Since I was very young I have always been fascinated by the way memory works and how close it is to the mechanism of dreaming. People and places mix, names get lost, we invent scenarios that may never have happened. We rewrite our past in ways that are more poetic in recollection. My paintings depict those abstract emotions conjured up by these rearranged experiences whether it be heightened euphoria, a darkened sense of foreboding, sublime twilight, or a recollection of tragedy.

I started working on wood panels about three years ago and found it to be a very satisfying surface to paint on. I create washes of color as well as opaque areas when I begin. Using photographs as references, I put figures and environments together in compositions that make sense but are not necessarily accurate. Using a combination of line drawing and painting creates a language of bold swaths of color while maintaining the intricacy of delicately rendered figures.

People that I have met along the way are spread out across the country. Many of them are part of a vital underground culture which is constantly informing my work. That is the catalyst that keeps my art moving.

- Cayetano G. Valenzuela

 

Copyright © 2008 Cayetano G Valenzuela. All rights reserved.