Ramón G. Deanda: My Point of View
August 4th - September 30th, 2023
Imagine, if you will, standing amid a place engulfed by nonsense and chaos. Absurdity reigns here, common sense has long gone from this place; it is an alternative world engulfed with alternative facts. The noise, the craziness is protected by inconspicuousness, either everyone decides to ignore this or there is no interest in seeking the true truth, not alternative truths. These creatures are caught in a place that they do not comprehend. They exist somewhere just South of Paradise and just North of Hell. It may sound familiar, or maybe not. But mentally, these creatures, have trapped themselves to social psychosis.
In My Point of View, I try to capture the absurdity, the foolishness that contemporary society has been stirred by all that nonsense. In these prints, my intention is to depict moments, or ideas that are relatable to anyone from anywhere by using ranch creatures as human metaphoric characters. Narcissism, corruption, deception, deception, gluttony, egocentrism and isolation are a few distinctive features that have inundated today’s human society and I evoke in this work. These animals are confined to the ranch, caught in an imaginary boundary that does not let them escape their own madness. What I can conclude from all this, is that the imminent danger for all in this planet is not building physical walls, but constructing mental boundaries.
--------------
All prints are sold framed unless otherwise noted. Scroll to the bottom for Ramon Deanda's Artist Biography!
In My Point of View, I try to capture the absurdity, the foolishness that contemporary society has been stirred by all that nonsense. In these prints, my intention is to depict moments, or ideas that are relatable to anyone from anywhere by using ranch creatures as human metaphoric characters. Narcissism, corruption, deception, deception, gluttony, egocentrism and isolation are a few distinctive features that have inundated today’s human society and I evoke in this work. These animals are confined to the ranch, caught in an imaginary boundary that does not let them escape their own madness. What I can conclude from all this, is that the imminent danger for all in this planet is not building physical walls, but constructing mental boundaries.
--------------
All prints are sold framed unless otherwise noted. Scroll to the bottom for Ramon Deanda's Artist Biography!
Ramon Deanda Biography:
I am from a place where I do not belong. I am neither from here nor there. I am caught in an everlasting, internal battle between two identities, two cultures. On one side, I am not Mexican enough for my fellow compatriots, as I am very much influenced by my American culture. To the other side, I am not sufficiently American, as my English is adulterated by my colloquial command of the language and my Mexican heritage. I reside in limbo between two cultures, sometimes rejected by either one, and yet, ultimately, accepted by both.
In an effort to negotiate my conflicting identity, I sought refuge in art and music. I wanted to find a way to be in a state of transcendence, a way to own my unique identity. I learned how to play instruments, such as the accordion, saxophone, and bass guitars. I see music as a universal language, an arrangement of sounds that comes from within the soul. Anyone can understand the emotion in a song by listening and feeling the musical arrangements.
For me, art is like composing a musical arrangement. Within each brushstroke or mark made, and within each pigment of color, resides a burst of musical notes that inspired them. It is influenced by the collage of sounds composed by the accordion and saxophone instruments that are usually played in the Mexican genre known as Norteño. I often play my accordion or saxophone to stimulate inspiration and activate my enthusiasm for starting on a piece. It has almost become a ritual to me.
As a result, my artwork pays homage to the very same traditional border influences that inspire my musical expression. This music is popular in Northern Mexico and the Southern United States and is the culmination of different American, Mexican and even German genres that, mixed together, create the Norteño sound.
These songs also influence the color scheme of my work. If the song is upbeat and festive, the color scheme will most likely be vibrant and whimsical, functioning like a metaphor of all the colors from my Mexican heritage. Vibrancy and animation are predominant in my work, as though the musician or the subject matter in the painting is about to play a song. The negative space in my work is always active, almost mimicking the lighting and spotlights that many musical bands use onstage.
I find comfort within the arts, and I am able to communicate easier through printmaking, painting and music. Through music, I have the freedom to convey my message through a song, hoping that the listener is able to grasp the emotion through its melody and rhythm. I use this same freedom to print or paint, and trust that the onlooker will be able to visually understand where I come from, or where I want to be. Always in search of my true self, through my artistic expression, I am able to transcend the confines of my physical space and inherited culture, and locate the place I belong.
In an effort to negotiate my conflicting identity, I sought refuge in art and music. I wanted to find a way to be in a state of transcendence, a way to own my unique identity. I learned how to play instruments, such as the accordion, saxophone, and bass guitars. I see music as a universal language, an arrangement of sounds that comes from within the soul. Anyone can understand the emotion in a song by listening and feeling the musical arrangements.
For me, art is like composing a musical arrangement. Within each brushstroke or mark made, and within each pigment of color, resides a burst of musical notes that inspired them. It is influenced by the collage of sounds composed by the accordion and saxophone instruments that are usually played in the Mexican genre known as Norteño. I often play my accordion or saxophone to stimulate inspiration and activate my enthusiasm for starting on a piece. It has almost become a ritual to me.
As a result, my artwork pays homage to the very same traditional border influences that inspire my musical expression. This music is popular in Northern Mexico and the Southern United States and is the culmination of different American, Mexican and even German genres that, mixed together, create the Norteño sound.
These songs also influence the color scheme of my work. If the song is upbeat and festive, the color scheme will most likely be vibrant and whimsical, functioning like a metaphor of all the colors from my Mexican heritage. Vibrancy and animation are predominant in my work, as though the musician or the subject matter in the painting is about to play a song. The negative space in my work is always active, almost mimicking the lighting and spotlights that many musical bands use onstage.
I find comfort within the arts, and I am able to communicate easier through printmaking, painting and music. Through music, I have the freedom to convey my message through a song, hoping that the listener is able to grasp the emotion through its melody and rhythm. I use this same freedom to print or paint, and trust that the onlooker will be able to visually understand where I come from, or where I want to be. Always in search of my true self, through my artistic expression, I am able to transcend the confines of my physical space and inherited culture, and locate the place I belong.