MEDIUM oils, pastel, color pencil
FEATURED WORK
(Click to enlarge image)
WEBSITE msoart.artspan.com
STATEMENT
As I worked with India ink, I decided to explore its effects applying it on wet watercolor paper. The first attempts were done in black and white which were random bursts on of ink exploding on the white surface resembling fireworks. Later, I began manipulating the ink by rotating the paper letting the medium spread on its own over the moist areas. Abstract shapes began to appear as the various values combined and the technique I call “ink bleeds” was born.
Eventually, I started to experiment with color bringing about exquisite effects that directed my creative energy. In the developing stages, works did not include any other elements. As other subject matter was interpreted, rough lines in black that also bled into the surface were added to create more definite shapes. It took an emotional a trip back home to Buenos Aires, Argentina and a landscape en plein air for the technique to fully emerge.
Since then, “ink bleeds” have evolved into abstractions which are produced using a very bright palette that includes yellow, magenta and blue. The primary colors mix on the paper creating an array of contrasting hues that vary in intensity. Directing the medium with a brush allows for the work to become more representational.
BIO/CV
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monica Schraiber Otero immigrated to the United States with her family at an early age. She has a BA in Art from Rutgers University with a concentration in oil painting.
Monica has taught K-12 Art for the last 22 years. She also worked as a freelance graphic designer for large corporations in the area. Currently, she is a tenured faculty member at Mother Seton Regional High School where she teaches 2-D and 3-D Design, Drawing, Painting, Graphic Design and Ceramics. She also teaches Drawing and Acrylic Painting to young children and runs the Summer Art Camp at the Watchung Arts Center. She is the curator of the Annual Children’s Juried Art Exhibition.
As a professional artist, Monica Schraiber Otero has shown her work in many venues including the Palmer Museum, the Watchung Arts Center, the Union County Arts Center, Kean University, the Union County Freeholders Gallery, Pearl Gallery, the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Gallery, Les Malamut Gallery, the Piscataway Municipal Gallery, the Princeton Alliance Church, the Artist Framer, the Monmouth Cultural Center and most recently at the Art Institutes of New York City.
Monica is fascination with the fluidity of India ink is reflected in her semi-abstract landscapes, still lifes and portraits for which she has received awards. Using a technique known as “ink bleeds”, the medium expands throughout the wet surface blending with the image to form a complete illusion. Her work also includes abstractions based on contemporary issues, natural occurrences and the fantastic. Monica’s ideas emerge from her heritage as well as her love for nature and her fine arts and commercial art backgrounds.
Mrs. Otero was a member of the New Art Group from 1992-1998. She was active in the Artists Circle from 2003-2005. Presently, she is vice-president of The Contemporary Art Group.