CHRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ

I am interested in retelling childhood experiences. Through layers of paint and imagery I evoke memories and emotions from my past. The manipulation of thick on thin paint creates a history and density similar to memories. The previous layers of material influence newer ones. I paint and draw imagined spaces with motifs of the home, the human figure, plants, pots, fences, and tools. I use the interior/ exterior duality to express how complex identity can be. My artwork evokes change through the process of covering up and revealing imagery. The artwork discovers change, and becomes a “self” through the process of making and changing.

My most recent project is called Looking Back, Walking Forward and it takes a look at LGBTQIA+ individuals living in the Central Valley. I am interviewing participants and creating paintings that are reflective of the interviews, who the sitter is as a person, and the experiences they share with me. Through portraiture I am elevating these individuals and challenging viewers to rethink their ex-pectations of sexuality and gender. No identity whether sexual, gender, race, etc., can be shaped into a perfect mold.