ABOUT XANTHÊ
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It's 2023 and I'm FINALLY taking the plunge to introduce myself and share my art with you!
I'm Xanthê (my artist name), but my friends and family know me as "Norma". I am a self-taught artist living in San Clemente, CA. I have blended my new-found love for painting with my years of photography experience, bringing about a perfect marriage of my two passions.
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Every piece of art is created with every inch of my heart and soul.
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BEHIND THE ART
My artwork consists of both photography and abstract paintings. My photography consists of portraits and the beautiful findings living in nature. I have an obsession with eyes, which is the main focus of most of my portraits. I feel that eyes can tell you so much about a person and just the slightest shift in expression can change an entire emotion. The eyes are "the window to one's soul". Most of my portrait paintings are developed from my original photography. I like to use subjects who I have personally photographed as I feel more connected throughout my process. My painting style consists of many shapes, layers and textures. I find myself creating whatever captures my heart and interest in that moment.
FROM THE BEGINNING
My love for photography began as a small child when I was gifted my first Polaroid camera. Photography as a hobby eventually led me to start my business as a family, newborn & event photographer. I later began tinkering in conceptual & fine art photography. A visit to The MoMA in San Francisco where I was introduced to Cindy Sherman's self-portrait works triggered something inside me in which a whole new world of creativity was born. I began a self-portrait project, which was extremely inspiring and found myself loving the challenge of being the subject, photographer, makeup/hair/stage/prop crew and post production editor all in one. My creative juices continued to flow and I found myself needing a bigger challenge...I decided I wanted to learn to paint! After several online tutorials learning how to draw an eyeball...etc.,I decided it was time! I picked up a paintbrush in 2016 and haven't put it down ever since.