Maria Estella Rodriguez

In appreciation of my Mexican heritage, I enjoy sharing my culture and traditions in the course of painting. I use my paintbrush to make a connection between my heritage and various cultures from around the world and try expose how relatively similar we all are as a people. My purpose is not only to capture the beauty of people from different ethnic backgrounds but to enlighten minds the common relation shared as inhabitants on this planet.

Though I am a self taught artist, I have sought improvement on my skills and acquire some of my discipline through formal training. The process of my paintings is influenced by rich cultures, other artists and using traditional art techniques. The human face is my common subject and I occasionally add flora and fauna and/or abstraction to my paintings. I begin my portrait by gaining inspiration from learning about a specific culture through research. I then apply my insight to the canvas using acrylic paints as my medium. I use soft to high viscosity paint, whatever media I use, I mix it all in to get natural to vibrant shades of colors, the variety of tones help me convey my subject’s emotion. The dramatic use of highlights and shadows enhances the feeling of the face which brings depth to the painting. I paint the mouth relatively neutral and create facial expressions through the eyes and eyebrows. At the same time, I challenge myself to evoke true emotion by representing matters of the soul into my paintings.

While my work is not based on representational accuracy, I take pleasure defining it, grasping every detail. I attempt to create images that are authentic, capturing the inner essence of life. I frequently feel the contours of my own face to acquire the veracity. I express the similarities in facial characteristics we share and fuse every part onto the canvas. From the color of our eyes, our skin tone, the shapes of our cheeks, lips and noses, the way we wear our hair, right down to the colors we choose in our everyday street or traditional attire. As I conduct with colors and shapes, I give my all to get my idea across and anticipate that I manifest an image that is peerless.

All these aspects have great influences on the way I paint and each one has given me optimism on the ability, as an artist, to engage any viewer in extending the wonders of the mind to another realm beyond their own.