Eyes on the Border

A color-blind artist walks into an art studio wearing a mariachi suit. He ends up on the floor against a wall, slouching forward with blood oozing out of his forehead as if he has been shot. The blood is in the form of Acrylic Paint Cadmium Red. And the studio belongs to David Amoroso a local artist who resides in Arlington; and the creator of, “They Didn’t Like My Song,” a self-portrait. The work is Amoroso’s favorite and one of three paintings he displayed in “Eyes on the Border,” an exhibit sponsored by the Del Ray Artisans Gallery in Alexandria.

The exhibit, which ran Friday, May 16 – Sunday, June 1 and was described as “both a celebration of Latin American art and culture and a look at how we are all influenced by places, borders and boundaries, political, or cultural, real or imagined.” In addition, it provided an opportunity for local Latin American artists with their own immigrant experiences to share their background and “translate their realities into a vision influenced by the virtual world and globalization.”

While “Eyes on the Border” is the title of the Del Ray Artisans’ exhibit, Amoroso’s second painting was intentionally created with the same name. “The idea was to show that there are many borders. I got the idea to paint a map of Central America and Mexico from an image I remembered from an immigration rally,” he said. “Some people think that Mexico is part of Central America. It is not.” The picture reveals an image of a man looking towards a map of the U.S. pondering about life across the border. Around him are geographical images of Central America and Mexico.

“Frida,” a portrait of Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo is his third piece. The painting was hung between two traditional masks and Frida is sitting as if in a lotus position. Her eyes are in deep contemplation. She is surrounded in flowers beginning with the red ones on top of her head to ones painted towards the bottom in blue, pink and more red. This work contributes to a lighter version of Kahlo as she was known for painting 55 self-portraits that incorporated representations of physical and psychological wounds.

Mr. Amoroso began painting in 1997 after returning from a trip to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. He wanted to capture his trip by painting one. “I wanted to paint something that would look good hanging above my sofa,” he said. As he set out to paint details about all three countries he realized that he was running out of space. “It is impossible to capture a trip to three countries into one picture.” Amoroso said. So he individually captured his experiences from each country and created several pictures. Later on that year, Amoroso participated in his first show at El Tarmarindo Restaurant in Washington, DC. He sold half of the 15 pics he had in the exhibit. “I have not had an experience since where I have sold that many pieces in one show.”

Looking to the future, Amoroso wants to continue exploring different techniques or styles to represent Latino Culture and iconography. “I want to find new and unique ways to tell the same old stories," he said, "and the plight of human kind.”