Maritza Ranero
Portraits, Process and Patterns
I’m a First Generation Nuyorican who grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey.
My parents moved from Puerto Rico to New York City in the 1950s to find work in manufacturing as “factory workers”. Growing up with multiple cultures, I consider change and flow to be the main characteristics of my work. The viscose appearance of most of my work is an integral part of my process.
I usually start with a mark and look for its inherent flow. Other times, I start with my mothers facial image. She is quite often my model and my muse. I also use my image and that of people I know. Most of the time however, they end up as hybrids.
There are also times when painting leads me to a place that I know I have a history with. Im also drawn to round shapes. They remind me of things such as eyes, nipples, the sun, the moon, and the spools of thread that my mother would bring home from the factory. Either way, whether its the figure or an object, I strive for a scenario where I don’t know exactly whats going to happen.
So what might start out looking familiar can end up, strangely, feeling even more so.
