Title
Creation Date
2016
Preview
Medium
acrylic on wood panel
Description
Dimensions: 48 x 36 inches
Rights
© Alexandra Catherine Velardes, 2016. Photo Credit: Boise State University Photo Services.
Exhibit Images
Keywords
acrylic, identity, self, painting
Artist Statement
Self #1 and Self #2
These two pieces address the idea of identity. In this work I am looking at the different aspects of my personality and how the conflict of those create my person in its entirety. In using myself as the model I want others to look at this work and think about the components of people in general. We have many different attributes that play a role in our overall personality. There are some that work together and others that do not; but it is the conversation between them all that manifest who a person is. It is this paradox that both divides and unifies. I have chosen to arrange the pieces side by side, conveying the idea of two sides to one object. I wanted to capture the first side through a relation to the medical perspective. The lefthand painting is reminiscent of a microscope slide allowing the viewer to examine the insides of one self. Using a bodily color palette of reds tans, purples and yellows I wanted to conjure up the idea of bodily fluids and materials. The viscous shapes of the negative spaces bring to mind the idea or a membrane; where the positive shapes are better associated with organs. All of these shapes and colors both work together and against each other further capturing the overall theme of paradox comprising one's identity. The righthand painting while having a similar aesthetic and identical size is much more chaotic. I chose to use the same color palette; however instead of blending the colors I left them separated and disjointed. In doing this I hoped to address the idea that there is a certain part of all peoples’ identity that is beyond outsiders’ knowledge. The second painting deals with the darker aspects of who a person is. I wanted to address that the less we understand the more chaotic it becomes, the less uniform, but also strengthens our desire to understand. It is a combination of this all that creates one person. As the combination of these two works create a self-portrait of myself.