Woman with Flower mixed media on wood, 8"x10"
"My compositions are inspired by the Fauvists, like Henri Matisse and Henri Chagall, the Mexican Masters like Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros, Victorian figurative woodcuts, and botanical imagery to create a visual feast of women, wildlife, and form. I take these elements out of the recesses of my subconscious and give them a surreal landscape or contemporary stage. When placed together, the forms and figures represent a kind of life cycle that is tranquil and mysterious. Themes of simplicity and beauty are represented through the soothing qualities in the paintings. Yet, these seemingly simple figures creep into the fecund environments of our human psyche, and along with the ominous plants and flowers, create a picture of gentle drama and sensuality".
Irene Carranza's paintings and drawings engage issues of sexual identity, transcendence, and self-discovery, paying homage to the resilient and tender aspects of humanity. Her canvases and pastel paintings evoke an intimate and synergetic connection between the artist and the viewer. What is ultimately at stake for Carranza is not only beauty, but power, more specifically the empowerment of humankind. Carranza's sensual portrayals of femininity emerge not from any particular set of rebellion but rather in the characters' embrace of life and nature.
“Her paintings have an emotional core, a style that’s not just about design and color-it is sophisticated and populist”, states Robert Pincus, art critic for the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper.