Comments on: Latino Aritsts Puzzle Midwesterners By Not Painting The Natives http://guanabee.com/2007/09/latino-aritsts-puzzle-midwesterners-by-not-painting-the-natives/ Spicy Coverage: Gossip, media, culture and lifestyle for Latinos. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:58:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: KemlynTan Bappe http://guanabee.com/2007/09/latino-aritsts-puzzle-midwesterners-by-not-painting-the-natives/#comment-1649 KemlynTan Bappe Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:29:51 +0000 http://guanabee.com/wordpress/?p=1046#comment-1649 Exhibiting with ALA has been an honor. I am not latino by birth, however, through my friends who are latino have kindly accepted me into their fold, "la familia." Being an "Asian artist," there is a sense of "type-casting" that happens. As I was growing up, I resisted Chinese watercolor and calligraphy. I immersed myself in traditional western media. It is only in the last couple of years that I have begun enjoying exploring media and subject matter of my own culture. I am having fun exploring traditional Peranakan motifs using batik technique. Having said that, I believe that an artist must "follow their bliss." (Joseph Campbell) There are times which we are inwardly compelled to create pieces that reflect more of our cultural-historical roots. There are other times where our artistic notions lead us to drink from other inspirations. As artist, we celebrate freedom and liberty. We hope to inspire our community to celebrate that same freedom in their lives. Kemlyn Tan Bappe ALA Member Artist Imago Fine Arts Agency & Advocacy Galleria Imago Dei, Fairfield, Iowa Exhibiting with ALA has been an honor. I am not latino by birth, however, through my friends who are latino have kindly accepted me into their fold, “la familia.” Being an “Asian artist,” there is a sense of “type-casting” that happens. As I was growing up, I resisted Chinese watercolor and calligraphy. I immersed myself in traditional western media. It is only in the last couple of years that I have begun enjoying exploring media and subject matter of my own culture. I am having fun exploring traditional Peranakan motifs using batik technique.

Having said that, I believe that an artist must “follow their bliss.” (Joseph Campbell) There are times which we are inwardly compelled to create pieces that reflect more of our cultural-historical roots. There are other times where our artistic notions lead us to drink from other inspirations. As artist, we celebrate freedom and liberty. We hope to inspire our community to celebrate that same freedom in their lives.

Kemlyn Tan Bappe
ALA Member Artist
Imago Fine Arts Agency & Advocacy
Galleria Imago Dei, Fairfield, Iowa

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