Today, we’re going In the Studio with artists from Voices of Hispanic and Latin American Artists 2024.

Their artwork is on display in the Chesapeake Arts Center’s Hal Gomer Gallery, on view from September 14 - October 31, 2024.

Featured artists include: Maria Alejandra. Brito, David Camero, Jainson Cedillo, Jeannette Fonseca, Blanca Gruber, Elli Maria Hernandez, Nadia Lezcano, LUSMERLIN, Catherine Rupan Mapp, Sandra Pérez-Ramos, Leah Robles, Cindy Roman, Mariela Sosa-Samayoa.

How often I created art?

I create art permanently. Is like a neurosis I have to be creating doing something always. The mind never stop. I lived in a world of imagination where I drown in every time. Inspiration get in to my senses, my thoughts, my feelings. A realm of exploration moving like a river inside myself.

Do you work on one piece of art at a time, or multiple?

I do work multiple pieces in different styles medias, like filmmaking, music, theatre, sculpture, paint, visual art!

My life is for the art since I am a little kid. I study, learn many techniques in order for be able to created in any art expression. Art is in my heart, my brain, my mind, my body.

-Blanca Gruber

Why did you choose to be an artist?

I always liked drawing as a kid, it was something I always gravitated towards. Art can bring so many emotions, for me it was a form of therapy growing up. Next thing I knew it became second nature where if I don't create I feel lost. I knew I wanted to do something with art and share it, hopefully making future creatives feel inspired and put more artwork out there.

-Cindy Roman

What characteristic about your personality shows through your art?

In my art, I embrace controlled chaos—a reflection of my curiosity and desire to experiment across multiple media and formats. Paintings talk to me while I am making them and my job is to filter out the noise and listen to them. That little voice in my head responds in the moment to the canvas or material, rather than following strict pre-planned ideas. There’s a boldness to the way I approach my work, a need to "pop" rather than blend in, which reflects my Caribbean roots. At the same time, my work captures my journey of self-discovery, representing my womanhood and my evolving identity as a woman, immigrant, and professional who navigates different spaces with unapologetic determination.

What is your studio/creative space like? Or what is your favorite place to create in?

My studio is a living, breathing space of constant experimentation. The layout evolves as I shift between different media, where each new setup inspires the next creative step. It’s a place where intuition meets material exploration, and the process of discovery is just as important as the final outcome. I view my studio as a laboratory—a space to test ideas. I feel like I always have a pilot project ongoing. I am constantly desiring to have structure and order, and once I achieve a little, I destroy it for the sake of the next project.

-Lusmerlin

What emotions fuel your work?

The connection with what I love and what I am a part of, as well as my memories, feed my work.

I have two themes that I like to work on, feelings about my country Venezuela and nature.

My work cannot be disconnected from the vibrant colors of the Latin American culture I grew up in and I have experienced in the countries where I have lived.

In the case of my pieces about Venezuela, I have depicted memories of natural landscapes that are icons in my country. I also feel the need to work on pieces that connect with the religiosity that many Venezuelans have in order to maintain strength and hope after years of struggle due to a repressive regime, as well as the need to express the difficulties we face during migration.

On the other hand, the celebration of life as a creation of the natural world and the environment is very important in my life, and it has been taught to me by my mother. My paintings of imaginary plants, I could say, are oneiric images rooted in the memories of the colorful gardens we have in my country Venezuela. This part of my work, inspired by nature, expresses not only the vitality of plant life, but its importance on our planet.

How does art impact our society?

In my opinion, the impact of art on our society can be seen from two points of view: how it influences the artist during their creations and conceptualizations, and how it influences the viewer.

The creators consciously and unconsciously express feelings, lived experiences, and reactions to what surrounds them. Creation in this case is a way to let emotions and internal energy flow and gives us the ability to speak to others through the work.

For viewers, a work of art is an element that can capture their mind and may or may not connect with the person. The attraction to a work of art is subjective, and just like with the creator, it depends on their lived experiences and what surrounds them.

Arts can inspire others to create or be part of a social movement, can influence and enrich a culture, can create a conversation about a topic the artist wants to address or function as a storytelling, can raise awareness, can impact emotions, and much more.

Art has been part of human civilization since its origins; it is part of what makes us rational beings that communicate in various ways.

-Maria Alejandra.Brito