City Hall Gallery Opening Reception

Join the City’s Public Arts Commission this Sunday, September 15th, from 2:00-4:00 PM to kick off National Hispanic Heritage Month with the vibrant and inspiring work of Maria Rodriguez at the City Hall Gallery. Her art celebrates her Hispanic heritage, blending bright colors and diverse mediums to explore themes of identity, place, and culture. Through her pieces, Maria takes us on a visual journey that reflects her deep connection to both indigenous and Spanish roots.

Come and enjoy an afternoon of art, light refreshments, and community as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month together!

Artist Statement:

I am exploring themes, which are intersecting and interacting between them, such as identity, place, dislocation, and representation. These themes have a personal significance because as a Mexican woman, I experienced by first-hand the complexity of descent from indigenous and Spanish culture. I rooted my painting practice as a mean of introspection and shaping my worldview, while delving into themes of dislocation, migration, representation, stereotypes, and gender bias, issues that have historically compelled women to challenge societal norms. My pieces display main subjects like place, ethnicity, and identity. As a woman artist, I am trying to reflect deep contemplation of cultural heritage, nature, and the contributions of female artists.

Painting has been the way of processing a visual journey through intersections of landscape and identity while living in San Diego. My pieces were created with a variety of mediums, such as oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting over traditional stretched canvas, paper, and non-traditional, such as discarded materials like cardboard and plastic. I use applications of medium brushstrokes achieving a gradual layering effect in an organize manner creating a sensory reaction. Most of my body of work display a diverse array of bright hues ranging from cool to warm color palette enriching a visual depth. The variety of my color palette has an influence by studying Josef Albers’s book Interaction of Color and Helen Frankenthaler’s work as another significant inspiration on my pieces.