Emotions Behind the Artist: Part I

Hi everyone!  

My name is Amanda Conticchio. I am in my first semester here at CCNY as an Art education major getting my MA leading towards an Initial teaching certificate. I am currently working in a school as a first year craft teacher. My Connor Fellowship project highlights the artistic practices of fellow students in the Art Education program. Over the course of this semester, I will conduct interviews with several artists with a focus on learning about their process. I am particularly interested in the emotional thinking and that goes into creating a single artwork from start to finish.

The first artist I have chosen, who kindly agreed to answer my questions, is Anna Elias, a fellow student in the Art Education program. The piece she is discussing is really important to her. When Anna decided to start this painting she felt an abundance of pressure. She wanted everything to resemble the beauty of a person, her Mami, who she loves tremendously, but who sadly passed away when Anna was 17. In honor of Mother’s Day, Anna decided to paint a portrait of her Mom, who she refers to as “Mami”. 

When Anna has an idea, she first starts off by drawing her visions into her sketchbook. Next, she does some searching for online references and tries to figure out what colors go together. The painting of her Mami was started using a printmaking technique. Anna had a black and white photo of her Mami that she was going to use. She then turned the photo over and shaded the whole thing black. The photo was then applied to the canvas, and she outlined the image to get an imprint. She then decided that she wanted to stick with a black and white color palette just like the photo but added a more vibrant color to the background. As the painting came along, Anna struggled with the shadows in her Mami’s face. She continued to work on creating tints, tones and shadows of gray until she was really able to capture the sense of depth. 

“At every brush stroke, color choice, and song choice I had the chance to connect with you like we used to. I stared at your eyes, felt your hair, adored your beauty mark and remembered your voice. This canvas allowed me to be with you, cry with you and overall love you. I miss you every single day and I am so thankful for your support. I love you Mami. Happy Mother’s Day.” 

This was the quote that Anna used when she posted her painting on Instagram. It is such a beautiful saying and even though her Mami was not physically there, Anna was able to interact and connect with her.  

Overall, “My Mama” gave Anna a chance to cope with a loss I can’t even imagine, but also gave her happiness to create something for her. It allowed her to see her potential for creating portraits and was ecstatic to see the progress. Anna’s Mami was her biggest cheerleader and I am sure she is so proud of all of Anna’s accomplishments. 

In loving memory of a beautiful Mom