Teacher Name: Denise Barba
Grade: Senior
Materials: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 21.2x 23.6 in
Description: The intention behind ” Touches in Hues, Primary Lovers” was to represent my love for color in an adoring stare between two figures, mostly made out of primary color patterns and shapes.
Artist Statement: I made this work to express myself, mostly as I shifted from one era of my life into another. The portraits are a devotion to the expressions and features I enjoy seeing around me, and like any good artist, when I enjoy observing something I must recreate it in my own artistic style My Happy Girl and Your Own Blue were therapeutic portraits of my feelings, this process always brought me peace when I was upset or frustrated, the flowing shapes represent the slow tranquil state of mind I reach when in the zone. They embody a new attitude I was developing towards my own emotions, one with more compassion and acceptance for my sensitivity. The collage is a favorite of mine, the medium allows me to organize my thoughts in pieces of paper and simple doodles, leading to personal meanings hidden behind each detail. Raw Chicago symbolizes the emotions surrounding my move to Chicago, inspired greatly by Wangechi Mutu’s work with watercolor and collage. The chaos was an excellent way to display the confusion, anger, and wonder of moving to a new city and interacting with a different culture. Another use of watercolor is in Touches in Hues: Primary Lovers, which is a love letter to primary colors written in abstract shapes and patterns. I challenged myself to fill the paper with what I enjoy most, colors drawn and painted a loose hand but focused on details, wrapped up in a loving stare. Lastly, Dimensional Blood tackles the experience of menstruation, in an attempt to challenge the taboo sentiment surrounding periods and what they entail. It was a way to express raw emotion and pain in a face of relief, in a body that’s comfortable as it is. These artworks are considered my best because they accurately portray my simplest human needs and experiences, ranging from change, to emotion, to love.
English 
Español de México