother is coming along nicely, although I wish I was able to work on it more than I can during the week. However, I am usually able to paint for a couple of hours during the weekends, which is helpful for the flow of my project. This Thanksgiving break also offered plenty of time to work on my painting, as well as a recent self portrait I started, which I hope to include in my exhibition. 

That’s all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day!

This first semester in Odyssey was filled with experiences which provided me with knowledge as well as encouragement. When I first started speaking about my topic in person, I was extremely nervous. I was not sure how people would react. If they would think I was wrong or right, or just didn’t exactly understand the points I was trying to make. I understand that discussing the mistreatment of the female figure in the arts is something that many may not want to hear, which caused me at first to feel very quiet. When I first began to speak to women in my life about their experiences, a fire lit inside me that is still growing. Understanding that this idea I had when I was very young, is something women are feeling just like me, gave me the biggest confidence boost I have ever felt. Specifically, speaking with the curator from The Natural Hispanic Cultural Center was a moment when I truly felt like I had immersed myself into my project. Being able to speak with a very wise and educated woman curator about my project provided me with something I had needed to feel ever since I began researching my topic, courage.  

Now, after all of the research I have done, people I have spoken to, and galleries I have visited, I feel more than ready to dive into the second half of my project. One aspect I have struggled with this semester was finding time to work on my paintings. As I started to slip away from my calendar, putting off much of my research until the last minute, I became swarmed with annotations, blogs, and papers that took away much of my time from working on my paintings. The painting of my mother I have been working on shows steady progress, but I am still far from finishing it. One thing I wish I had been able to accomplish this semester was managing my time better, in which I would have dedicated equal amounts of time to both my research as well as my paintings. Next semester, I hope to focus more on managing my time in ways where I can accomplish all that I need to, effectively and efficiently.

Hello beautiful people! 

I hope you are all doing well!

This first month of 2024 has been going by slowly and steadily, and I am happy to say that I was able to get some paintings finished this month! So far this semester I have been focusing much more on the field work for my project, i.e, using my class time to either work in the studio I have access to here at school, or traveling home to work on larger and more intricate pieces for my project. Just last week, I finished the portrait I had been working on of my mother entitled Mother Earth, as well as a self portrait loosely inspired by Frida Kahlo, which I titled Thinking of Life. I was very satisfied with how both of these paintings turned out, although I do wish I could have finished them a bit faster than I actually did. I am aware that last semester it was difficult for me to balance out all of my research, annotations, blogs, and my literature review with the artworks I hope to create for this project. This semester, I hope to manage my time more wisely by treating my artwork equally as important as my other academics. Last semester, I found myself prioritizing my work from other classes more than I was doing with all of the paintings I had to work on. The one message I want to carry with myself going into the new year, is the fact that just because I value doing well in all of my classes, does not make it okay for me to push things I love and care about, (and that have a deadline too) to the side. 

This month I was also lucky to attend a talk done by two curators on tour who curated the current exhibit at the Albuquerque Art Museum; Coast to Coast to Coast: Indigenous Art from the McMicheal Canadian Art Collection. It was such an amazing experience to listen as they explained their collection, as well as the stories behind the art and artists themselves. One key aspect of this collection was the idea that you don’t need incredibly expensive art materials to make beautiful art. Many of the artists that were showcased in this exhibition lived in far northern countries, where, as the two curators explained, it can be difficult to obtain certain art materials as shipping is often ridiculously expensive. One artist specifically worked with colored pencils to express intimate scenes of families, and while I can’t remember her name at the moment, her work often reminded me of illustrations from children's books, and I hope to go back to the exhibit to photograph some of her work for inspiration.

The month ended on an exciting note, as just last week a friend of mine who is very supportive of me pursuing a career in the arts gave me the contact of one of his relatives, who happens to be a curator at the Smithsonian National Gallery. Over the next month I hope to reach out to her for an interview. 

Mother Earth- 40 by 30 in, acrylic on canvas 

Hello beautiful people! 

I hope you are all doing well!

This month has gone by so fast, (as they always do), but I am very excited to say that this month was by far the best month so far when it comes to reaching out beyond campus on events relating to my research. Earlier this month, I applied to show some of my work at a show aiming to represent young artists today in downtown Albuquerque, which was very eye opening as I have shown multiple pieces on campus, but never outside of campus. The curator from the show emailed me back as soon as I sent in my portfolio, saying that he would review my submission and notify me with the results, and I am so excited to see if I am accepted (fingers crossed!) 

I am also happy to say that this month I applied to work as a teaching assistant for a youth summer art camp held by the Harwood Arts Center. Harwood has a strong message of believing that art education is the key to implementing social change, and I think this environment will be an amazing opportunity to get exposure to other artists whose main themes surround ideas of social change, as well as being able to work with young artists, and to help support their visions. I did hear back from the education coordinator from Harwood and am happy to say that I am scheduled to attend an interview this Thursday, (fingers crossed again!)

Other than reaching out into the art community locally, I have also been working on two pieces this month, one of which is the largest I have ever worked with. I was recently inspired by an artist named Firelei Báez, who is a Haitian/Dominican Republic artist, working and living in New York. Drawing upon the rich history and folklore of the Caribbean, Báez uses a siren-like mythical woman called the “ciguapa,” as her main subject. Describing how the “ciguapa” was always defined to her as a devious and sly female figure that had an indescribable appearance, Báez takes upon these representations and uses the “ciguapa” to challenge mainstream idealizations of femininity. When I discovered Báez and her work, something clicked inside me, and before I knew it I was sketching out ideas for a new painting going towards my solo exhibition. 

I have definitely seen a shift within the pieces I am working on this semester. Compared to last semester, where I was mainly trying to paint women I knew personally, I have found that I have been breaking this idea slightly by working more from my imagination and with self portraits. I find that working with my own figure allows me to control my composition more, as well as come to terms with my own identity and I want to see myself represented. As I am working more from my imagination, I also find that it is easier for me to tie symbolism into my work, something that I strongly wanted accomplish as one of my main ideas is how we can use the female figure in art to show personality, history, emotion, and identity, rather than sexualization. 

That's all for now, have a wonderful rest of your day!