A new exhibit opened at the Eastfield Art Gallery on August 26 entitled, “Sign of Recognition,” by guest artist Claudia Quintero Moseley. The gallery hosted a reception on September 11 for students, faculty and guests that provided a special opportunity to meet the artist and hear more about what inspired her work.

Quintero Moseley has been painting ever since she was a child. She grew up in south Texas, where she still resides, surrounded by artistic family members. Her mother was a painter, her father a musician and her grandfather a woodworker, so it was no surprise to anyone when Quintero Moseley began painting.   

Quintero Moseley’s work is highly personal, and this exhibit displays pieces she has created throughout the last two years. Many of the pieces draw inspiration from dreams, past trauma and other life experiences. Working primarily in oil paint on canvas, Quintero Moseley uses bright colors and symbolism to draw the viewer in. Each work tells a story, yet the simple titles next to each painting also leave much up to the viewer to experience and interpret in their own way, and Quintero Moseley prefers it that way. Her artist statement is posted in the gallery: “I think of the term symbol as a sign — or mark — that stands in for a longer, possibly more abstract thought or concept. The meanings of these signs or symbols are also subject to change, as the passage of time inevitably reinterprets us.”

Two pieces stood out to this reviewer as I walked the exhibit. They are mounted on opposing walls and were inspired by a short poem by Stevie Smith titled, “Not Waving but Drowning.” Both use bright colors, movement and multiple mediums to draw the viewer into the story told by the poem. The contrasting before and after paintings had me so mesmerized that I went home and looked up the haunting, but short, poem. This is the beauty of art and visual storytelling. All artists are trying to tell a story, but the story a person perceives when they experience the art may be different and that’s OK. An artist feels successful when they make you feel something, think differently or inspire you.

Quintero Moseley’s exhibit, “Sign of Recognition,” is open now through October 4 in the ‘F’ Building, Room 219.