Arielle Zamora creates thoughtful, minimal oil paintings consisting of lines and curves gridded with mathematical precision. The shapes are based both on the forms found in constantly moving nature and in rigid architectural structures such as grates and windows, transformed by Zamora's rich, subtle palette into a quiet, insistent rhythm.
The painting process reflects this dichotomy as well. Zamora's paintings begin with a ground of gypsum based joint compound and oil paint, built up in layers over a wooden panel. They then carve the surface with an etching tool, opening channels that reveal color from beneath. The lines are even, mathematically reflecting the rigor of repetition found in both architecture and the natural world. But the hand wavers. Failures of precision give the work a hand-made warmth and specificity, while the persistent repetition creates a welcome structure and predictability in an ever more uncertain world.
The main theme of Zamora’s work is he conversation between line and form, but within that realm she works intuitively. She says, “I find that each piece is half foresight, half spontaneity. Either the composition of forms is planned and the color is left to happen as it will, or vice-versa”.
Arielle Zamora (b. 1990, they/them) lives and works in Portland, OR, originally from Coos Bay, Oregon. They received a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2013. Their work has been exhibited at Attic Gallery, Centrum Gallery, Holst Gallery, and EWF Modern in Portland, the Strohl Art Center at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, Studio Light Gallery in Tucson, and in group exhibitions at Blackfish Gallery and OCAC's Hoffman Gallery. Zamora is represented by Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, with two locations in New York City.