BIO
Paula is an artist based in the ancestral lands of the Piscataway peoples (Baltimore, MD) who explores her creative musings through photographs and photo painting to create digital collages and illustrations. She is most inspired by her journey to nurture her mental wellbeing, her loved ones, reflect on her travels, and use her art to connect with viewers in a way that allows them to see themselves. She would call herself an expanding artist/artivist with hopes to share her work, and therefore herself, with the world.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Are we, ourselves, the art? Our ability to love, to feel deeply, to express, to heal, be healers, this all feels like art.
In my creative practice, I express mental wellbeing and trauma healing, identity and representation, family healing, my Creator, our natural world (madre tierra; Mother Earth), and reclaiming my cultures as a transracially adopted latina. This process is one of decolonizing, de-constructing and re-constructing my understanding of my life and experiences. As I explore artistic themes and ideas, I connect to generations before me, who are indigenous to lands of El Salvador and Mexico, and of Spain, and beyond, before that. I create art to understand, to express, and most of all, see hope. And this art making feels sacred. A form of resistance. Bright colors and deep jewel tones are to express depth of feeling and celebrate vibrancy, regardless of heavy or painful subject matter and natural earth colors and nature images symbolize our connection to madre tierra. Collage allows me to re-imagine and blend reality with dream.
Some of my most recent works focus on themes of representation, existence, depth, and strength of brown women of the latinx diaspora. My self-portraits are meant to focus on my/the brown body, physical features, strength and expression, and meant to celebrate loudly the beautiful and awe worthy existence of women of color, our strength, resistance and resilience that already exists within us. Other recent works focus on themes of the traumas of loss, disconnection and at times, healing, that flows from my transracial adoption experience. Other pieces focus on spiritual connections and connections to Creator, and healing protection for my family and loved ones, biological and by adoption. In my art making, I connect with my place in my family, those who came before me, and my larger communities. I make art with the interconnectedness of these layered relationships in mind, and therefore, the interconnectedness of our mental, spiritual and physical healing. To explore these many themes, I weave knowledge and wisdom and nurture a spiritual practice. I read and research, I reflect, and I explore, seeking to practice humility in my learning and art making.
I am growing in my awareness of the privileges I carry with me – like access to healing supports & health care, and educational and professional opportunities that have inevitably influenced my ability to make art and develop as an artist. I create art to elevate healing that comes from exploring our mental wellbeing, raise awareness of mental health challenges, and inspire reflection and conversation around injustice in mental health care access. I work in public health with a focus on mental wellbeing and aim to bring this passion into my artwork. I aim to create art to re-imagine mental health care to celebrate and protect liberation and resistance of Black, Indigenous, and people of color and the many other identities that society marginalizes. La lucha, llena de arte, sigue. (The struggle, full of art, goes on).
GRATITUDE
I have many identities that I also hold in my artmaking – as wife & life partner, sister, daughter, friend, adopted latina exploring her indigenous and mestiza roots, creative, of living experience with mental health challenges, and as a public health professional with focus on mental wellbeing. I wish to thank my Creator, my husband Nick, my sisters and brother, my parents, my nieces and nephews, my first family and lineages, my friends, and the healers who have helped me, who support my art making and exploration of many healing related themes. Your love is with me and within me.
EXHIBITIONS & EXPERIENCE
Group Exhibits
Blooming Scapes! (2024) Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD
Voices of Hispanic and Latinx Artists (2023) Chesapeake Arts Center, Brooklyn Park, MD
Other
Artist Talk, Group panel (2024) Creative Alliance, Blooming Scapes! Artists
Adoptee Visual Artist Interview (2023) Group Virtual solo interview with PhD candidate for dissertation
Locatora Radio podcast, Capítulo 160 “No Sabo Kids” (2023) Voice note recording (starting at minute 46)
FAQ
Why artejimena? Jimena is my middle name, given to me by my birth parents and to me represents connection to my heritage, which I hope to honor in all I create.
What is transracial adoption? Its a lot of things and a variety of experiences, the term is relatively new (thankfully adoptees have been organizing and processing their/our experiences and creating terms and knowledge like this). Learn more in this podcast episode of Code Switch. I appreciate the Red Table Talk episode about transracial adoptee experiences. I also really like ‘This Is Us’ because of Randall’s transracial adoptee storyline. I have a lot of thoughts on all of these representations, and am trying to explore my perspectives in some of my art.
Do you sell your work? I’m currently researching how to promote and sell my work. I’m interested in sustainable/environmentally conscious prints – its a dream to eventually sell online and in person – more info to come!
Can I request a commission? I’m not currently accepting commission requests, but I’m honored that you would be interested! Once I’m ready to accept commissions, I’ll update this section here 🙂
I’m working on a creative project and would love to collaborate with you, would you be open to collaborative artistic projects? Absolutely yes! I’m open to collaborations and ideas, especially those that are community based. Please connect with me at the form on the ‘connect’ page!
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