Guest Artist: Isabella Guadalupe Araiza-Fortson, 16
Isabella Guadalupe Araiza-Fortson, Hija Del Agua, 2023.
I am a sixteen-year-old digital artist and painter who loves exploring magical realism and the creative world. I’m from Palm Desert, California, and attend Xavier College Prep with my older brother, Alejandro, who is on the Autism spectrum. Through my art I can share my experiences as well as advocate for topics I care about. My creativity allows me to enter a domain of tranquility and reflection where I can meditate on the fascinating world around me.
Title: Hija Del Agua (Daughter of Water)
Medium: Digital iPad (Procreate)
Dimensions: 15” by 15”
Description: This piece was inspired by the Celtic mythological figure “Lady of the Lake” from The Legend of King Arthur. In the tale she is one of the most impactful figures, giving Arthur his sword “Excalibur" as well as playing a motherly role in the life of Sir Lancelot. I have always loved exploring the depths of different mythologies and felt I wanted to create my own take on this character. In addition, I drew from the morbid folklore of the Mexican La Llorona (“The Weeping Woman,” a vengeful ghost who drowned her own children and roams next to bodies of water) and the episode Jibaro in Netflix’s Love Death & Robots. Both display siren-like women confined to the barriers of a lake. This cross-cultural pattern leaves me wondering why so many share the same fascination with women tied to bodies of water.
Process: Decided to stick to a more monochromatic blue/green palette to fit the water based inspiration. Used mainly watercolor brushes and intense blending tools to give the piece a flowy and smooth look. Finally, I incorporated various circular shapes as I tend to include this pattern in all my art.
Isabella Guadalupe Araiza-Fortson, Sightseeing, 2023.
Title: Sightseeing
Medium: Digital iPad (Procreate)
Dimensions: 12” by 16”
Description: I was very spontaneous when creating this piece and had no real direction in mind. However, I was heavily influenced by the shading/contrast of mountain ranges. Having lived in the California desert my whole life, every day I’m surrounded by the Santa Rosa mountains. These landforms are various hues of purple and are constantly changing with the sun. Despite this, the color is not what struck me but rather the intricate veins of rock formations. I decided to incorporate this intense contrast into my entire work as a whole.
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. Photograph by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management. Wikimedia Commons.
Process: Tried to stick to complimentary colors such as red and green so the piece was not too overwhelming. Used standard airbrushes as well as a slight hairbrush to add a bit of linear texture. Finally, made the heavy shading present throughout the back, middle and foreground to give uniformity to the composition.
Interested in being our guest artist and having your work published alongside a short description of your creative idea and process? Please send us an email: editors@teenworldarts.com