ART & PHOTOGRAPHY
Watering Flowers
Image courtesy of the artist.
Artist Statement
My journey to becoming a visual artist began quite unexpectedly. My father, suffered a severe head injury that left him unable to speak, walk, stand, and even breathe on his own. His injury was so severe that he was admitted into the hospital long-term. Three months later, my father succumbed to his injuries. He passed away with me by his side, holding his hand, and it is a moment in time I would never forget.
After his death, I searched for an outlet to alleviate the feelings I had because of this experience. So I turned to the visual arts as a therapeutic outlet. My father was a visual artist himself, and I thought there would be no better way to be closer to him.
When I first started my artistic endeavors, I created spiritual art. Since then, my style has evolved dramatically as I have become more comfortable with my skills and experimenting with different artistic techniques. I currently work on pop art, collages, and more, yet still focus on the primary reason of why I started this journey in the first place—for the love of my father.
Cecilia Martinez is an award-winning self-taught artist from Jersey City, NJ, USA. She has learned how to manipulate different mediums through patience and practice, trial and error. In the five years she’s been in the art scene, Cecilia has already had her work exhibited in more than 80 shows in venues throughout the country, including the National Association of Women Artists Gallery in New York City and the Augusta Savage Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Additionally, her work has been featured in a segment on Al Jazeera TV, which reaches more than 30 million viewers worldwide. Cecilia’s artwork is also regularly published in art magazines and journals in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe.
Heart of Flesh Literary Journal 