VIRTUAL SENIOR SHOW: Diego Reza
As I began exploring my artistic side, I always found myself gravitating toward landscapes and environments. The idea of a space existing and us, as people, being able to interact with it is fascinating to me. The world is my biggest inspiration as there is always something incredible to look at. Whether that be something natural, like a sunset, or something man made, like a neighborhood, both of these keep me wanting to look more. As someone who is anxious 24/7, the act of looking and being present has always helped me come back to my senses. The world is filled with moments of beauty and connection. These are the moments where you cannot help but just look.
My love for environments began when I was given the prompt to photograph places. As I began to take pictures, I realized these photographs were a small snapshot of the world at large. However, a small snapshot is enough to transport me back to the environment and replicate the feelings I felt when photographing the moment. These photographs made me feel at peace and welcomed but also excited and curious for more. That curiosity began to impact the way my art would look later on. As I continued my art journey, I began to fall in love with painting landscapes. The act of physically creating an environment on canvas was something that captivated me. I felt like I could just live inside these paintings forever.
My goal is to capture these moments and keep us wanting to come back to them. There is beauty all around us; it takes a shift in focus to notice it.
Title: “Groovy”
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2019
Description: Western Drive in Santa Cruz. A very warm and nostalgic feeling.
Title: “Music Center”
Medium: Digital Photography
Year: 2019
Description: A night time shot of the music center. It is meant to be eerie but also comforting because of the lights.
Title: “Orange County”
Medium: Tempera on canvas. 24 x 36 in.
Year: 2019
Description: The painting is meant to represent two symbols of home. The house is painted after my own house, while the oranges hang above to represent Orange County. The scale of the oranges compared to the house is meant to represent how the entire County is where I feel most at home rather than just my house itself.
Title: “Pieces of Nature”
Medium: Micron Pen, Watercolor on paper, 14.5 x 15.5 in.
Year: 2021
Description: These composite drawings are meant to represent different perspectives of one area without being able to see the larger picture at first. After each drawing was drawn, the collage is meant to represent how nature comes together to create visual harmony and also its dissonance.
Title: “Sunset”
Medium: Acrylic on mixed media paper, 5 x 7 in.
Year: 2021
Description: This painting is meant to showcase the two worlds of man made beauty and natural beauty. The sunset blends into the neighborhood. The houses begin to fade into the background as the sunset overlooks the entire space.
Title: “San Miguel de Allende”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas. 11 x 14 in.
Year: 2021
Description: This painting is of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The entire city feels like it is from a storybook. The rain had just started to fall as the sun had gone down. The painting is meant to feel dreamlike.
Title: “Walk in the Park”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas. 12 x 12 in.
Year: 2021
Description: One of my first plein air paintings at a park, which was a humbling experience. The darker colors in the foreground are meant to represent me holding myself back in the dark. The bright and sunny path is meant to represent where I could be if I set outside of my comfort zone. The choice is my own.
Title: “Bench”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas. 11 x 14 in.
Year: 2021
Description: a simple park bench, waiting to be used by someone. The hot sun glares down.
Title: “Lakeside”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas. 11 x 14 in.
Year: 2021
Description: A peaceful moment sitting by the lake. The shaded area is meant to represent comfort. While across the lake is excitement and more paths to follow.
Title: “On The Rocks”
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas 11 x 14.
Year: 2021
Description: Dana Point, CA. A moment sitting on the rocks, feeling the push and pull of the water.