Rosa Nuñez
I am grieving what I am soon to lose. As my parents prepare to sell my childhood home, my paintings are shaped by transition and the impending loss of access to the only space I’ve ever called home. My paintings explore the longing for a time and place that can never be entirely recaptured.
I am never painting a singular moment; all of my references are blended to create an environment that defies the rules of time and space. Instead, my work focuses on the emotionality of a built environment based on my own memories and longings. I composite observational sketches, digital photos, and personal family pictures from scrapbooks to create large-scale acrylic paintings. I begin in my sketchbook, where I construct multiple compositions from the same set of images, allowing me to fully realize the scene I am portraying.
Favoring saturated highlights and shadows of complementary tones to mimic the warmth and coolness of memory, I go into my paintings with a broad idea of color in mind. In doing this, my process becomes instinctive and driven by emotion. In the same manner, I let my strokes be bold and loose to mimic the haziness of nostalgia. Paired with rendered faces and bodies, my paintings visually become the act of remembering the people within a moment rather than an exact moment in itself. I let my layers of paint and washes be visible to emphasize temporality.
While the process of selling my home has been slow and halted, I still mourn the day I will leave and never return.