Villa, Sofia

Sofia Villa

Medalla de Quince Años 

8x8 

Acrylic Paint 

NFS 

Bio: I am a fifteen-year-old artist born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I was born in the United States with Mexican roots. I have immense pride for my culture and family, which is why it's a recurring theme in my artwork. I consider myself a self-taught artist. I did not attend art classes when I first began painting. My art journey consisted of trial and error and trying new techniques in my pieces. From eighth grade up until now, I have been taking art classes to further practice and improve my art. Today, I feel that I have come a long way from where I started. With every art piece I make, I feel that I can see my progress start to show.

Artist Statement: A Quinceañera is a rite of passage that is celebrated when a girl turns fifteen in Mexican and Latin American cultures. Quinceañeras celebrate the transition of a girl to a young woman. There are many different aspects and components that make up this tradition. One being the ceremony when a girl receives her ring, bracelet, crown, or necklace in this case. "Medalla" translates to medal or necklace which is an important part of a Quinceañera. Therefore, my art piece represents the tradition of receiving your necklace. The hands that are on either side of the Quinceañera hold a very special honor. The person you choose to gift and put on your necklace for you is usually someone you cherish deeply. For my Quinceañera, I chose my grandma to put on my necklace. This art piece holds personal meaning because the necklace is a symbol of purity, pure love, and protection. For this piece, I chose to emphasize the necklace and details on the Quinceañera dress. I used small dots of paint to emphasize the jewels and pearls on my dress. For the background, I used colored pencil and a burnishing technique to create an aura type of background. I used warm colors like pink, orange, and yellow to emphasize feelings of love and happiness.