Carley Gmitro
Dallas, TX
@carleygmitro
painting/drawing/printmaking
In my work, I explore the emotional representation of the self through the combination of diagrammatic collaging, mediated imagery from the internet, and my personal poetry. I transform this coded information into images to approximate the idea of a “slow read.” By archiving my immense personal collection of fragmented sources, ranging from pop culture references, niche memes, and drawings of personal memories, I am able to have both a generative and process-based practice. I attempt to confuse the viewer and disguise work both from digital references and those made by hand. By challenging ideas of legibility, it is my hope that the viewer will be forced to question the authenticity of my hand and observe my unique brand of self-analysis and reflection through scavenged image collage.
How does the region influence your art?
Growing up in Texas, some of my fondest memories are rooted in the Southwest. It is a homeland for me and I find many sources of inspiration in Texas. Often driving, I think about space and plain land a lot, vast parking lots, rapid pace highways, and wide suburban roads. My mother has always had a love for plants and the cacti and succulents we grow are not only our pride and joy but one of my favorite sources of imagery in my work. I have also found my connection to the sun in Texas, feeling its intensity as it heats my surroundings, the concrete nearly sizzles with each step.
