Maria Cecilia Molina

Artist Statement

Artist Statement:

I grew up in Caracas where the city spreads out into a valley surrounded by magnificent mountains. I spent the weekends of my youth among cows, horses, hills, pastures, and untouched Caribbean beaches. My work retraces the landscapes and colors of my past: the undulating waves, hills, plants, the vibrant colors, warm weather, and tropical nature of my birth country of Venezuela.

I choose acrylic as the main medium for my paintings. I apply multiple layers of paint on textured backgrounds that I create with a range of tools such as gels, tile adhesive, sponge foam, spatulas and craft paper. My process is unconstrained, a delicate balance between caution and spontaneity. An idea for a drawing might arise in a dream and later transform into a painting that is much different from what was originally envisioned. The abstract character of my work allows me great flexibility for transforming the world I observe into the rhythmic and unique world I imagine.

I admire the art of painters such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Robert Delaunay, Maurice Esteve, and Julie Mehretu, as well as the art of my late mother, Angelina Molina, who was a great realist and impressionist painter.