Cristina Rodríguez
Los Angeles, California
Website
Cristina Rodriguez
Social Media
Instagram
How would you describe your work?
My work is focused primarily on women and the human experience through collage. Often times my work addresses social issues. While I’ve been exploring different media , I have found a deep connection to analog collage and mixed media techniques.
In the increasing digital world we live in, I choose a tactile, hands-on approach to my work. The act of cutting, tearing, and layering paper creates a physicality in my work as well as mirrors the fragmentation and reconstruction of personal and collective identities.
My commitment to paper based media infuses my work with a sense of groundedness and freedom. Manipulating and reusing images allows me to create new narratives. Thus, crafting stories within my artwork is constantly evolving.
Through my work I aim to engage the viewer with both the surface and the underlining meaning of my collages.
What inspires you?
Collage as an art form awakens my creativity. My work is inspired by a mix of themes: women’s issues, literature, music, and social issues. This variety in inspiration allows me to explore complex subjects that resonate deeply with me.
Sometimes an idea comes first. Other times, a visual triggers a new creation. It is very spontaneous. As I explore an idea or concept, the images guide me to a final composition. In approaching the creation of my collage artwork I strive to allow my creative self develop.
Can you speak about your process?
When I am collaging, time slows down as I immersed myself in creating. I feel engulfed in a bubble.
As I manipulate the images and layers, it seems like I am not just creating art but also discovering more about myself along the process.
When collaging, my process flows in a very dynamic and intuitive way. As if the images find their way to connect with the idea. I usually begin with several images and backgrounds. By juxtaposing them, I create an initial composition.
Often times, I explore different compositions as I consider possible color palette, different backgrounds, additional images or torn pieces of papers. Taking photos along this process helps me expand and refine the final composition.
In my work I use magazines, photos, a variety of papers, substrates, ephemera, and scraps. Additionally, to create textures I use chalk paint and watercolor. To create soft organic edges I enjoy to tear up paper. Also, I love color. It serves me to create a dramatic narrative or to give my work a playful touch. I always strive to balance color and figures in my artwork.
How did you become interested in art?
I always loved art. In my youth I was exposed to art through my eldest sister- who is an artist. Together, my sister and I explored museums in every city we visited. Yet, I was intimidated about creating my own art. About six years ago I started to attend art workshops at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art - mostly drawing as well as painting with pastels and watercolors. During the pandemic I started to explore the art of collage. Since then, I participated in collage workshops, art retreats and residencies. This led me to connect with the collage community, a source of support and inspiration. Now, It has been two years that I have been focusing on collaging consistently.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies, books, or quotes?
Wow, too many artists and writers whose work I love… it is hard to choose. Matisse, Virginia Wolf, Marc Rothko, Jiří Kolář, Clarice Lispector, Shakespeare, Barbara Kruger, Hilma af Klint, Alexander Calder, Zaha Hadid, Hannah Hoch, Carlos Ruíz Zafón, Jhumpa Lahiri… and many, many more.
I love movies! All types except gory films, super hero fiction, and westerns. And…a couple of quotes:
“There is no gate, no lock, no bolt tags you can set upon the freedom of my mind”- Virginia Wolf
“It is only when we are no longer fearful that we begin to create”-J.M.W. Turner
What advice do you have for younger artists?
I have come to make art for the joy of it. So that will be my advice: enjoy the process, have fun creating without overthinking, regardless the opinion of others.
Actually, a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson seems quite apropos for youngerartists:
“Every artist was first an amateur”
