Roxanne Zuniga Blackwood

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ROXANNE ZUNIGA BLACKWOOD, HER CREATIVE PROCESS AND TO VIEW HER ART ON OUR VIRTUAL GALLERY WALLS!

ARTIST STATEMENT: 
I love to create, I always have since I was a child. When I was quite small, my artist father used to work late night hours for his “day job” so I saw him very little during the week. To let me know he was thinking of me, he would tape fantastical drawings onto the wall above my headboard. I would wake up to his drawings of clouds, animals and people flying in the sky. These drawings would bring me great joy as well as spark my imagination.

I learned at an early age that I could make up my own world with art. I have always been inspired by beauty such as flowers, rainbows, butterflies and insects. I have always loved depicting the figure through portraiture and narrative but also enjoy the simple pleasures of still life and landscape. Color is an important element in my work and I am always looking for new ways to add magic to a picture through pleasing color palettes, expressive brushwork and the buildup of nuanced layering of paint.

CREATIVE PROCESS: 
I like to start my work with a concept in mind; it might be a certain color combination or an interesting arrangement of objects or a particular mood I want to convey. I then sketch it out first if I need more clarity or I just go for it if I have good reference material and have decided on a color palette. I have to work on several pieces at a time - it is a lot like cooking a feast. I can’t focus on cooking just one thing, I need to have things going on at different stages and at different temperatures so the rest of the food doesn’t get cold while it waits for me to be ready for it again. I want several paintings to finish together in their freshest state so we take turns working with one another.

FUN FACTS & INSPIRATION: 
My work is inspired by my childhood, my life as a mom, and my compulsion to celebrate beauty, joy, exploration, discovery, and universal human desires like safety, peace, happiness & personal growth.

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