Carina Senior Show 09
Art & Faith
As I walk the road of a Fine Artist I find myself overcoming many obsticles which have thickened and matured my faith in humanity, art and myself. My biggest step of faith was moving to San Francisco in 2003, away from my loving family in Arizona. This has come to inspire my works through the pain and lonlyness that sorrownded my nights in an unknown environment. I knew no one In San Francisco but moved there for the promise of seeing the bigger picture that depicted all cultures and Ideas. My instics told me to attend the Academy of Art University for a fruitful career in the Fine Arts. The process of my paintings consists of trying to be everywhere in San Francisco where cultural and social communitys come together for one common purpose. Something that would make us a-like but still having our own opinions, tastes, humor, and reasons for being there.
My faith has seen many forms, as I child I was obsessed with all creatures, as a young girl I was a devoted Roman Catholic, very involved in songs for christ, prayers and teachings. However, my faith now lies in the people I see every day. The Persons, events, and things close to me are the things I have faith in. Because In the end all I have, all I am Is what I make of each message and gift sent to me by the Universe.
Every face I cross, every choice I make affects the other.
I was told once by a veteran of Iraq that the best thing to help veterans overcome the hard times and the isolation they encounter when they come back from war, is to simply talk to them instead of buying them a beer. As he started to cry while saying this. I realized how important it is for all people to tell their stories, their history and their struggle.
The people around me willing to let me photograph and interact with them are always part of my exhibits. I see pride in capturing my friends, family, community organizers, potential heroes and pieces of my own landscape on a block of canvas.
While looking at my thousands of images bicyclists, protesters, nightlife...... I try to turn the series into my own story that I can be related to any San Franciscan or better yet any person struggling like myself. This is where my faith in the people I meet and places I go come from and influances my work. Every event in my life occurs for a reason. Though that reason may not come till later, the connection between consequence and observation teaches me to everyday move forward with my hunger to express questions through situations and characters that I meet everyday.
Why is my life so important? This is an important question for every Individual walking the earth. If I did not matter neither would my questions or thoughts. If I am but a pebble in the sand without a reason to be what point is there to go on? Why should I obey the law? Why should I dress up when I go to church? Everything I do affects those next to me. Will I make a day better or sadder?
I have faith in peoples importance, as I meet anyone on the street. A houseless man on the bike path jumps in front of me inches from my face, as I smile at him sitting on my bike his friend moves him and hits him on the head. That simple smile assured the best of reaction from those around me even if I do not know them.
Every moment I see a striking, thought provoking and conceptual image before my eyes I grab a hold of my camera. The image must contain a certain Idea or question with just the right mood. If there is a story I will capture it, if the quality is just right, I will paint it.
My art comes from my real life in San Francisco. Through the year 2009 I attended various events in the city of San Francisco where I became aware of social problems but at the same time I felt out solutions on a personal level. In the Painting “In Motion” I titled it to describe the uniqueness of my life as I met new people, (along with the movement and hustle dealing with the MUNI), not minding their sexual preference or a lack of enthusiasm in an empty MUNI. The pin on her jacket says: NOT NOT GAY. I did not ask her if she was indeed “gay” but our friendship only lasted that one night. Moving along from best friend to best friend creates a story of bonds we create through out our lives. This trip into the city was only caused by her (Whitney’s) phrase “your my new best friend” only minutes after meeting her. I left my tiredness and took a trip that would later allow me to sell a painting of her at my Academy of Art senior exhibit. My faith only strengthens after little things like this happen to me.
In another piece of this series I photographed the boots of a Visionary, Teacher and Artist named “Tiny” Aka Lisa Gray-Garcia. Director of POOR Magazine and Author of Criminalization of Poverty. As a volunteer to the Non-profit I assisted them moving after their eviction from Market & seventh street. At one instance electronics hit the wet floor right next to Tiny’s boots, I wanted to seize the beauty in all the pain of moving. Pain and over looking through survival. Every day we must treat the day like it is our last.
I would like my paintings to work as reminders that we are all connected and to keep in mind that everyone and every conversation we have must teach us a lesson of understanding and wisdom. Art not to heal my soul but to speak on the souls that do not have a voice like so many.
