Lucia Armendariz’ paintings come alive as abstract expressionist creations she likens to births. Rounded bodies, shapes maintaining humanoid form, decorate her canvases, leaving the viewer with interpretive license. Showing creative drive even as a youth who moved to New York from her native town of Valencia, Spain, Armendariz remarks that her elementary school teachers were often frustrated by her refusal to color within the lines. Armendariz studied fashion design and it is clear from her work she is interested in the female body and its various expressions. In Envy, a green body twists and convulses while in Colors of Love reds, yellows and blue demarcate a bodied space. Armendariz can often be found preparing gourmet meals, hosting dinner parties and gardening, all activities in which she finds inspiration for both the organic and inorganic shapes that adorn her canvases. Traveling often, Armendariz has a passion for experiencing other cultures as is evident in her work: the churches, museums, and cities she visits make their marks on the artist’s life and pieces. Her work leaves much up to interpretation preferring abstraction over obvious portrayal, suggesting the viewer find the mystery of it themselves.
Armendariz lives and works in Rocky Point, New York.
