While going through my personal Instagram page I stumbled upon @44waterlilies and found their artwork really interesting along with the usage of Spanish and English. Looking through some of the images It felt like I was going through a journal with the writing left within it along with the artwork. Going through her artwork feels like I'm finishing up a page on my journal in the outdoors, but it's something for you to look through for yourself. This is this week's feature, Alejandra "Ale" Martinez.
Alejandra "Ale" Martinez
Going down the line of favorites Ale starts off by mentioning her favorite food being "tacos al pastor" I know its pork, but whenever I'd hear "al pastor" I'd imagine the tacos being inside tinfoil being cooked by the vapors.
Listing of her favorite artists she mentions "J Balvin, Reik, Juanes, Julieta Venegas Pablo Alboran, Maná" I've heard of 3 of them, but never really listened to "Reik" I confused him for Reykon from the Kali Uchis, Nuestro Planeta feature.
As for her favorite local artists and businesses she says "I appreciate the hospitality and kindness of the people at Roosevelt’s at 7 located on Main St. Mcallen, Texas. I also love going to Tapioca Rush when the opportunity arises." I've been to Roosevelt's at 7 before and I enjoy it. I do miss the philosophy meetings that would sometimes be held there by the university. The local artist she mentions is "I admire the work of Alejandro Macias, A Brownsville artist who currently resides in Tucson, Arizona."
We each get fascinated by something at an early age, but who can actually say they went through with it at their current age. I never continued skateboarding or learned more than a couple of strings on my guitar, but with Ale her interested began and flourished as she states "when I began to learn how to read, I quickly learned that the author’s name was written on the cover of the book, however, what I was most intrigued by was the illustrator’s name. It was then I knew that there were people who wrote stories and people who illustrated them. I, however, wanted to be both. I wanted to tell a story through my images. Although, ultimately, my wish was to see my name written in the ‘illustrated by' portion of the cover on a book." Who doesn't enjoy a good story? I love hearing about people's adventures and just imagining it. Writing is a way for people to express themselves and is used in many ways. As Ale incorporates writing along with her artwork she says "The act of drawing was always a fun and creative outlet for me. I would often make comics and stories with my sister through the characters we created. One of the reasons I pursue art is because I enjoy
working with materials and developing a piece that I know communicates something to someone." With the mentioning of "comics," it reminds me of an old friend of mine from high school who would create comics based on our teachers growing up. He still creates artwork but focuses more on digital work from what I've seen. When it comes to "developing a piece that I know communicates" that can come from shows having its cast of characters in which someone is bound to relate to one or reading a book and relating to an experience portrayed in a certain scene. As someone would say "isn't the point of art less what people put into it, and more what people get out of it" leading to the communication had due to the piece itself and what it could mean to themselves even if it has the artists meaning already attached to it. I'm sure someone has felt a certain way looking at Ale's artwork.
Looking at Ale's art page it's rather interesting and eye-catching as she pinpoints her art style by saying "my style references heavily on surrealism, Dada (Anti-art movement), symbolism and existentialism. I am still developing and learning through reading literature and researching artists, but I would categorize my work within these terms."That sounds really interesting and it's always nice to read that artists are researching and reading literature on the art they do and the history it involves. Styles can always change and artists can always experiment and see where it can lead to. No one is ever just in one place and I can't wait to see where the development leads to. As she mentions she's still developing her style and learning has it always been this way well she says "I have changed the manner in which I present, create and develop my work in many ways over time. When I first started my degree in fine arts at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, I would create comics illustrating my personality, at the time, through the use of humor and exaggeration. Then I discovered the art of collage and I fully immersed myself into it for about three years. Recently, I mostly create oil paintings and drawings with oil pastels and ink." It's always nice to learn something new and then stumble into a new way to create artwork while learning from your previous endeavors.
From the changes to the most current style, how does it all come together from the art to the writing involved she says "In my recent work, I have developed a model that I follow to create a piece. I begin by writing the idea. This step alone takes as much time and dedication as the process of working on the piece itself. Writing is the foundation of my work and it is the root from where I pull my ideas to create images. I like to play with the usage of words to create new meanings that then transform into others. After I decide on an idea, I then prepare my workspace. I would often work at school in the painting studio and stayed after hours alone to work on pieces. I also worked in my home studio when I wasn’t at school but taking all my materials constantly from home to school was always very tiring, so I mostly worked at school. To me setting up my materials in my studio is almost like a religious practice." The workspace is very important along with the steps needed to enter a certain mindset along with the area you'll be doing your work. I usually exercise and get the blood pumping along with a snack or drink to get myself working on these blog posts, but its usually reading the responses that get me going. It's always interesting reading what every artist has to say. We each have our ways of taking the steps to work on something new or just in general.
While looking through her work I noticed a repetition of symbols that revolved around the usage of the number "44" and drawing involving easels and a clock and this is what Ale had to say about that "The mystery behind the work is what makes it relevant to its meaning. The work speaks to the viewer in a language they cannot fully grasp. Those who believe they have figured out the work, have fallen into the trap. My art initially became inspired by the existentialist movement in modern philosophy. I wanted to focus on the Absurd as the affirmation that we can never truly know the purpose of humankind in an irrational universe. The repetitive nature of daily contemporary life can drive a man to question why he does what he does and why he should continue all together. It is the question that leads to
the next and leads to nothing at all. The 44 is a hidden symbol. You ask the universe for a sign and you so desperately look for one. The 44 is the sign. When I come across it, I know that the doubts and questions I have are answered. Both the past and the future live simultaneously." I was always seeing these images in the work posted. It certainly did catch my attention while still enjoying the artwork as a whole. There are personal ideas that some of the artwork makes me think about and feel which is always nice. Ale speaks about symbols as she continues by saying "The use of symbolism in my work is there to further engage and play with the viewer’s curiosity. Everyone wants to know why and the reason for it. The clock always is at 4:44. It is a memento mori motif present in all my work. I believe it arises from my appreciation of the Vanitas movement. I am creating a universe where the Transformation of the Tragedy can exist. The easel is the one who knows all the secrets of the Tragedy. The easel supports the canvas but he is also Atlas holding the emotional weight of the painting. The easel serves just as the waterlilies, the dung beetle, the chessboard, the sphere, and as all of the other symbols, they transform their meanings to better explain visually and poetically the narrative." I can understand the portrayal behind the easel which is interesting, but in most cases it also true in what it can do as Ale mentions the "communication" she wishes to portray with her artwork that others may relate to it. It surely is something for individuals to witness and see for themselves.
Going through her work I mentioned the usage of Spanish along with English, but mostly Spanish being used. Being close to the border and Spanish being the dominant language in the area must not be the only reason as she says " The Spanish language is a romance language. It originated from Latin and evolved into its own dialects into Latino America. It is also my mother tongue. As many people living in the Rio Grande Valley, I learned English because it was a school requirement when I was 8 years old. When I write in Spanish, I feel the creative freedom to play with words and their definitions depending on the context." It is important to have the comfort of being able to express yourself in any way you can even better in your "mother language" as mentioned. As something can and are better said that way.
With Covid-19 being present art galleries and events being able to showcase artists are on hold, but in terms of the past we have participated or even actually been part of the event itself as Ale mentions "I am slowly building my trajectory as an artist and I was pleased to have participated in Rising Eyes of Texas, a statewide, juried exhibition for undergraduate and graduate students emerging in the visual arts. I showcased a portrait of my mother made in egg tempera, a medium I have been very interested in recently. It was a wonderful event in Rockport, Texas where I got to see and talk to other artists!" That sounds really cool and rather interesting. I'm glad to hear that Ale has enjoyed the event and hoping for a future where she may be able to portray her work in any upcoming events as well. Even with the most recent art exhibition by Hues Of Humanity, maybe we can see more virtual galleries pop up due to our current situation.
Going through changes in art styles and type of work done since the beginning to now there has to be a favorite piece which has been created as she says "One of the pieces of my series Titled 'La Realizacion' (The Realization) is one of my favorite pieces that
I enjoyed creating. It is a 30” by 40” oil painting on canvas depicting a tin bucket with holes and a paper boat floating above. The word 'realizacion' in Spanish refers to something that is carried out or executed. However, the word realization in English refers to becoming aware of something. This piece talks about both, realizing and reflecting upon absurdity and feeling pointless."
Speaking of changes of styles and experimentation she does plan on trying something one day from what she says "I would love to learn and experiment with sculpture. I have been thinking that to enrich my established images, I can create sculptures that exist in space and not just on the canvas." I can imagine the time and effort to create a sculpture, but also the creative process as mentioned earlier. It seems like it'd be an interesting experience as they say "don't knock till you try it" and only you can see where that can lead you.
Ale shares her thoughts on the local scene in the valley,
"I am fairly new to finding out about other artists and art-related events in the valley through my friends from the school of art. I believe many artists from the valley have significant messages and are very dedicated to their passions. We have many talented individuals who truly possess great skill. That said, I also believe the art scene in the valley itself is still very underground. I may say this because I am not that engaged within it, but I believe there is still much work to be done in order to establish a vivid, alive, and successful art scene throughout. This area has the potential to have plenty of art districts all throughout that
support local artists, artisans, and their craft."
Along with advice for anyone wanting to draw,
"If you want to practice making art and want to share your work with others, my advice is that you have a sketchbook and draw every single day. The more you practice, the more your skill will develop. Another word of advice is to trust the learning curve. I often still struggle with this but, just because you are not seeing the results you want, in the beginning, does not mean you never will. Just like in anything else, art takes time, dedication, and practice. Reading and researching artists also helps to better polish what your vision is for your art. In regards to posting online, do not feel discouraged to do so. In the digital age where the saturation of artwork can overwhelm new artists can also very much also discourage them from posting their art. Now more than ever before in art history, we have access to so many artists’ and their work! The redefinition of art is slowly becoming more accessible to everyone which means artists interested in selling work can do so with ease. If you are on the fence about whether or not to post your work, I’d say just post it. If you realize it isn’t for you, you can simply leave it without compromise."
This has been Alejandra "Ale" Martinez be sure to check out her Instagram page at @44waterlilies
Comments