Monie Camacho

I take it quite literally when they say art is a tool that allows us to express ourselves. My practice is focused on encompassing emotions, my feelings, and how I relate to both. The work is an amplification of these ephemeral beliefs and makes them solidified in transferring them on the canvas. Through this process, I create various narratives, both positive and negative. This method comes from a long history of being separated from and not in tune with my emotions as I was never properly taught how to express myself. Emotions were often dismissed, and I was taught to be strong and persist, regardless of the gravity of the situation. While I held true to this notion, I soon realized that if I did not acknowledge my feelings, I was not living in a way that was authentic to my experiences. The end result was thinking about myself in an unhealthy way, which would not allow me to progress as an individual. 

Art became my therapy, and I used my practice to create things that I originally did not believe I was capable of doing. I finally harnessed my emotions, good and bad, and utilized art to express my emotions and personal experiences. I predominantly communicate these feelings through life drawings and paintings, which creates a reciprocal narrative between myself and my viewers who may be feeling the same emotions. This practice is evident in my work titled Self Portrait 2020, which provides a grayscale full body portrait of myself in my own bedroom, accompanied with a tone of melancholy and coping mechanisms. I set these distinct tones to connect with the audience for emotions and actions like these are real and common amongst many.

            In addition to exploring my emotions, I also pull references from films to create layers of meaning. This also connects to my practice of life drawing, but with the inclusion of a broader set of universal emotions. In a recent work, titled Misgive 2021, which was inspired by French-Canadian actress Anne Dorval in the 2009 film J’ai Tue Ma Mere (I Killed My Mother), I captured the actresses’ facial expressions. The expression is that of hurt and fear, which I connected to and was inspired to capture. Although hurt and fear are not feelings that anyone holds comfort in, they are a universal reality that humans understand and can connect to when viewing the work. By portraying this real emotion, viewers can find solace in their commonalities. The piece was executed in gouache paint, which I find to be a good middle ground between acrylic and watercolor paints. 

            Another piece of work that I have done that also demonstrates this ongoing theme is my work titled Disarming 2020, this piece is also another portrait from a film still. It is that of Natalie Portman from the film, Closer 2004. Portman’s expression in this still  felt familiar when I watched the film and I had to put it onto a canvas. An emotion of hurt and distress is what was read on her face, and expressions/emotions like these are uncomfortable which is why I had to capture it and make a painting.    

            Overall, my practice is a form of art therapy that seeks to resonate with others. By creating work that is relatable and raw with human emotion and expression, I am able to connect to my viewers. Humans are complex individuals, and we all have distinct lived experiences. Through my art, I provide hints of my experiences, both dark and heartfelt, but always as a way to translate emotion on the surface of the work. In abandoning the notion of stifling my feelings, I can channel my feelings as a self-aware adult. If I can communicate with people through my work then I feel I have done my job as an artist.