Self-Portrait/Autorretrato

Oil on Canvas

March 12, 2015

The following is my second painted self-portrait. My first is currently being exhibited at Tufts' Aidekman Arts Center, in the Slater Concourse Gallery. This one, in terms of lighting and mood, is more dramatic, and the strongly-pigmented red on the skin is intentionally used and inspired by Jenny Saville's paintings of mutilated, maimed bodies. In this painting, I sought to recreate this effect to a limited extent. Nevertheless, the blotches and patches of paint that are characteristic of her work are not present in this piece, but I am up for the challenge of employing her technique in future works. 

You Need Me, I Don't Need You (Ed Sheeran Cover)

A second cover with Davy Baby! We recorded this during winter break, or winter of 2014. 

She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5 Cover)

Maroon 5 is one of my favorite bands of all time (I'm currently obsessed with their new song, "Sugar"). This song is one of their classics as well as one of the first songs that my mom introduced me to, so over the summer of 2014, me and my friend David Hubp (Davy Baby!) decided to give it a shot! Here are the results:

Gravity (Sara Bareilles Cover)

While on the train from London to Paris in June of 2014, I could not stop listening to Sara Bareilles' "Gravity". Its meaning resonated deeply with me, even more so after having come back to Mexico from my trip to Europe. I recorded this cover at the end of the summer, as it encompassed back then and to this day, through music and lyrics, much of what I wish I could put into words.

Las Pintoras

Oil on Canvas
February 20, 2015

In "Las Pintoras", as with "Birthday Boy", I have attempted to capture a warm, sentimental moment that I witnessed in my life.

The sweet women on the painting are two of the women that I had the opportunity to meet in 2013 while volunteering at the SNDIF, or the Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, a public institution for social assistance located in Mexico. During the time that I was there with my closest friend, Monse, we engaged in conversation with the women, who were painting with acrylic on linen. They worked gently and carefully on their art as they were gentle with us, inquiring about our families and opening up to us about theirs. After a little while, we all passed the frijoles and tortillas that were given to us around the table and ate the warm, nourishing food.

The elderly never fail to evoke an emotional reaction from me. Perhaps it is the way they take their lives slowly and calmly, despite the hardships; the subjects, particularly their concern about their families, that they embrace through their soft words; or maybe, the way they are often seen by much of society- as useless, incapable, homely beings, that bring me to want to make a difference for them, whether by helping them physically, listening to them, or even conveying to them that, despite their age and decaying capacities, they still matter just as much as anyone. This painting thus magnifies their everyday moment of peace, serenity, and slow diligence, portraying them in the full humanity that the society often strips from them and from similar elderly men and women.

The Pity Scene (Lights Cover)

Again, an old cover. Some more practice could have gone into the guitar-playing, but overall, this piece was a fun challenge. If you get the chance, check out the actual acoustic performance by Lights on YouTube- despite the doubts that some people have about her vocal talents, based on her studio albums, her acoustic performances reveal that she is actually quite talented.

Without A Word (Birdy Cover)

The following video was taken at Repentino's Open Mic, on September 26, 2013. Although it is not the most recent of the music pieces that I have covered, performing on stage was a thrilling experience, especially with my parents and two of my best friends, Monse Ibañez and David Hubp present. Later in the night, I also covered Therapy by All Time Low, and Rolling in the Deep, by Adele, with David.

As for the song choice- Birdy's original song is a beautiful, heart-wrenching piece, and I personally do not think anyone can do it justice. Still, my love for the song itself, Birdy's voice, and the way she integrates all of it with her phenomenal and breathtaking piano playing led me to urgently desire to play the song myself and show it to the world. 

Birthday Boy

Oil on Canvas
February 7, 2015

The medium for the "Birthday Boy" was oil on canvas. Before beginning to paint, I thought for quite a while about what I wanted to paint. I knew that I wanted to take on painting someone rather than something, and to experiment with creating skin tones with paint. However, I did not want to paint just anyone, but rather, someone meaningful to me. 

In the end, I decided to paint someone whose birthday was quickly approaching, and who had been on my mind lately. Rather coincidentally, the painting was actually based off of a photograph taken by me on the subject's past birthday. Although there are some aspects of the painting that I would like to go back and correct at some point, such as the shadow under the boy's chin and the disproportionally small hand, I am satisfied with the painting. All in all, I hope that I managed to encompass, through color and content, the tender and nostalgic moment in time that it is meant to capture.