Alicia Reyes 

Art creates a platform where we are allowed to depict as many things that our imagination can generate. Art allows us to express ourselves, our emotions, thoughts, experiences, beliefs, etc., which then gives us the choice to share these creative expressions with others. Personally, I enjoy art that makes me feel different emotions — i.e. happy, intimidated, uneasy, inspired, sad, proud — and art that has hidden meanings to it that the viewer may not pick up on quickly. Since I enjoy viewing artwork that have both meaning and emotion to them, when I make art, I try to capture the same essence by allowing myself to conjure up an emotion (or several), and allowing multiple ideas, inspired by that feeling, to fuel my creative mind. For example, if I make a monster, do I want the monster to be scary or silly? Big or small? What if I make it pink? How would that change the overall feeling and design of the character? Thoughts like these become an essential part of my creative process. I immerse myself in what it is I am trying to convey through my artwork and I try to find the best way to do it.

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My artwork tends to vary between nonrepresentational and representational art, however, I have noticed that I create more pieces in the latter category. Nonetheless, as I have mentioned above, every art piece has a meaning or intention behind it even if they do depict an object or figure that we may recognize. I find ways that to really have fun with every project I work on and part of that is adding all these different layers of meaning whether they are noticeable to the viewer or not. I hope that my enthusiasm and love for making art comes through every project that I do, even if I paint a sad figure or make an abstract piece.