CARLOS MARQUEZ

As I started to read the book Why Didn’t You Tell Me by Carmen Rita Wong it became apparent that the book did not contain very strong imagery that I could use for the project. What I was looking for was depictions that would fit the surreal style of art that I like to make and I know how to do. It became apparent that the strongest imagery in the book was in the beginning. I found inspiration within the first fifty pages. The first depiction was that of Jesus. The description of Jesus and all other depictions were basic. The other three depictions were of La Virgen de Guadalupe, a grinning Cheshire cat, and a depiction of a dancing doll. I started a process of taking these images and changing them while preserving the connection to the book. 

As for the project I chose to make art through a process called image transfer. It consists of using a plate and adding paint in a thin layer and then placing an image from a magazine or any other image and placing it on the plate. The next step is removing the image and the content is imposed on the plate. The last step is placing a clean sheet of paper on the plate and pressing it with a roller. Lastly, you remove the sheet of paper and the image is transferred onto the paper. For the project it would have been very difficult to search and find imagery for the depictions from the book, so I decided to create my own images. I started out by finding images of the book content that were in a certain style that fitted my plans for the project. I took the images and recreated them into a surrealist format. As for the format of Jesus of Nazareth, I recreated an image of Jesus without being on the cross or any typical depiction of jesus. However I needed to connect the image of Jesus to the depiction in the book. I kept certain elements that would identify the image as a depiction of jesus. For the second image titled Mary Magdalene I took complete artistic freedom. The depiction of Mary in the book is a traditional one. However I have always found the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene very interesting. I took the opportunity to reinvent the depiction of Mary to that of Mary magdalene. For the third piece I created a depiction of a cheshire cat looking down at you from on top of a tree with a sinister smile. I actually was very excited to do some work with a Cheshire cat. A Cheshire cat is one of my favorite characters from the Alice in Wonderland book. For this image I created something non typical, nothing from existing depictions of a cartoon cat or otherwise. The last piece of work depicts a wednesday doll from the addams family. It is a choice that I made to create an image of a doll without the typical look of a barbie or a baby doll. I feel that the depictions of art coming from the book work very well with the book. The main protagonist in the book, Carmen, is striving to be something more than she is. She sees herself differently than others see her. She is always striving for change and transformation throughout her life.

I am a mexican artist from michoacan mexico and i relocated to the states at the age of nine. I am thirty nine years old. I have always been an artist. I have been honing my skills from grade school to college. I have never missed an opportunity to take an art class. I would describe my art style as surrealist. For me my journey into surrealism began in high school when I discovered the art of the surrealist painter Salvador Dali. I love the dreamlike depictions and the very strange scenes depicted in his work. In the present I work with different mediums and styles of art. I am also very interested in abstract art with its colors and forms. In the present I would say that I have reached a good space when it comes to my skills and ability to create art. Up to the present I can say that I am the most successful in my art career. I have had the opportunity to display my art in galleries and work on different projects. I am an opportunist artist for different reasons. I am not employed and most of the time I do not have the funds to be able to afford art materials. I work with what I have. I live in a group home for mental illness recovery. As for my space for creating art, I have set up an easel and a table with all my materials in an unused room. When working with smaller materials I sometimes set up a small desk in my room with a small lamp. Some of my activities include reading many books. I like to expand my imagination by reading to understand different points of view and imagine thoughts that I don’t normally have in my everyday life. I also create dark surreal poetry and writing. As of now i have about 5 notebooks full of my poetry. I enjoy listening to all genres of music, from experimental to latino pop music. I listen to music all day every day, it gives me hope and I feel happy when I listen to music. Music is always on in my room day or night and I switch it up according to my moods. I also like films very much. I like to entertain myself with thought provoking films. I am a fan of foreign films and documentaries. My most recent project is designing clothing and I am working towards creating my own website to sell my merchandise. I am also working on creating an online portfolio of my artwork so that I can be more effective when it comes to galleries and having my art displayed.