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ARACHNE'S TOMB. 2004
Plaster, Fixall, and Mixed Media on Canvas. 24" X 24".
dark tracing. 1998.
Plaster and Acrylic Mixed Media on Canvas. 36" x 36".
EBB TIDE.
Mixed media/canvas, 24" x 24".
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Artist Statement
I feel my roots grasping the deep cold stones of Altamira. There in the ancient paintings of those Spanish caves I find my origin and definition as an artist. There, I live before the exile of poverty and politics. There, I live before taking on human form. There, I am neither woman nor sister nor citizen. In the mysterious darkness of Altamira I am part of the pure creative spirit that whispers in the ear of every human being.
Just as the artists of Altamira preserved the images and stories of their people, just as the artists of the Holocaust recorded the extermination of theirs, so must each artist have the perception and courage to witness and articulate the images and ideas, the emotions, and realities of their own time.
The body has an ancient wisdom, a mind beyond the brain. I let my body paint, and through the painting I am challenged and tested. I paint through the language of the body, a language of abstract markings that brew, like coffee, to make an impression on the nervous system.
The human mark is the basic subject of my work. Perhaps because I am also a writer, I am fascinated by the styles and patterns of marks that create written language. I marvel at the pure visual beauty of Middle Eastern and Asian languages. Sometimes I watch my own pen forming line into the shapes, dots, and dashes that create so fluidly the linear bridge of language that carries the mind to emotion and imagination. On canvas, abstract marks lead me to an eventual completed image the way an accumulation of letters reveal a story.
Those who recognize artistic influences will see my admiration for Rembrandt, Goya, Mark Toby, Francis Bacon, and Antoni Tapiès. The invisible influence, for the intuitive types, is Gertrude Stein.
I do not consider paintings to be pictures. A painting is a presence. It is not created for consumption, like a fine soufflé, with the palette of the diner in mind. A good painting is a sensei, a lama, a guru, a roshi, a Buddha. The painting presents a koan. You get it or you don't. Wait. Tomorrow it will de different.
Adriana Diaz
© August 2003
More work by Diaz can be found at:
http://www.adrianadiaz.com
and the Violence Against Women Portfolio
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