Lilibeth André
Artist Statement
I paint because it is easier than talking. When I acknowledged that art was my nature I knew I could carry it out with “my eyes closed” and my soul open. Art transports me to the world I see in a glittering glimpse of a precise moment in time. I travel away from where I am and feel freed to experience that image. I create a cloud of color and suddenly, it takes form and becomes real. I create scenes that inspire serenity, beauty, calm, connection, color, and life.
I experience the feel of my materials: a firm bristle brush with spring that dabs paint richly; the luxurious spread of a sharpened pencil on paper; the brush bouncing off a tight canvas; and a board with unquenchable thirst for color. I am the only one that can communicate what I have to say and must speak with my hands through these brushes and pencils. I want to communicate creating new and better ways to speak.
In my work, color is prevalent and the curved line dominates. I experiment with materials, explore color, texture and light. I am a young child learning many languages and anxious to speak my truth. I speak of peace, escape, solace, love, and respect for life and nature. I wonder what I will want to say next.
When I work with a medium I remember how much I enjoy the challenge of controlling it. I begin a piece by blocking my main shapes. I know a piece is done when I can’t do more for it in that time and place. It becomes a statement of who I am at that moment. When my work is complete I am filled with a sense of happiness and joy. When people see my work, I enjoy their reactions.
My work transports me to another world, tranquil and serene. This world is present, near me or created from something in my mind. The colorful expression of realism and impressionism thrills me from the moment of inspiration to the time it becomes genuine and complete. I use the medium to sculpt the subject with color, hopefully connecting with the viewer. My goal is to create a link within the viewer’s reality to transport them to the world I see.
Before I begin a project, I expect the idea to light a spark within me. The subject tells me what medium I should use. I begin the foundation of the painting with a preliminary and simple sketch. The preliminary work seems to take too long before I apply color, my favorite stage. From here, I gain momentum as the work progresses. If I reach a difficult point, I take a breath to consider what I want to do. I step back and take time out to think about it. After I analyze the problem, I return to the color process and finalize the work.
Artist Bio
Born in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Lilibeth likes to reflect on the beauty found in all things and people. She likes to recreate the serenity of the subject matter in various mediums and supports.
Mastery of art tools is her current focus. To achieve this, she explores and experiments in the areas of realist portraiture and wildlife with impressionist landscapes and still life.
First aware of art in kindergarten, she enjoyed exploring art on her father’s drafting table. Lilibeth soon relished the thrill of plein aire painting in an outing organized by her school. People gathered around her at the main square to watch the children’s art in progress. Their interest in her work thrilled her.
While attending the first grade in the United States, Sister Mary Saint Joseph acknowledged Lilibeth’s depiction of the Virgin Mary. With this recognition she realized she must have talent for art. The recognition raised the bar and motivated her to create something new that inspired admiration and enjoyment. Experimenting in art at every opportunity, whether on her own, in elective classes or during summer school, exploring art’s vast boundaries was a fun ongoing project.
Her mother instilled the concepts of design and creativity that appeared in inventive school projects, crafts and fashion design which, in the teen years, included school uniforms and long gowns worn to formal dance parties.
After gaining three years of work experience in marketing, she decided to study design at the Centro de Estudios Tecnológicos in Coyoacan, Mexico. She also attended art classes in the Escuela de Artes, conveniently located next door. She applied oils and watercolors in her first paintings and experimented with colored pencil, acrylics and air brush for her design models. She produced a miniature series of colonial churches in watercolor and ink, and participated in her first exhibition in 1980.
Art turned into photography, illustration and she later incorporated writing. She added computers to her skills producing bilingual, technical and graphic communications for professional and non-profit organizations.
In 2002, Lilibeth graduated cum laud with a Bachelor of Business Administration. It was at this time in her life that she became convinced that art was her life quest.
Lilibeth has studied under Houston artists Jo Mullendore, Nikki Szeto, Bruce Williamson, and William Kalwick, Jr. She continues to explore mediums and supports in the creation of realist and impressionist art to represent portraits, wildlife, still life and landscapes. She has won various awards and begins to receive recognition for her work. She currently shows at Green House Gallery in Houston and offers an ongoing display of her work on her Website at www.lilibethandre.com
