2009 Mitos y Realidades en Color (Myths & Realities in Color) Pola Lopez & Isabel Martinez

ChimMaya Gallery

is pleased to present the artwork of two of the preeminent voices of the
Latina/Chicana Art Movement

Pola Lopez

“I acknowledge these three things: the power of color, the awareness of culture, place, identity, spirit and energy, the willingness to convey forward with respect and intent, that which we believe in. These are the qualities and strengths which have greatly directed and informed my work and path.”

Pola Lopez…is an artist based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. Her work draws inspiration from a rich and diverse southwestern cultural heritage of Mythology…filtered and conveyed through a palette of vibrant tones and highly stylized perspective. Her unique style of expression…has an underlying energy of spiritual vision and symbolic imagery.

Among her accomplishments as a professional artist…Pola Lopez has distinguished herself as one of the leading Latina/Chicana artists in the Southwest. Her work has been the recipient of numerous ‘Best of Show’ awards, and is held in the permanent collections of several museums and art in public spaces. In 2006…Pola’s work was presented at the White House, in Washington D.C., when she represented her native New Mexico as the ‘Official Portrait Artist’ when the state provided the People’s Christmas Tree.

Isabel Martinez

“The intent of my artwork is to capture the ephemeral nature of different plants, ideas and emotions, celebrating life through forms, movement and colors. I create harmony and strength by using bright colors and alternating realism and abstraction, developing looseness and tightness at the same time.”

Isabel Martinez…born in Mexico, is an artist based in Los Angeles, California. Isabel received a Master of Fine Arts from California State University, and a BFA from La Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas, Mexico City. Since her entry into the United States in the late 1980’s, Isabel has participated in many regional and national exhibitions, and has received acclaim and a strong collectorship of her work.

Among her accomplishments as a professional artist…Isabel Martinez has been included in numerous books, publications and periodicals…’Triumph of Our Communities, Four Decades of Mexican American Art’, ‘Chicano Art for our Millennium’, Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Art’, ‘Painting the Towns, Murals of California’, ‘The Latin Style: Isabel Martinez: Vida y Arte.’

Her unique style….is a triumph of a personal journey, infusing her life experiences and heritage with an undulating of color, nature, emotions and movement.