Mirrored - Serena Lopez

Serena Lopez -

My body of work is made up of pieces that emphasize the use of color and line work. I incorporated aspects of expressionism in my exhibition as well as my overall art style. Because I was working with techniques that are closely linked with expressionism, I have been influenced by expressionist artists such as Vincent Van Gogh. Although my original intentions for the overarching theme of my exhibition has changed throughout the creation process, the end result ended up being pieces that utilize color and line work through the use of printmaking and acrylic paint. When I first started creating pieces for my exhibition, I limited myself by creating pieces to fit into a specific theme. Once I came to the realization that I was prioritizing the actual theme over my individual pieces, I began to create pieces that I actually enjoyed and previously visualized. After I made this switch I ended up finding it easier to find connections between the pieces because they were a more accurate reflection of me as an artist.

Because the majority of the first year of this course was spent at home isolated from everyone, I felt lonely and often dreamt of being somewhere else. During quarantine, life felt similar to a fever dream in my opinion because it was hard to believe the things that were actually happening were real. As a result, I created art that I feel expresses my dream-like perception at the time. Creating these pieces were a way for me to escape from the unpredictable reality I was living, and put my feelings into a creative outlet. It was intentional for none of my pieces I included in my exhibition to have any people or animals in order to emphasize the feeling of isolation felt as a result of quarantine. The pieces include vibrant colors and clean linework that create this almost confusing dream-like reality.

The materials that I used for my exhibition pieces include printmaking on linoleum plates and cardstock, a technique I am less familiar with, and acrylic paint on canvas and wooden panels, a medium that I have more experience with. When I began experimenting with printmaking, I thoroughly enjoyed the tedious process of creating detail, specifically seen more in the second print I created, Helianthus. Similarly, acrylic paint allows me to create pieces with clean line work, but also has the ability to blend with other colors, as seen in A Sunset of the City. The pieces where the linework was specifically utilized with acrylic paint include my Untitled 1 piece and Dreaming of an Alternate Reality. Because both mediums allow me to practice line work, I was very drawn to creating pieces with these for my exhibition in order to contribute to the dream-like aesthetic that was developing. I only chose works that I feel reflect me as an artist, and these are the pieces that usually took me the longest to complete. When I created pieces working with completely new mediums, I tended to speed up the process, causing my goal to become completing it as fast as I could. Contrastingly, when I worked on these chosen pieces I was more motivated to spend more time on them in order for the end result to be something I was proud of.

My works are displayed in a way that utilizes balance. They are organized so the audience can find connections between the visual aspects between the works without having to read through all the individual texts for each piece. For my exhibition I chose the works that I feel reflect who I am both as an artist as well as an individual. All of the pieces are ones I dedicated the most time and effort into in order for my final exhibition to be something that I am proud of. When the audience views my work my hope is that they will not only be able to enjoy the art that I have created, but that they would also be able to find connections between the intentions and feelings behind my pieces and their own, creating an opportunity for understanding and appreciation.

Emotional Stability, acrylic paint on wood panel, 30.48x30.48cm

For this piece I studied aspects of Expressionism. I painted a street with monochromatic town-houses that represent different emotions we all experience. I was able to work from a new perspective than I'm used to, and I got a lot of practice working with angles. I painted straight clean lines so the piece would look finished and organized, because I wanted it to portray emotions that have their own space but are still near each other, as they all play important roles in different ways.

Dreaming of an Alternate Reality, acrylic on canvas, 28 x 35.5cm

This piece is one that I did mostly over the summer and revisited during the school year to finish. When I was painting it I really enjoyed it because the colors are so pigmented and I got to use a multitude of colors. This piece is one of my favorites and I’m glad I got to revisit it to finish it how I wanted to. Similar to my other pieces, this piece incorporates techniques of expressionism pertaining to my emotions, specifically seen in the title of this piece.

Santorini, printing ink on linoleum plate, 21.59 x 27.94cm

I created this piece with the goal to utilize detail with a medium I have never used before. This piece allowed me to create a work that was based on a real place, but depicting it in a way that seems almost dream-like. The dreamy tone that the piece creates suggests that although the location depicted is a real place, the artist feels far away from the place because of the lack of realism.

Untitled, acrylic paint on canvas, 30.48 x 30.48cm

For this piece I practiced working with acrylics and created something that fits into the aesthetic I created. This piece included visual aspects inspired by my favorite artist, Vincent Van Gogh. This is specifically seen in the dreamy detail of the clouds on the top and bottom of the painting. Something I really focused on this piece was color and the attention to detail. Although it seems to be a simple piece, one can look at the details of it and begin to see more of how it was created.

Helianthus, white printing ink on black paper, 21.59 x 27.94cm

This piece was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh and his pieces including sunflowers. Another connection I found to Van Gogh's art after I printed my piece was the detailing around the leaves as well as the border, as Van Gogh is known for including brush strokes outlining certain details. The border around the print also reminded me of the buildings in Starry Night and how the roofs are curvy and pointed. With this piece I was able to add more details and experiment more than in my other print.

A Sunset of the City, acrylic on canvas, 33.02 x 43.18cm

For this piece, I was inspired by the title poem "A Sunset of the City" by Gwendolyn Brooks, hence the same title that I chose. I wanted to create this piece inspired by the title and what I depicted when I read the title for the first time. I used paint from acrylic tubes, which I had never worked with before. Because the acrylic from tubes was a lot thicker than what I was used to, it took more experimentation and time working with it in order to achieve the look I wanted to create.

Just Peachy, acrylic paint on canvas, 33.02 x 45.72cm

This piece was created to reflect my emotional reaction to life beginning to get back to normal from the pandemic. Although life is starting to feel a little like how it was before, there are still some aspects that may never be “normal” again. This piece includes visuals that are both more realistic as well as visuals and colors that can be connected with my other works, exhibiting how some things from the pandemic will most likely never go away, yet we can still find joy in where we are now.

Untitled 2, acrylic paint on canvas, 33.02 x 45.72cm

For this piece I painted three planets that were overlapping with cloud-like forms in space, further exhibiting this idea of the dream-like reality I was creating with my pieces. The piece offers an alternate visual of what space and the sky in general would look like if it was up to me, alongside the sky in the piece, Dreaming of an Alternate Reality. This piece was another one that utilized color and line work, creating clean lines that created a fun and vibrant look.