Artist Statement & Teaching Philosophy
Artist Statement
I am a mixed media artist whose artwork reflects the beauty and harshness of living in Los Angeles and the current state of the world. I work with drawing, painting, collage, photography, printmaking, installations, and textile art. The materials I use are both traditional and everyday objects. Most of my works are surreal landscapes, portraits, and self-portraits. My artwork also addresses self-identity, femininity, mental health, and political issues.
My artwork includes:
Charcoal drawings.
Day of the Dead altars.
Mixed media prints.
Collaborative artwork comprising a garden and bed installation.
Generally, most of my artwork has several elements in them. These include using coffee as a stain to signify pollution, distress, and hardships. Usage of bright neon colors and glitter represents hope and unwavering determination. I utilize 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor to signal the rampant addiction and mental health problems that plague today’s society. I include found objects as a way to incorporate artifacts of everyday life. I also employ these materials to challenge some of the viewer’s five senses. People often try to touch and smell my paintings to determine the materials used. All these different materials add contrasting textures and moods to my pictures.
Some of these elements and materials can be seen in Gulabi Gang. The Gulabi Gang is a group of women in India who dress in pink sarees and fight against oppression and sexual and domestic violence. In my portrait, the face of a Gulabi Gang member is seen with exaggerated large eyes. Coffee was used to color her skin as she was framed in gold glitter. Neon pink spray paint, gold fabric, charcoal, and nail polish were also used when making this work.
I draw most of my inspiration from stories that happened to me, in or around L.A., or the people I relate to. Telling the stories of people of color, especially women, is very important to me. After visiting many museums in Europe and seeing women only represented as virgins, mothers, and sluts I made it my point to create art that portrays all the ranges women can have. These artworks are from photographs, memories, and feelings I get from the place or the people I have encountered. Often, the environments and faces of these recollections become exaggerated in my mind, hence their dreamlike appearance.
I firmly believe in the Do It Yourself punk aesthetics and philosophy. I grew up in a household where making art was not encouraged because of the high cost of materials. I followed the DIY principles when I learned about punks and how they made everything from whatever they had. I was not going to let the lack of money stop me from making the art I needed to make. Now that I am older, I still follow the same philosophy but more towards the punk attitude of using and doing whatever I want in my art.
Teaching Philosophy
As Nina Simone said, "An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times." My goal as a teacher is to nurture my student's self-esteem so that they are not afraid to make art that mirrors today’s society and themselves. When my students exit my class I also hope they see how therapeutic making art can be when combating stress and dealing with mental health issues. I plan to use perennialism and progressivism learning pedagogies in my classroom to get better student outcomes.
I believe that all students should be exposed to making art. Students in art classes not only learn to express themselves but also become proficient in problem-solving. While making art, students not only acquire knowledge of elements of art and principles of design they also learn about math and science, strengthening their writing and public speaking skills. Students gain an understanding of unit conversions when they have to enlarge their 8x10 inch drawing into 2x2 feet. They familiarize themselves with science when they mix paint, use light-sensitive materials, and fire up their ceramic projects. They also build up their writing and public speaking skills when they have to explain their artwork.
I decided to become a teacher during my first year in college when I realized my former high school had not prepared me for college. I then made it my goal to be the “door opener” for my students and expose them to what they needed to be ready for whatever college, trade school, or career decision they decided to take. After working several years in after-school programs and special education as a paraprofessional I decided to teach art. Since 2016, I have been volunteering and providing free community art workshops. I became interested in teaching art after hosting several silk screening workshops. It is so rewarding to see a student not give up on a difficult design and then see the joy on their face when their design comes to fruition on a tee shirt/ paper.
My education philosophy is in between two learning pedagogies: perennialism and progressivism. In addition to my students being exposed to classical art and ways of making it, they will also be exposed to contemporary art and issues affecting society today. I like running my classroom using both learning pedagogies. I set clear boundaries and expectations especially when it comes to cleaning up and deadlines. Yet, I allow my students to experiment with techniques and appropriate subject matters that interest them. My background in special education makes me hyper-sensitive about creating an inclusive environment and accommodating students with learning disabilities. When my students leave my classroom I hope they will have a better understanding of art, how it is made, and the therapeutic powers of expressing oneself.