I think artists should define themselves. They should speak about their work and how it relates to society and what's going on in the world.
Jose ParlaOne teacher told me that my work belonged in the trash. That day I ran out of the classroom and ended up in the library, where there happened to be a black and white photography exhibition of Robert Rauschenberg's photographs of the streets of New York. The subject of his photos were exactly what I was painting about.
Jose ParlaMy work is an exploration of the self. I've always been concerned with how I'm living and how that reflects in the painting.
Jose Parla