Analee Fuentes
Abierto (Homage to Hopper), 2022
Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 x 1 in
-300
On display at the Downtown Eugene Public Library
Artist Bio
Raised in the Southwest and an Oregonian since 1982, I come from a family of artists ranging from painters to potters. My Mexican/American heritage instilled in me an appreciation of bright colors and rich patterning, which is the lens through which I view the world around me and indeed, Oregon's great natural beauty. My subject matter is typically the colorful fauna of Oregon, but recently has expanded to include more culturally specific subject matter.
Artist Statement
This painting is part of a triptych honoring the current colonizing of Oregon via the taco truck. Although a departure from my usual subject matter and scale, I think of these paintings as a document of northward migration via movable kitchens. With food as the "bait," Latinx people are conquering Oregon one taco at a time. When I first moved to Oregon in the mid-80s, there was only one business of Latinx origin in the Eugene area. Now we are growing, thriving, contributing and visible under a cloak of tamales and frijoles. As a trained artist (Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona, 1996), I am aware of the richness of history in my craft and how many before me (of diverse backgrounds) sought to put brush to canvas. I draw upon that global richness to inform my work and to allow myself to grow as an artist. Though this series is experimental, I believe that taking chances to reinvent oneself (for better or for worse) is the key to growth.
For more information email Analee Fuentes