VIRTUAL SENIOR SHOW: Odalys Juarez
An Artist’s Illusions
Art has been around me for as long as I could remember. It’s been a part of my life in multiple ways, from receiving letters with drawings attached to them to watching my mother paint in the kitchen. It was simply a normal aspect of my environment, so it’s no wonder that it became part of who I am as a person. My interest in drawing and painting grew from watching the ones I loved do the same thing. Soon enough this interest became a passion I wanted to dive deeper into. The only problem with this was trying to find out who I was as an artist and what I wanted to do with it. Time after time I did my absolute best to make something others would truly like, all while neglecting what I truly wanted to make. After a battle within my own mind about the artist I felt I was, I found something I felt was missing. I found a new found passion and appreciation for my own way of making art. This has led to me finally accepting my own artwork, while also leaving behind the idea that my art was created to please others. Even if others expect different things from me, I decided that I am doing what I want. This is my art and this is the artist I am, and I am proud to say so.
This show starts with still lifes and landscapes, which is what I first began making when I was younger. Then it leads into abstract works where I experimented in order to figure out what artist I wanted to be. Some eerie paintings follow, which were created to rejuvenate a new appreciation for color and tones. The next three paintings are an expression of an internal conflict I found myself in throughout the process of becoming the artist I want to be. Lastly, the final painting is of my nephew, a painting I feel extremely proud of and felt would tie the pieces together in a sense. He represents the hope that kept me going throughout my artistic journey.
Title: Still Life 2019
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2019
Description: This is a still life painted in the art studio in Introduction to Painting class at UCSC. The assignment was to choose a section of one of the displays and paint what we see. This was my viewpoint and I chose to paint it without using any black.
Title: Lost in Nostalgia
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This painting is based off a photograph of my quinceanera. The original picture is dark and shadowy. I chose to add red as a representation of the positive memories. The darkness was replaced to leave an everlasting burning perception.
Title: Perspective of the Heart
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: The larger landscape represents a place I once called home in Southern California. It was a home my family and I lived in throughout most of my life before we moved. The heart represents a new era and a new place to call home. Both are huge parts of who we are and this shows how place shapes identity.
Title: Night Changes
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This was a gift to one of my brothers. The moon represents a timeless and constant aspect of life, whereas the rest of the imaging is fleeting. The lights and the shooting star are only there for the moment and we must appreciate it while it lasts. The wolf howls at the moon almost to worship it and its constant companionship.
Title: Soak
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This abstract piece is meant to be striking and colorful in order to catch the eye. The sharpness in the geometric shapes is contrasted by the softness of the bubbles that flow through the piece. The repetitive colors keep the eye moving throughout the image and represents the chaotic nature of this painting.
Title: Mother
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This abstract painting was a play on some complimentary colors. The looming figure has a protective nature as it protects the other shapes in the painting, almost like a mother protecting her child. The outside colors represent the dark nature of the surrounding environment that are creeping in.
Title: Abyss
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This one was just an abstract painting where I was trying to let loose. I just experimented with the primary colors and tried my best not to think about what I was doing.
Title: Perfectly Splendid
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This was the final part of the three-painting-series. It displays a sense of despair, hidden away from the world. The hand is surreal because it is the only part that is authentic, in the fact that it shows the true emotions.
Title: Hidden Monsters
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This painting is also part of a three-painting-series. The covering of the face is meant to show an overwhelming sensation one feels on a daily basis.. The removal of any facial feature shows the obscurity one feels, while also added a sense of eeriness.
Title: Inside Out
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2021
Description: This is a representation of myself and the duality of my inner consciousness compared to my outward bubbly persona. The blue represents the tinge of turmoil that exists in all of us, something we choose to hide. The mouth on the left persona is smaller due to the silence caused by the right persona, who has a bigger mouth. The brightness of the yellow contrasting with the darkness of the blue is a representation of the conflict within.
Title: Compliance
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2021
Description: This painting was meant to evoke horror imagery to represent how scary it is to have this constant looming feeling over oneself. At this point, the inner turmoil has spread to the outward persona, changing the perception of herself forever. The left side is darker and full of shadows and the right side is lighter, again showing the polarity of one’s thoughts.
Title: Gloom
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2021
Description: This painting shows that no matter how alone you are, the inner turmoil will always follow. The blue persona is seen comforting the original persona, as the darkness starts spreading throughout the rest of the picture. It shows that even the brightest rooms (people) can also be overwhelmed by the sadness within.
Title: The Baby
Medium: Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Year: 2020
Description: This painting is my nephew. It was a gift to my sister. I focused on painting him as he is now so she can remember him in this stage forever. It’s a little time capsule the family can hold onto as he grows older. The background color represents his bedroom, which was chosen by his parents.