above: Golden Gate Theatre meets Tower, by Patricia Araujo
The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.
In a Past Life...
You Were: A Friendly Magician.
Where You Lived: Italy.
How You Died: Natural causes. Who Were You In a Past Life?
above: Under Construction I, by Patricia Araujo
above: Patricia
Photography by Karina Marie Diaz.
------------------------------------------------------------ --WELCOME TO CITADEL 13!
I was born in Miami, Fl, daughter of Colombian parents. I grew up in Bogota, Colombia, and lived until age 19. I began drawing at a very young age, always intrigued by architecture and form. My father worked as an architect at Walt Disney, and during his last years he assisted with the development of Epcot Center. After completing high school in Bogota, I moved to San Francisco in 1991. I continue living in the greater bay area.
I studied Architecture at the College of San Mateo, followed by completing my first B.F.A in Painting and Photography from Notre Dame de Namur University, in 1997. I received my second B.F.A in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, in 2005.
It is through two main routes that I explore notions which fascinate me, the singular iconic structure coupled with multiple environmental abstractions. My work explores a main theme: urbanscapes, which are both factual accounts and at the same time fictionalized. I am primarily involved with the study of forms and the study of facades. In addition, I move beyond the surface into the supporting structure, in which are found Western notions of harmonies, proportion, and the mathematical aesthetics that are the foundations of this expression. Amongst those aspects of the language of architecture that appeal to me is the arch and the dome. Within architecture is both the mystery and utility of geometry. Architecture symbolizes beyond the structure alone. The aesthetics and socio-political possibilities of temples, cathedrals, theatres, municipal buildings, are all celebrated structures which recognize the role of social and ritual. In the secular world too, there are also examples of architectural structures which amplify, magnify and otherwise celebrate both power and strength - an arena where visions and beliefs and ideologies are metamorphosed into the concrete. As an artist, my foundation is with both the real and the abstract, and the connotations of the structures that are our cities. Aspects of time, infinity, eternity, all form part of my inquiry.
I devoted time to San Francisco's SOMA district as I lived for 10 years in the booming heart of this re-developing area. I have been lucky to witness, paint and record the birth of San Francisco's latest neighborhood, yet not limited to this fine city. My recent works relate to SOMA, abandoned buildings, buildings undergoing renovation, and new visions within the urban landscape. In my cityscapes, I sense the presence of the silent stage uninterrupted by inhabitants. There is both silence and suspension. Even in the light there is a sense of being suspended between the certainty of day and the doubt at night. My inspiration is mirrored by the presence of sublime spaces. The profound or spectacular can reside within the humble, not only the glamorous or veneered. It is both. Notions of timelessness, ideas and ideals, the ordinary and the fantastic are encountered in the imaginative moments. The everyday gets transformed by attention, by paying attention and through the practice of painting. I endeavor to poetize the ordinary and to turn acts of the imagination into facts of the imagination in the hope that I give account of the innate potential for mystery and the otherwise invisibility born of familiarity.
You may view my complete portfolio online @ABSTRACTMETROPOLIS.com
If you have any inquiries, comments/feedback, and/or if you wish to make an appointment to view works in person, feel free to leave me a message here and I shall get in touch with you within 2 working days.
To read a past review at DA Arts, go to Architecture for Bloomingdales
Updates: October 2008:
Book Release: SOMA SEEN, featuring drawings and paintings by Patricia Araujo of San Francisco's South of Market Architecture. For more information go to: @ www.AbstractMetropolis.com
Book available exclusively via internet. Click on banner below, SOMA SEEN Paintings and Draw... By Patricia Araujo Book Preview
Upcoming: Two Person Exhibition: "HEART OF THE CITY"- paintings, drawings and photographs of San Francisco's Central City
I will be collaborating with the remarkable photographer, Mark Ellinger, who has also lived in the heart of SOMA and documenting the beauty and decay of the architecture of both the South of Market and Tenderloin districts.
Opening Reception: Friday, November 21st, 6:00-9:00pm
@ North of Market/Tenderloin Community Benefit District Gallery
134 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco
I'll keep you posted with more details soon.
cheers!
Patricia