|
|
|
| Johanna Uribes |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Artwork by Johanna Uribes
Symbol Works Artist Statement
The inspiration for Symbol Works initially came from the book The Illustrated Book of Signs and Symbols, which is about the symbolic meanings behind objects and ideas in our world. These symbols are from around the globe and across time. The idea that things we see every day like flowers, insects, birds and even vegetables have symbolic meanings intrigued me. I decided to put these images together almost like the words in a sentence.
The most interesting part for me was taking historic symbols that in many cases have all but lost their original meaning and putting them together to construct a contemporary idea. The result is a group of Surrealistic images that create interesting new meanings through their combined symbols.
|
Artist Bio
Born to a small town in upstate New York, Uribes showed not only an interest, but a gift for art at an early age.
“We moved a lot during my childhood and mostly lived in rural, small town America. Luckily, my parents finally stayed in one place when I entered middle school. This settling process allowed my creative talents to flourish. The rural landscape created an isolation that pushed me to concentrate on my artistic practice. Despite the striking, naturalistic surroundings we lived in, my interest centered on the human form. It was only later that I included the organic in my work.”
Although she took every available art class at the local college in her small town, Uribes’ first taste of art school really began on arrival in Los Angeles. She attended the Otis College of Art and Design for two years.
Uribes also worked as a graphic artist during this time. This experience honed her design and illustration skills. Eventually, she moved to the San Francisco Bay area, completing her BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute.
Over the course of her thirty years plus of art making, working predominantly in acrylic paint on canvas, Uribes’ work has evolved in many directions. Yet, the one constant has been her involvement with the figure. Even in segments of work where no recognizable body is present, the organic shapes within each composition, speak of the figure.
Currently, Uribes is working on a new body of work that deals with symbolic meanings behind objects and ideas in our world. These symbols are from around the globe and across time. The idea that things we see every day like flowers, insects, birds and even vegetables have symbolic meanings intrigued her. She decided to put these images together like the words in a sentence. The most interesting part was taking historic symbols that in many cases have lost their original meaning and putting them together to construct a contemporary idea. The result is a group of Surrealistic images that create interesting new meanings through their combined symbols.
|
|
