Carmen D. Meléndez-Lugo
I have been a schoolteacher, health advocate, office worker, data entry worker, medical translator, cartoonist, commercial artist and designer, and community activist, not to mention wife, mother and immigrant. Throughout it all I have always been passionate about making art, and art’s role in society. During this journey, I have been blessed with exposure to outstanding artists and teachers who have supported, inspired and given direction to my expressive efforts, both in Puerto Rico and the U.S.
I also come from the rich and long tradition of Puerto Rican art, proudly representational and insistent in its social commentary. Like many Puerto Rican and Latino artists, I believe that artists have an obligation to stay engaged in (and reflect on) their social context, beyond expressing pure aesthetics and concepts. And so I see myself as part of a very long tradition of socially conscious artists.
Subtlety is not my strong suit. I am opinionated in life and in art, and so when I work I use bold lines and colors to describe and express. For these reasons I gravitate towards the immediacy of drawing and paper, whether I use a printing press or a pencil.
