Artistic Amazing Amistades
As some of you already know & for those who just met me, I love alliteration & Spanglish is a natural part of my everyday vernacular. As a bilingual/ bicultural Latina mixing Spanish & English starts in my mind & continues into my speech.
During my amazing experience as part of the ARTWorks artist fellowship at JCAL: Jamaica Center for the Arts & Learning I had the chance to participate in artist talks. Thank you so much for those of you who came out. It was lovely to make new friends/amistades & reconnect with old friends/amistades. I was touched that so many of you really resonated with my art, especially Flamboyan, a mixed media piece inspired by “mi isla” de Puerto Rico.
I am so grateful for Materials for the Arts here in NYC where I claimed this already used square canvas. The canvas already had some paint on it and I decided to use bubble wrap to make more layers of pattern in paint on the background. The idea of the tree of life and our energy centers/chakras came to me when thinking about Puerto Rico’s tree, the Flamboyan. I lave looking at at standing under these trees whenever I visit Puerto Rico. It was a real creativity flow making this mixed media painting. The spirals, a shape I frequently use in my work, seen in the roots of the tree are a personal and universal symbol of healing, life, growth, eternity, and cycles.
The texture on the painting was created with melted plastic from plastic bags and the plastic from menstrual product wrappers. The red yarn was the last part to be added and I was inspired by the myth from various cultures where it is believed all souls are connected by a red string. The color red to me also means blood and life.
It is a great thing to be playful and in the spirit there are two Coquis (Puerto Rican tiny frogs) found in the painting.
I am so glad and grateful that this painting found its permanent home with Jazz Jones in Texas. She saw the painting and exclaimed that it represents what she does for a living, helping others heal through positive energy work.
A painter of acrylic, oil, and/or mixed media, themes of feminine beauty, strength, and power have always been prevalent in Lisa’s art. Since embracing motherhood in the 90’s, the wonder of womanhood has become an even more essential part of her current pieces.
The use of bright colors and ever apparent orbs, dots, circles, and bright colors all symbolize life and joy. Universal themes of spirituality, sensuality, and beauty are expressed in her work.