Rachael Padilla

Some background information

Added 2020-07-22 18:40:46 +0000 UTC

My most inspired pieces of art, I feel, are like visual representations of my personal diary.

"Burn it All", pictured here with detail images, was one of my first deeply personal works. It marked a time that I wanted to document. At the time, I thought of how farmers sometimes have to burn their fields when crops are infested by disease or pests. I wanted my broken heart to be cleansed by flames. My heart, as a whole, is depicted as a sanfoka symbol. A Ghanian adinkra symbol that means "go back and get it", or the importance of learning from the past. The process of creating this part of the piece is significant. I'd created it separately, on paper as a whole sanfoka. I painted it and created bruises with colored pencil. Then I took a needle and thread to sew up the wounds. The attempts I'd made to mend the hurts inflicted on my heart had failed, as depicted by the hand sewn stitches. Next, a tore it right down the middle. It was then collaged onto the panel with the figure, and visually set aflame.

This piece has continually been valid in my creative process and daily life. Reminding me to learn from the past, to go back and get what has been lost to me. It is the inspiration for my logo, which is set as a tab image on my website. I've since copyrighted the logo.

Once more, this image has inspired me for the work I'm currently doing. So, before I share the process of my recently prepared panel, I felt it necessary to give a bit more background. The Hispanic folk art that is serving as inspiration of my new work, often depicts pivotal moments in the lives of saints. While I'm no saint, I wanted to depict this pivotal moment in my life in the tradition of my ancestors.