Artist Talk with Jacqueline Blanco

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Hello Jacqueline, to start with, please introduce yourself briefly and tell me about your beginnings in the arts.

My name is Jacqueline Blanco and I am an artist based out of the Dallas, Texas area. I started becoming interested in art when I was back in elementary school. I would always be drawing people, but sadly they were disproportionate then. Since art was a big passion of mine, I continued creating in college. I took a couple of great classes that introduced me to oil painting and proper anatomy, and later on in university I was encouraged to experiment more with my art and see it as a career.

I wanted to talk with you about your latest series, “Gluttony” and, more in general, about how you started to use the element of food in your work.

My current series, “Gluttony,” is about not being able to say no to your own vices even though they may cause a negative psychological impact. The idea of using food within my practice came through my own personal experiences, and within the “Gluttony” series it represents degradation by using it to be sexually suggestive. The original food item that I thought of using was meat even though it wasn’t the first one that was photographed. I had a prior relationship where I felt like I was being used mostly for my body, so one of the things I eventually told my then partner was that, “I feel like a piece of meat.”  Even though using meat was the first idea that I had, I started off with cake and whipped cream because they appeared more explicit since they took on the characteristic of bodily fluid when smeared on. Also, the cake within the series represented wanting to have the desert (a prior partner/ interest) and having to fight the urges of reaching out to them.

Why is it important for you to talk about the topics that you talk about?

It is important for me to talk about these topics because it is something that I have experienced and feel that others have experienced as well, but with it being a somewhat a taboo topic people don’t usually converse in the topics of sexual intimacy and its emotional impact of relationships.

Your latest series consist of paintings, but I also saw mixed media pieces and some installations on your website. What fascinates you about each of them and do you have a preferred medium?

The mixed media  and installation pieces on my website were actually part of my first series, “Pose.” This body work is on how words can psychologically hurt people when said in a derogatory or intentional manner. I was fascinated on how I could take advantage of the fact that I could utilise the plastic sheet that I poured and spray painted on to create the smaller works originally, and use it as a main component of the installation. By doing this, I was able to create more work in a shorter period of time. That being said, even though I created my first major series with mixed media my preferred medium will be oil paints. I just find it to be more of an enjoyable and satisfying experience overall to create works.

Can you please share some of your creative process with me, from the starting point to the finished piece or series?

For sure! For example, to create the painting, “THE FAILURE”, I started the process by baking a cake that was used as a prop. I  was then photographed within my studio by a friend. I pressed the cake onto my face, and smeared on whipped cream as well. I chose one of the photographs that were taken from the shoot, and used it as a reference photo for the painting. Finally, I worked in thin oil layers to create the work starting with the under drawing to the last details.

The topic of your work affects many people around the world, especially women. Do you aim for your art to have a positive impact on the reality of these issues (raising awareness, breaking tabus, etc.) and more generally speaking, do you think that art can have an impact on societal issues at all?

I do aim for my art to bring awareness to the issues of how relationships can affect individuals. I think it can help facilitate the conversation of intimacy and sexualization for viewers because it’s a topic that can be uncomfortable for people to talk about.

Any current or upcoming project or event that you’d like to share?

I would like to share that my first curatorial project, “Funhouse Distortions,” is on view at Plush Gallery in Dallas, Texas. I’m showing with three other amazing artists who are Jaime Acker, Hillary Holsonback, and Grace Sydney Pham. The exhibition explores the theme of how societal ideals and expectations can distort personal experiences and cause dissociation. It will be on until June 3rd, so come and check it out!

Any advice that you’d like to share with fellow emerging artists, especially those just starting out?

My advice would be to have better time management especially if you’re having to juggle being an artist while having a full/part-time job. Find a way to make time after work or before to create art even if it’s just half an hour or less. All of it adds up. Set yourself reminders on the phone or write it down on a planner if it helps as well.

Any emerging artists you’d like to recommend?

I would like to recommend Victoria J Brill. She is a figure painter that mostly uses herself as the subject matter for her deeply personal large scale body of works.

And last question: What are your hopes for the future?

My hopes for the future is to be able to continue building off of the “Gluttony” series and be able to create them on an even larger scale.

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