This month we’re featuring Mimi Guernica for the Capitol Hill Art League’s Mind of the Artist feature. Read her story and check out her artwork below.

You can view more of her artwork here:

I was born in Cuba and immigrated to the United States as a refugee when I was 5. The differences in my life before and after were stark, impacting the language I spoke, where I lived, who I lived with, what I ate. This upheaval and its dislocations changed my perspective and made me more observant of people and my surroundings. It enhanced my visual acuity and the creative spirit that I now express through art.

I explore the continuum between representational and abstract art, with the majority of my work falling somewhere in-between. My art focuses on semi-abstract figures and landscapes, often combining both to convey emotion. The figure interests me because it embodies the human experience
throughout time and across cultures. My figures appear in ambiguous situations, relating to each other in mysterious ways. My landscapes attempt to challenge the viewer’s preconceived notions. Color is an
important element in my pieces. I use it to evoke mood and am now exploring it through more monochromatic pieces.

I’m driven by curiosity and experimentation. The impetus for my pieces varies and can be serendipitous. It might be a photograph, book or a technical challenge such as working with hard edges or focusing on
negative shapes in a room to see how they interact. My primary medium is acrylic paints to which I add different media, including graphite, charcoal, spray paints, and pastels.

When I choose to be bold and take risks, I create my most successful pieces.

You can follow Mimi on Instagram at: @gmguernica