Guadulesa - Mixed Media, Paint and Collage
ARTIST STATEMENT
In the 1970’s, as I searched for my own personal artistic approach, I was influenced by Los Angeles artists, Nick Brigante, who worked with luma dyes and inks, and Kanemitsu, also an expert with washes and blends, who became my mentor. He urged me to find my own path and do something different with the technique. I have always been drawn to the movement of energy that constantly changes and travels within all the dimensions of life. Whether abstract or loosely figurative, my images are constructed to reveal that nuance & mystery. The work reflects fluidity, flexibility & mutability. I often use a wet-on-wet application and soft edges to simulate the patterns and rhythms of cellular activity. There is balance and a central tension created through the use of color juxtaposition and line. With spontaneity, strong rhythm, and texture, I strive to offer the viewer a stimulating visual experience.
In the spirit of appealing to as many senses as possible, from 1990 to 2003, I produced and performed, as a painter, in improvisational, interdisciplinary events with jazz musicians, dancers and poets. Sessions took place in galleries, nightclubs, street festivals and auditoriums in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles and St. Croix. Sound was the key element of our shared improvisation.
The artists opened to the creative synergy and responded, in
turn, to sound, rhythm, color, shape, movement and text. As the painter, I
may have captured the rhythm and intensity of the music, echoed the grace of
a dancer, or collaged text into the imagery. I used droppers to apply liquid
acrylics quickly, to stay in time with the music. The droppers allowed me to
draw with paint, and then switch to brushes for broader areas and blends.
When I was truly in tune, I ended a piece in perfect synchronization with
the last note. That was a glorious feeling, a true jazz experience.