"My name is Mariana Flor, and I am the daughter of a first generation immigrant. My mother and father moved from Peru to Miami, Florida to live free of their corrupt governments. My mother is a photographer born in Cuba, an island saturated with censored creatives. The collective of Cuban artists in exile is vastly interconnected, and throughout my childhood I would accompany my mother on artistic endeavors within this community. I grew up with memories of eccentric adults dressed in imperfect bohemian clothes, lighting cigarettes and playing songs on classical guitars. Valentine's day to my mother meant taking us to Miami Beach with a sign that said “I hear love stories” in English and Spanish, and conversing with strangers about love. Our free weekends were spent viewing art at places like the Perez art museum. As a child, I unwittingly translated feelings into artistic expression. The creations and free spirits I witnessed created a sense of comfort in leading through life in my artistic desires.
In 2018, my mother moved my sister and I to New Jersey in hopes of greater opportunities for our family. Moving here opened a world of new cultures, accessible public transportation, cities overflowing with creativity, and the most significant museums in the world, right at my fingertips. With this gain of independence as an adolescent, I attempted to fill my free moments as much as I could. My train rides in between baby sitting jobs were spent live sketching. I integrated myself with artists at local shows, and explored any medium of art that I hadn't touched yet. Inspired by street art, I would bike to abandoned buildings with a bag full of spray paint, to amplify drawings from the night before into murals. I became addicted to improving my style. While traversing through my independent ventures, Hudson County Community College kept me structured. The guidance from my curriculum and professors made me disciplined, and furthered my curiosity.
In 2023, I found a job through HCCC assisting the artist, Jill Nathanson, an artist represented by Berry Campbell Gallery. Jill Nathanson is an abstract painter from New York known for her luminous acrylic paintings. She focuses on the dynamism of color and composition, replicating serene feelings in her work. Assisting Jill Nathanson has led me to practice valuable methods but above all, her attention to color has predisposed my eye. Observing her artistic process has made me witness how the slightest change in a hue can completely affect the sentiment of a field of colors. She is an inspiration and mentor in my art. Around the same time I began working for Jill, I had acquired a job as a studio technician at Blue Skies Pottery. Regarding ceramics, I only had a short portfolio of hand sculpting with air-dry clay and creating claymations, but I voiced my hunger to develop more skills. My role as a studio technician taught me the essence of clay before anything else. With the benefits of the studio space, I was able to practice and build confidence in sculpting and throwing pottery on a wheel. I have now worked as an instructor for two years. My journey in teaching has granted me the opportunity to help guide others, and consistently reflected my passion in 3D sculpting. Being able to physically build a vision of life has allowed me to intertwine my love for drawing into sculpture, and I find paper mache and ceramics to be the most cathartic mediums I work with.
The more my world expands, the further I find creating art to be my purpose. I am privileged to live in a country where I can express myself freely and pursue an artistic career. I feel fulfilled when I create, and relish being challenged. My curiosity strives to be in an environment of artists who feel that same drive, at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts."
I missed the deadline. I could blame it on miss guidance from my counselor. I could blame it on Rutgers confusing website. I could blame it on my lack of discipline. All though all three factors hold a part, sulking in my unsuccessful plan of my academic timeline will just leave me stagnant. I am not being set back, I am being re-navigated. Whenever I end up wherever I do, I am certain I will be creating my art, whether it be Mason Gross, or on the side of a road... That being said, Fall 2027 application will be seeing me once again, and until then I’ll continue learning from the play of life.
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