Artist Statement

Daniel Sotelo

Artist Statement

As I grew up, art didn’t mean much to me. I did it because it was a school requirement, and while I definitely enjoyed it, it never went much deeper than that. Yet, as I became older, that changed. As new responsibilities, more work, and more stress came into my life, art became a way for me to escape. In it I found release from life and all of its problems and difficulties. In my art, I learned to explore subjects that are of interest to me, such as new places, alternative realities, and to deal with things that bother me, like old childhood fears. It helps me to understand myself and the world I live in. It helps to keep me sane in this crazy universe.
Usually, I get inspiration for new pieces from my day to day life and my memories, complimented by the art I see posted on sites all over the internet, including pieces by Salvador Dali, Daniel Richter, and Rene Magritte. I will see a piece of art that will remind me of something relevant to me, anything, and that will make me want to sketch something out; though usually I just want to get straight to the paper to get drawing.
My art to me symbolizes my growth as a person. When I look at it, I can remember how I used to be, what I was thinking at the time, my friends, dreams, hopes and fears, and then I can compare my current self to that image of me and reflect on how I’ve grown, all the new experiences I’ve had, how my expectations have evolved, and all the new skills I have acquired. It’s a chronicle of my life and how it has changed me and the world I live in.





.April

Exodus

A pencil and graphite piece, this is the opposite of my piece of the beginning of the universe. It is very concise, and nothing really is abstract at all. Also, only black and white was used instead of the colors used in the beginning of the universe. It shows Earth crashing into another planet, which is basically like the end of the universe to us humans. Yet it's also a new beginning, hence the title "Exodus", since, even though more than probably all humans died out, our planet could have seeded this planet and created life here. Contrast, death and life, the end of the old and the beginning of the new, are all themes of this piece.



.April

Fires of Hell

This piece was basically an attempt at an abstract piece, inspired by a piece I saw showcased at the museum which was just a giant red square. I tried to get energy and feeling into the piece, and black to show darkness. I wanted a very abstract representation of hell, but I believe this piece needed more planning. Nevertheless, it was good practice for my next piece, The Four Enemies.

.April

The Four Enemies

This piece shows the creation of the universe. The four different colors represent the 4 forces of the universe, which split from each other and caused the big bang. They are gravity, electromagnetism, and strong and weak nuclear forces. The piece tried to recreate the energy and chaos of the beginning of our universe in an interesting and appealing way. I chose the colors to create contrast and variety, and splattering paint to show energy and chaos, making for a visually appealing piece.

.April

No Animal Testing

This piece is a commentary on animal testing. Basically, it's about the idea that some people make the argument that animal testing is fine because we are higher beings than they are, but using that argument, if aliens were to exist, they could test on us and it would be fine because they are 'higher beings' than us. I made the test subject a black and white to really make him stand out, and made each different part of the piece a different color, red to really make the middle piece stand out, yellow and blue to add contrast to the middle piece and color variety. The lines in each of the parts of the pieces connect the parts together and make it a whole, something bigger than the sum of its parts.

.April

Uncle Sam

A piece done in Acrylics, it shows Uncle Sam, his face hidden behind a nuclear bomb to represent deceit. I got the idea from Rene Magritte's "The Son of Man", a piece in which a man is standing in front of the sea, with an apple in front of his face. The flag on his side is supposed to represent freedon, while the nuclear explosion on the other represents oppression. The Wasteland that he is 'floating' over is supposed to show the desolateness that Uncle Sam's acts lead to. The rhombus shape was chosen to guide the eye better around the painting. The captions add more irony into the mix: "Uncle Sam Wants YOU!
To Support Human RIGHTS!

.December

Untitled

A piece supposed to show mice trying to take over the world, the color choice and composition made it very lackluster. Also, the use of oil pastel as a medium was very difficult, since there were very many small details that had to be added, and that just couldn't be possible with oil pastel. The background, a boring gray, should be completely changed into a more interesting color. The composition needs to be reworked, and the size of the piece either needs to be expanded, or a different medium used, since oil pastel will not allow for great detail at that size.

.November