Sofia Aguilar’s (MFA Studio Arts: Printmaking and Drawing) Mexican heritage imbues her art, which she has developed during her time at UNCG’s School of Art.
Growing up in Kernersville, about thirty minutes from campus, she enrolled at UNCG because it was close to home, and scholarship opportunities were available. After earning her undergraduate degree, she decided to re-up:
“I will be a two-time alum! It has been such a good fit and going from undergraduate to grad school I could see my overall growth. It helped having some of the same professors who could show me what needed to be improved and what could be developed more.”
Art has been a part of Aguilar’s life for as long as she can remember:
“Even if it was just coloring books or the cheap acrylic paint at home, I’ve been making art since I was little. That slowly transformed into the medium that I wound up studying in college.”
Aguilar started out as a graphic design major but soon realized that technology was not her strong suit:
“I also wanted to go back to more traditional art, which at first I thought would be painting. Then I took a printmaking class to see what that was about. I found I was interested in that process and enjoyed it so much that I changed my major to Printmaking and Drawing. I was still able to focus on my painting since that is considered drawing within our school.”
As Aguilar worked on her painting and printmaking styles, she began to find a theme:
“My work focuses on my Mexican heritage and expresses my culture and the history of Mexico, specifically the Aztec period. I really like the iconography and symbolism of that era.”
Aguilar used those elements to develop her own characters, which dominate her art:
“One is a jaguar character based on folklore dance. I incorporate that into my Mexican culture and in my work and it has interactions with other jaguar characters. I also have a skeletal cowgirl that dives even further into the history of Mexico. She interacts a lot more with the representations of gods and goddesses from the Aztec mythology or pantheon, taking them into more contemporary settings.”
Aguilar’s first visit to Mexico was a trip to visit family in Chihuahua. She returned ten years later with the UNCG study abroad program to Mexico City:
“I had a great time there, and I was able to really dive into the history of Mexico by visiting multiple museums. One thing that my professors encouraged was research, trying to make sure that what I want to represent within each piece is accurate.”
That research—plus access to the Weatherspoon Art Museum on campus and the Art professors’ care in students’ progress—is what makes UNCG’s School of Art a premiere place to develop a craft, according to Aguilar:
“All of the professors are here to help you. If you’re having an obstacle, you can talk with one of them to see what they think. I definitely looked to Christopher Thomas (Academic Professional: Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing) for that kind of help. He was able to guide me in visualizing the whole image when I got stuck.”
Aguilar knows about getting stuck:
“I recently did a residency in the Netherlands. It was my first time being solo in Europe, which was a great experience. I was able to be there for two weeks, really, just to focus on my art, during a time when I was having an artist block. I took that time to do a series of eight pieces using my Jaguar character roaming around the Netherlands.”
That experience led to one of the best lessons that Aguilar has learned:
“Patience. Because the work that I dive into is very tedious, it really helps me understand the patience that I have to have with my art sometimes, especially if sometimes I make a wrong part in carving out some image or if I paint the block in a color I didn’t intend. The other important thing I’ve learned is time management!”
Aguilar plans to keep printmaking and printing, and she hopes to have a chance to help others find their way in their art:
“I’d really like to teach someday. I’ve prioritized my art, but I really enjoy having one-on-one conversations with students in the print room. I think I’m ready to dive into that now, helping guide others into being printmakers, too.”
Story by Terri W Relos
Photo credits Sofia Aguilar, Kathryne Hood
