Beauty Reflections
This collection is part of the Beauty Reflections group show. Making this collection for me was a very emotional, and intimate process. To me, beauty is reflected in self-love, self-acceptance, and self-confidence. These are all traits I sometimes struggle to have. I used these works to highlight women who I believe exude these traits, portray confidence and are unapologetically themselves.
I had two different approaches to completing these pieces, first was the exploration of women who inspire me, and who radiate confidence, self-love and self-acceptance. I also used the creation of this works a means for me to fight my internal demons that try to put me down and bring out the worse in me. Through this I wanted to embark on a new medium for me; alcohol ink. Having painted for 15 years with acrylics, using a different medium was not only scary but it really played with my self-confidence as an artist and tested my abilities and my self-confidence. Throughout the process of learning this new medium, and creating this collection I attempted (sometimes failed) to better myself; to calm my anxieties, to accept and learn from my failures but most importantly to see beauty in this process of self-healing and bettering myself; that is what beauty means to me, and that is what this collection aims to portray.
Nik Torres is a Toronto based, Colombian and Canadian mixed media abstract artist. She explores her experiences of migration and self-discovery as she finds her way through harmonizing colors and textures. These abstract narratives allow her to reconcile with her feelings of displacement and cultural identity, while she strives to resolve her own mental health path. Her work creates subtle voices of serenity and harmony that can resonate with viewers who are aiming to reconcile with their own internal struggles.
Torres holds an MA in Education, where she focused on creative poetic inquiry to analyze immigrants’ struggles into the US and Canada, a BEd, and a BA in Visual Arts. She has worked with other creative mediums throughout her life; photography, poetry, and digital installations amongst others. She has recently taken up her art career full-time, after 9 years in the education field.