Hello, this is Work & Play
A bit of history: In 2014, I made the decision to go back to school to study painting. Although I had painted on and off since my teens, that year I decided to make a more serious commitment to it.
As I began working in different mediums, going through pre-requisite courses with names I hadn't read in years, such as "Form and Composition" and "Working with Colour I", I happily confirmed that one thing remained, after all this time: the joy I felt in the midst of creating an image. That impossible-to-pin-down feeling of being in another place, completely connected and fullfilled, was still there, every time I picked a up brush.
But, something unexpected also happened along the way: I began to feel increasingly frustrated with the limitations of traditional methods of creating. Here, I had no Undo commands, no ability to explore different colour variations in seconds, not knowing when to stop before going too far and ending up with a big, brown blob of "artist-grade" acrylics. I suppose I should have expected to feel this way. 20 years of working on a computer might do that to you.
After a while, my insecurities as a painter began to take over me. One day, in the midst of one of my canvas battles, I began to think about what it was that actually made the act of painting so enjoyable. And, as I recognized the feeling, I also realized that "it" was identical to how I felt whenever I am designed on the computer. A day later, I went into my office and began using my computer to explore new ways to combine the two worlds I love: the analog and digital.
The images contained in this site, are the result of these small "escapades" I take, in between design projects. I hope you enjoy them.
Monica
A bit of history: In 2014, I made the decision to go back to school to study painting. Although I had painted on and off since my teens, that year I decided to make a more serious commitment to it.
As I began working in different mediums, going through pre-requisite courses with names I hadn't read in years, such as "Form and Composition" and "Working with Colour I", I happily confirmed that one thing remained, after all this time: the joy I felt in the midst of creating an image. That impossible-to-pin-down feeling of being in another place, completely connected and fullfilled, was still there, every time I picked a up brush.
But, something unexpected also happened along the way: I began to feel increasingly frustrated with the limitations of traditional methods of creating. Here, I had no Undo commands, no ability to explore different colour variations in seconds, not knowing when to stop before going too far and ending up with a big, brown blob of "artist-grade" acrylics. I suppose I should have expected to feel this way. 20 years of working on a computer might do that to you.
After a while, my insecurities as a painter began to take over me. One day, in the midst of one of my canvas battles, I began to think about what it was that actually made the act of painting so enjoyable. And, as I recognized the feeling, I also realized that "it" was identical to how I felt whenever I am designed on the computer. A day later, I went into my office and began using my computer to explore new ways to combine the two worlds I love: the analog and digital.
The images contained in this site, are the result of these small "escapades" I take, in between design projects. I hope you enjoy them.
Monica
Un poco de historia: En el 2014, tomé la decisión de regresar a la universidad para estudiar pintura. Aunque he pintado intermitentemente desde la adolescencia, ese año decidí comprometerme más seriamente. Cuando comencé a trabajar en diferentes medios, cursando clases con nombres que no había leído en años, como "Forma y Composición" y "Color I", felizmente confirmé que una cosa no había cambiado, después de todo este tiempo: lo bien que me siento al estar creando una imagen. El sentimiento de estar en otro lugar, completamente conectado a lo que estoy creando, aún estaba ahí, cada que uso un pincel.
Pero algo inesperado también pasó: comencé a sentirme frustrada con las limitaciones de los métodos tradicionales. Aquí no había comandos para "deshacer", ni habilidad para explorar diferentes variaciones de color en segundos, o saber cuándo parar antes de ir demasiado lejos y terminar con una gran mancha de acrílico café. Supongo que debí haberlo esperado. 20 años de trabajar con una computadora pueden hacerte ésto.
Al cabo de un rato, mis inseguridades como pintora empezaron a crecer. Un día, en medio de una de mis batallas con un lienzo, quise reconocer que era realmente lo que sentía al pintar. Y, al reconocerlo, me di cuenta de que "eso" era lo mismo que siento al diseñar en la computadora. Al día siguiente, entré a mi oficina y empecé a usar mi computadora para explorar nuevas formas de combinar los dos mundos que amo: el analógico y el digital. Las imágenes contenidas en este sitio, son el resultado de estas pequeñas "escapadas" que tomo, entre proyectos de diseño. Espero que te gusten.
Monica
Pero algo inesperado también pasó: comencé a sentirme frustrada con las limitaciones de los métodos tradicionales. Aquí no había comandos para "deshacer", ni habilidad para explorar diferentes variaciones de color en segundos, o saber cuándo parar antes de ir demasiado lejos y terminar con una gran mancha de acrílico café. Supongo que debí haberlo esperado. 20 años de trabajar con una computadora pueden hacerte ésto.
Al cabo de un rato, mis inseguridades como pintora empezaron a crecer. Un día, en medio de una de mis batallas con un lienzo, quise reconocer que era realmente lo que sentía al pintar. Y, al reconocerlo, me di cuenta de que "eso" era lo mismo que siento al diseñar en la computadora. Al día siguiente, entré a mi oficina y empecé a usar mi computadora para explorar nuevas formas de combinar los dos mundos que amo: el analógico y el digital. Las imágenes contenidas en este sitio, son el resultado de estas pequeñas "escapadas" que tomo, entre proyectos de diseño. Espero que te gusten.
Monica