By Natalie Taylor
I was impressed by the works of Roxana Pumarejo Cardenas the first time I saw them, before I even knew anything about them. Her paintings were at Casa de Europa during the month of September, in an exposition titled Scent of a Woman. I stumbled on the show when walking through Centro. In the back room of Casa de Europa were many oils, the majority depicting women—some in vibrant colors and others in muted, autumn-themed hues. There was a touch of surrealism and a bit of magical feel to all of them, they were not simply portraits done in a realistic style. I am a lover of surrealist art, and it is very seldom that I come across these. In most cases, the artist has turned out to be from other parts of Mexico, and because I have been concentrating my column specifically on artists from San Miguel, I have not covered them. I was prepared to find out that the artist is also from elsewhere when I went to ask about the works. And it was here that I was pleasantly surprised. Roxana resides both in Pachuca and in San Miguel de Allende—she has a dual residency, with feet firmly planted in our city as well!
Roxana was born in Tampico, and even as a little girl dabbled in painting. When she took a painting class at the age ten, she was hooked. She told me life is lived in epochs, there is a time for everything, and it is never too late to do what makes you happy. She married and had children, dedicating herself to being a wife and mother, creating a warm, happy home for her family. Then, when the children grew up, she moved on to her next phase—fulfilling her passion for art for her own satisfaction. She spent time studying art at Emily Carr University in Canada, then created paintings in oils and acrylics, drawing inspiration from the places she had visited. Women’s place in the world, their strengths, and sensitivities are part of what she depicts as well.
Roxana takes particular interest on how her artwork is exhibited. It is not simply a matter of placing her works on the gallery walls. She sees her work as part of a space, evoking a feeling of welcome, of warmth, of hominess; as if the visitor were coming into her home for an afternoon tea, perhaps. Even without realizing it at the time, I sensed an all-encompassing harmony, and an embracing atmosphere. Roxana achieves this by placing her paintings in groupings, she adds the scent and warmth of lighted candles, herbs, accoutrements and objet d’art. The exhibition space becomes an extension of how she decorates her home, and you feel the artist’s presence in the surroundings.
There is absolutely nothing jarring in the works of Roxana—they are instead, all about softness, quiet, well-being, and a sense of beauty. Her frequent use of ochre, burnt sienna, and gold, reminded me of autumn walks in the woods in the Midwest, when I lived there. They are, of course, the colors of the colonial homes in San Miguel’s historic center, and this is perhaps what resonated so much with me on a personal level. She connected my former residence to where I live now—San Miguel de Allende. The women depicted in her paintings evoke the works of Klimt, with one particular one which she called an homage to the Austrian painter. A few other paintings have the long-necked, slim women’s faces reminiscent of those done by Modigliani. Then, of course, there are many others that represent Roxana’s unique vision and sensibility. There are surreal and magical elements in many of these, as she adds other mediums such as sand, or other collage materials.
If you had the opportunity to see her exhibit at Casa de Europa, you were one of those fortunate visitors who surely left the show with a smile on your face, and perhaps one of her pieces to adorn your home. Roxana hopes to have another show in San Miguel in the near future, but has no concrete plans as yet. She is not currently exhibited in any galleries in our city, but I am certain that will not be for long—her lovely works deserve to be on permanent display. You can always reach out to Roxana Pumarejo at: r_pumarejo_c@hotmail.com and request a private showing.
Natalie Taylor: BA in English Lit and Journalism, Loyola University, Chicago, 1995. MFA in Creative Writing, Vermont College, Montpelier, VT, 1999. Published writer, editor, journalist. Spanish teacher in the US, English teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Translator. www.natalietaylor.org Contact: tangonata@gmail.com
