On Consequential Journeys

Becky R. Soria

I come from an art-oriented family where classical music and art surrounded me. My father was an internist doctor who dabbled in painting but mainly collected it; he also was a collector of ancient South American art. My brother, Fernando Casas, showed his talent for the arts at an early age; he is now a full-time artist and philosopher. I was interested in drawing and painting from an early age; in my teens, I was also interested in choreography and ballet dancing. During this time, I felt a growing interest in the pre-Columbian artifacts and minerals from my father’s collection and in learning about ancient cultures of the world. I do remember painting a couple of those large stones with oils for a ballet choreographed performance; of course, those stone faces were never the same and I got into big trouble for painting them!

As I grew older, becoming more aware of the disparities and inequalities of females through history, I became sensitive to the plight of women. This sensitivity along with the combination of my interest in ancient Paleolithic cave paintings began an ART journey which would eventually help me evolve into who I am now as an artist.

Most of my work depicts female figures, although not exclusively. The work is of human figures transformed abstractly showing wonder and pain; nature is woven into the figures along with hints of myths and past primitive cultures.

These are works of intimate explorations, but they are also universal to all women.

In my paintings, I approach the human figure less from its familiar shapes, and much more from within, making visible its visceral emotional life. Using abstractions of language, color, and texture that allow me to capture the profound sentiments that humans have felt throughout the ages for the Earth as Goddess and Mother, I explore the historical evolution of woman. Within the quietude of my studio, and while the pandemic ravaged the world, I let my sensations, feelings, visions, and thoughts of what we were experiencing further my investigation of the human body and its inner reality 

This collection of images flows from the stark perceptions of the difficult times we are living in. They juxtapose the fragility and strength of the human spirit. These images are at once representations of personal and universal images engendered by my muse, the mysterious source of creation. The meditative journey that walked me through the real and illusory perceptions of the body and its ability to heal, brought to life this exhibition of twenty-five works.

Modern women declare their ability to rise above and create passion on their own behalf; they embody memories of their consciousness and union with the natural instinctual life.

​Art is mysterious it urges me to BE.
I nurture it – it nurtures me back.