Phone: 805-646-4229
E-mail:
sylvia@sylviaraz.com Ojai, 2007
Sylvia left her native Montevideo in 1963, and went to live for 10 years in Jerusalem. There, she became the Head Nurse of a "cuckoo’s nest" Psychiatric facility and a teacher in psychiatric nursing. All this while pursuing her artistic interests, painting and taking classes at the Betzalel Art Institute, which kept her creative flame alive.
After settling in Los Angeles in 1974, Sylvia decided to pursue the Dream, taking informal classes at UCLA and participating in several workshops, as well as training as a potter at SMC.
The anatomy classes at the School of Nursing were helpful to understand the human expression, while her psychiatric training deepened her insight of human nature. Being of South American origin, she was greatly influenced by the native cultures and the Latin-American masters. On the other side her european roots also had a strong impact on her philosophy.
Sylvia's subject matter evolves around the figure and human passion, striving to capture in her art the sublime and pathetic aspects of life. She works in a variety of media, the common denominator being the issues that touch her soul. Making style statements has never been her main goal.
A good deal of the creative process comes out of the childhood recollections, and it implies an instinctive rather than analytical approach to image making, the main force being the joy of creating, while accepting all art history as available material.
Sylvia loves working with stone because it implies an intimate relationship with Nature. If she can foresee the stone’s responses, its caprices, its treachery, she feels happy.
In the assemblage sculptures, she has found a medium which is more compatible with the humor and lightness of heart she wants to convey, as well as another dimension missing from her other work: color.
For her, creating art has been a rich, emotional experience, and the challenge is never ending. Having joined the Ojai community in the last two years, she is thrilled to be pursuing her artistic endeavors here.
How to contact me:
Sylvia Raz
2135 McNell Road
Ojai, California 93023
Phone: 805-646-4229
E-mail:
sylvia@sylviaraz.com