
Original art by Bazteki
About
Making art is both one of the most difficult things I do every day but also one of the only things that truly brings me peace and a sense of actualization. Each time I sit to work I am confronted with the flood of emotions that I usually ignore.
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Working through a piece means being still enough to face and process what I'm feeling. I'm invariably bombarded with intensely negative thoughts and emotions, so in a way, each piece is a healing experience in itself. The finished painting is something like a physical visual record of that healing.
I often hope that someone will see my work and feel some sort of resonance with that, maybe even feel healed themselves.
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Each animal is part of my symbolic language. They come to me with their own meanings which I often have to figure out through working with them. When I find myself noticing or fixating on an animal, I ask "Why? What is it they have to teach me?". It's often years before I fully understand the meaning of a piece, let alone an animal.
What is "Bazteki"?
Bazteki is many things, but most importantly it's my chosen name, what I wish to be known by. It's an avatar, an idealized self that I can slip into in order to have the freedom to overcome my own self-imposed limits.
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Bazteki also serves as the name of my business, which is owned and operated by me with the part-time help of my partner.
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