artist statement

Michelle Aragon   
As a self-taught artist, I am influenced by my experience in advertising.  Working in the precise world of commercials, I am well versed in visual languaging and am intrigued by the ability to communicate on many levels.
 
This is why I tend to work with layers of colors, manipulating them, creating texture upon texture, revealing a hint of each mood throughout the process of my paintings. 
 
Acrylics allow me to experiment with different effects and to build my layers in the moment of my inspiration.   I approach the canvas with a basic concept but then allow the painting to go where it wants to take me.  There is not always a reason why, just the need to be.
 
Although I’ve lived all my life in New York, my Latin heritage and travels to other countries have given me a broader perspective on the world and have allowed me to explore the unifying elements among its peoples.
 
As in film and TV, the perspective of my paintings is usually close-up, filling the entire “frame.”  The figure is female, solitary; strong yet vulnerable.  In the use of traditional female imagery I seek to break the ties that bind us.