Artist Statement
To find my identity is one of the struggles that I face in my journey throughout life. Things like education, family, money, politics, religion, and sex; all these topics have affected my life and artwork. It helps to define who we are, but, our nature is complex and should not be a label for the social need to blend in or to look for acceptance.
The Diva attitude is knowing our particular value without looking for approval.
Simple things like shapes and colors have unconscious meanings in which I’m able to connect with my audience. Then, there are the characters that I chose to portray, always with a deep sense of admiration and respect for what they do or who they are.
Growing up I was always inspired by the human figure: superheroes, portraiture, nudes, and sculptures. From the classical Greek and Roman period to the masters of Renaissance, Neoclassic art, and finally Pop-art and comic books.
In a way, I’m still representing the same old gods from Western culture that other artists portray before me. The “new gods” we follow in media, magazines, movies, music, and TV.
I always admired beauty, but not only in the obvious stereotype. I could find beauty in the oddest of subjects. Color, lines, composition, and style are important things to consider when I chose an image or character to portray.
As year past by, I had learned to love myself. I have found my inner voice. I can see now that the best way to live my life is to accept that what makes us equal is that we are all different.
Hedy Lamarr. Mixed media on canvas 36″ x48″ $ 7,500
Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems. As a natural beauty seen widely on the big screen in films like Samson and Delilah and White Cargo, society has long ignored her inventive genius. Lamarr’s beauty was simultaneously classic and exotic, making her the perfect model for Disney’s Snow White. Lamarr was also the inspiration for Catwoman in the original Batman comics.
Frida blues. Mixed media on canvas 16″ x 20″ $ 2,800
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country’s popular culture she employed a naive folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist.
Pensive Audrey. Mixed media on canvas 16″ x 20″ $ 2,800
The British actress and humanitarian is once again my muse. Recognized as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend in Golden Age Hollywood and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame.
More than her beautiful physique she had a soul and kindness that I always admired.
She quoted: For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
Yalitza. Mixed media on canvas 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Yalitza Aparicio is a Mexican actress who made her film debut as Cleo in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 drama Roma, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019. Her parents are of indigenous origin; her father is Mixtec and her mother is Trique. She is not, however, fluent in the Mixtec language and had to learn it for her role in Roma. Aparicio was raised by a single mother who worked as a maid. She does not have formal training in acting, but rather has pursued a degree in pre-school education while already holding a degree in early childhood education. She won her first acting role just prior to qualifying as a teacher. She also appeared in the Vanity Fair 2019 “Hollywood Issue” cover.
I want to portray her beauty and pride with this piece.
Lupita. Mixed media on canvas 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Lupita Amondi Nyong’o is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She had her first feature film role as Patsey in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Nyong’o’s career progressed with her role as Nakia in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Panther (2018)
In addition to acting, Nyong’o supports historic preservation. She is vocal about preventing sexual harassment and working for women’s rights and animal rights. Nyong’o was named among Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women in 2020.
Twiggy. Mixed media on canvas 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Dame Lesley Lawson is an English model, actress, and singer widely known by the nickname Twiggy. She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenage model in swinging sixties London.
Twiggy was initially known for her thin build and her androgynous look consisting of big eyes, long eyelashes, and short hair.
Yayoi. Mixed media on canvas 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation but is also active in painting, performance, film, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts. Her work is based in conceptual art and shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, Art Brut, pop art, and abstract expressionism, and is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content. She has been acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan.
Kusama moved to New York City in 1958 and was a part of the New York avant-garde scene throughout the 1960s, especially in the pop-art movement. Embracing the rise of the hippie counterculture of the late 1960s, she came to public attention when she organized a series of happenings in which naked participants were painted with brightly colored polka dots.
Iris teal. Mixed media on canvas 48″ x 60″ $ 12,000
Iris Apfel is famous for her eclectic style. She pairs layers of bright colors and oversized glasses and jewelry together with such flair that she was the subject of an exhibit at The Costume Institute in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An American original in the truest sense, Iris Apfel is one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, and interior design, and over the past 40 years, she has cultivated a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic.
I like to experiment with different mediums and really enjoy mixin bright colors.
I want my audience to embrace diversity, to find beauty in the unconventional characters.
Audrey in a pink hat. Mixed media on canvas 16″ x 20″ Donated to Housingworks.org
Aseel teal. Mixed media on canvas 18″ x 24″ Sold! Aseel orange and lilac available for $ 1,700 each
I met Aseel back in 2018 at RAK Fine Arts Festival and immediately she was a source of inspiration. She’s a very unique Muslim woman with a high sense of style.
I felt very accomplished to be able to connect with another culture through my artwork; It’s probably the biggest achievement of my career so far.
The phenomena of sexism and misogyny are global—not peculiar to Islam, or to the Middle East. The double standard relative to human rights violations is a global issue. The hypocrisy of politicians and religious powers against oppressive regimes in the world, it’s dark and full of contradictions.
The Emirates now are talking about tolerance and diversity, probably due to the mayor numbers of immigrants and the opportunities that globalization now offers to the world. There is still hope for this world.
Audrey Pink. Mixed media on wood 42″ x 72″ Sold
Ava Pink. Mixed media on canvas 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Another great character and really a beautiful woman, Ava was a big star during the 1940s/70s
This piece is full of glamour and fashion and it has the nostalgia of the golden years of Hollywood films.
Andrea Lilac. Mixed media on wood 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
An icon of the Rock en español era, Andrea Echeverri is one of the biggest Colombian artist that represent these genera.
She has a particular personality that is often resembled in her looks.
Again I’m using different materials to add a 3D effect, making every piece unique.
Rosi news mixed media on canvas 36″ x 48″ Sold
Rossy de Palma’s first major role was in 1988 in Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She became a model for designers Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, and Sybilla. She then appeared in Robert Altman’s 1994 satirical fashion film Prêt-à-Porter and in the music video of George Michael’s “Too Funky” song. Today, she is a theater actress, charity spokesperson for the Ghanaian charity OrphanAid Africa, and the face of luxury ad campaigns.
Born in Palma de Mallorca, she was originally a singer and dancer before being discovered by filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar at a café in Madrid in 1986. She is best known for her roles in Almodóvar films like Law of Desire (La ley del deseo), Kika, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) just to name a few.
Frida Green. Mixed media on canvas 11″ x 14″ $ 1,800
Kahlo’s work as an artist remained relatively unknown until the late 1970s when her work was rediscovered by art historians and political activists. By the early 1990s, she had become not only a recognized figure in art history but also regarded as an icon for Chicanos, the feminist movement, and the LGBTQ+ movement. Kahlo’s work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
Andrea Orange. Mixed media on wood 42″ x 72″ $8,000
Colombia’s Andrea Echeverri is best known as the outspoken leader of the Grammy-winning Latin alt-rock/trip-hop outfit Aterciopelados; she’s also a Latina who sideswipes stereotypes. For all her feminist fire and subversiveness, though upon the formation of Aterciopelados in 1990, the pierced and tattooed Echeverri stunned her conservative country by singing a song about her unwillingness to ruin her silhouette by having children; her voice is renowned for its enveloping purr and warmth.
Audrey with a hat. Mixed media on canvas 48″ x 72″ $ 15,000
Audrey Hepburn the timeless beauty of actress, it’s once again the inspiration for this piece. Recognized as a film and fashion icon, Hepburn was active during Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Hepburn was noted for her fashion choices and distinctive look. Her humanitarian career helped in some of the most needed regions of Africa, Turkey, Latin America, etc. Her contribution to the world was priceless.
With this artwork, I was awarded “Artist of the Year” at Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival in 2018. I felt very accomplished as an artist to be able to connect through my work with the middle east audience and to be the face of the 2019 RAK Festival.
Audrey Magenta. Mixed media on wood 42″ x 72″ Sold
Kumari Girl. Mixed media on canvas 10″ x 10″ Sold
Rosi Blue. Mixed media on canvas 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Maria Bonita. Mixed media on wood 36″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Maria Felix, La Doña was one of the most important female figures of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. She was considered the most successful actress of the 1940s and 1950s. One of the most beautiful actresses of Mexican cinema, her taste for the finesse and strong personality garnered her the title of diva early in her career. She was known as La Doña, a name derived from her character in the film Doña Bárbara (1943), and María Bonita, thanks to the anthem composed exclusively for her, as a wedding gift by her second husband, the Mexican composer Agustín Lara.
Annie Lenox Diva. Mixed media on wood 42″ x 72″ $ 7,500
Frida Blue. Mixed media on wood 42″ x 64″ Sold
Amazing Grace. Mixed media on Wood 31.5″ x 48″ $ 6,500
Audrey Orange. Mixed media on wood 42″ x72″ Sold
Rosi Red. Mixed media on canvas 30″ x 40″ Sold
Diva what better word to describe the talent and the unique beauty of Rosi de Palma profile picture.
The sense of fashion and glamour is part of her personality and this particular piece.
LEONARDO MONTOYA ARTIST 