Artist Statement

Painting is the truest, deepest feeling of self expression I have experienced. As I paint, I feel energized; thoughts and ideas flow naturally, unrestricted and unencumbered. I am in a place more deeply connected to my inner self. I best describe my work as a collection of experiences and qualities uniquely mine. Memories become woven into the fabric of my being, both cultural and personal and which symbolically represent the many facets of my life and complexity of my thoughts.

My favorite medium is oil on canvas. I find the entire process of painting fascinating from beginning to end. From deciding my canvas dimensions, to stretching the canvas, to the best type of brushes and colors to use for the particular painting I am about to begin. The technique I most often use is applying thick layers of paint over thin washes of color, some which I leave exposed or later bring back to the surface in various patterns, creating a juxtaposition of different textures. The patterns which emerge are almost always organic, free, flowing, interconnected vine like shapes, woven through the many layers of color and texture. The colors I choose are bold, rich and oftentimes acidic, which I like as I find they help provide a more dynamic flow of contrasting energies to the images. It is this movement, this lifelike energy in the painting which I find most challenging to attain, most satisfying and visually most appealing once completed.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The beauty within


Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.
Kahlil Gibran

Milkweed
is about that inner light Kahlil Gibran speaks about. It represents symbolically, the idea of those qualities we posses within, which ultimately define who we truly are as a human being. Inner beauty is often described as something that can't be physically observed, but rather it is understood by the heart. The day I held this weathered seed pod in my hand and it unexpectedly popped open, I understood the depth of the prophet's words.

2 comments:

A. F. Stewart said...

A lovely piece of artwork.

Also I wished to let you know I awarded your blog the Beautiful Blogger Award.
You can check out the details here:
http://afstewartblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/changes-and-beautiful-blogger-award.html

Cristina Ruggiero said...

Thank you so much. What a wonderful surprice!!