Maura Vazakas

Painting is a life experience. It defines who you are, what you see, think and feel. My work plays with nostalgia, pop, and humor combining the past and present to create a contemporary edge. The use of text in my paintings is a way into intimacy to bring the viewer into my world. I like to use strong colors that play well with each other, while at the same time offset the painting with a color that creates some tension. The result is always strikingly colorful, yet never pretentious nor dull.
My artwork also has historical reference to the feminist art movement of the 70’s-the voice of women gaining recognition. This can be seen by the use of the different mediums that I use on top of the painting surface. For example, I use a variety of nail polish which signifies feminism and beauty. White-out is associated with women in the workplace. And lastly, the use of glitter represents a mother’s home crafts. The silhouette has now appeared in my paintings, a form of art that predates the comic book imagery, yet also ties in with the latter, reminding us of our past.