About Raquel Aurini
BIO
Raquel Aurini was born in Hamilton, Ontario. She completed her BA in Studio Art at the University of Guelph in 2001 a Digital Media Arts diploma from Seneca College in 2004. Since then, Raquel has balanced her career as a graphic designer in advertising with her artistic practice. Raquel currently resides in Toronto and paints landscapes of her world travels
ARTIST STATEMENT
Connection is at the core of my art practice: between memory and place, colour and feeling, moments and meaning, myself and the viewer. One of the most significant aspects of my life is travel, and in moments of awe I take a photograph to capture a moment in time and space. Once I return home, I create detailed sketches by going back and forth between my memory of the moment and the photo; my focus is not to recreate the image, but to create an architectural guide that will enable me to express the layers and facets of memory. Because memory is multisensory—it is attached not only to sight, but also to smell, touch, sound, and taste—I use bright, vivid colour to capture and express the intense saturation and lucidity of memory in my paintings and recreate the unique combination of real and surreal beauty we find in nature. Using acrylic or oil paint, I begin with a single colour and intuitively follow it where it grows; as I paint, I am always considering how I can use line and shape to create an internal sense of cohesion and balance. I use flow lines and dabs of colour to draw the eye around the whole canvas. Art is communication beyond language; I want viewers to feel a sense of calm when looking at the landscapes, but above all I just want them to feel.