Expressive Artwork of Maria Evangelina Rodriguez - Horses in Art Magazine

The Expressive Artwork of Maria Evangelina Rodriguez

Azul – Oil on canvas, 48 x 48, by Maria Evangelina Rodriguez.
"When I started this painting, I had something else in mind. The oranges and blue back ground were sort of an experiment."
From her spacious studio gallery in her lovely home on the coast in Baja, California, close to the United States border in Tijuana, Mexico, Maria Evangelina Rodriguez creates her innovative paintings. The studio boasts a large working area with picture windows that provide generous amounts of light to illuminate the entire room. Her original paintings decorate the walls, and a separate entrance is available for visitors.

A tight-knit Mexican family surrounds and supports her. Maria's husband, Gabriel Diaz Rodriguez, has a keen interest in his wife's art and creates handmade custom frames and mats that complement each work. Maria's two youngest children, who are both in their twenties, Georgina and Adrian, assist and represent her at art events and special exhibits.

A solid foundation in drawing is the basis for Maria's paintings that often combine ink and acrylic. The black and white ink drawings show strength in their simplicity and yet the wild colors of her oils are just as compelling. The results are distinctive and inventive.

Maria comments, "I believe my style of painting is free, spontaneous and quick. I don't like to work a piece too much because I want to capture the essence of my subject with a strike of ink or paint. I need to feel it, not think about it. To be able to achieve this I draw a lot. I need to know how to paint and draw in a realistic way, so when I break the forms down into stains and simple lines, you can find the subject I meant to suggest."

"If I go into detail," Maria continues, "I start to think and loose spontaneity. Movement and life is what I wish to convey. Ink on paper is my best means of expression. I wish to project my concepts and images with the least amount of lines."

Moro – Acrylic on canvas by Maria Evangelina Rodriguez is our cover art for this Winter issue

Her favorite painting is titled Artarceder, or in English, "nightfall". It was an image that had been in her mind for a long time. Maria comments, "I love vibrant oranges and earthy colors. To me, they represent character and strength, and since horses are that, those colors help me to portray their soul."

"Horses are the most perfect creatures God granted to mankind," Maria remarks. "They represent beauty, strength, nobility, rhythm and elegance. I am captivated by them."

Maria Evangelina Rodriguez started drawing in 1968 at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Morelia, Mexico, with Alfredo Zalce, a renowned Mexican artist. Continuously through the years she has participated in workshops, recently receiving her certificate in art at the University of California, San Diego Extension. Her ink mixed-media work is the result of her own artistic search.

~ Back ~