Identity

This piece was also completed during the Memphis College of Art summer program of 2010. It was my first experience using gouache paint and I was pretty hesitant to begin because I'd heard many stories about the difficulties when using it. Nevertheless I began painting and just couldn't stop! I soon had the torso finished and the background painted with the Mexican flag, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to include a face. In the end (obviously...), I decided to paint the face in and I wanted to create an emotionless expression. The long hair I painted was to represent the way I looked when I was much younger and the way it's disappearing into the flower represents the shedding of my youth and the birth of a more adult me.

Edward

This was a painting I did when I completed a summer program at Memphis College of Art during the summer of 2010. "Edward" was done in acrylic paint and sharpie pen for the lettering, and it was just an experiment that I did to study the structure of an elephant. I decided to paint him yellow because I felt that he needed a strong and bright color to grasp people's attention and captivate them with the message. The background was just a wash of acrylic blue paint mixed with white, so that the coolness of the tones would calm down the bright outspoken yellow color.

Splitting Perspectives

This was my first attempt at working with black paper and layering colors on top of it. Basically I wanted to convey to the viewers two different sides that are seen in a circus. On the left we have the more magical and whimsical side of circus life, full of eye-catching illusions and trickery. On the right we have its counterpart, which is a very disheveled looking clown with a cigarette and booze to give the depressing look more emphasis. The tent is ripped in many places and you can obviously see the filthiness of the right side contrast with the clean-cut and colorful left side.