Heredia, Betty - Between Sound and Mark (2019

These works mark a period of change, during which I began to question whether my approach to painting to music had drifted from my original intent. I realized I had started making the paintings about the musical artist or the DJ rather than about sound itself. In doing so, I had meandered from what initially drew me to the practice.

The works remain inspired by sound, but they are also shaped by anxiety and the subconscious. I became increasingly inspired by marks I encountered in the street, such as graffiti, tagging, stickers, and signage. They appear to me as layers of signatures, of passersby signing the street's guestbook. I leaned further into mark-making, emulating the different versions of me, deeply listening.

I was developing a new approach to painting. I have abandoned the idea that I can be a blank canvas. Through my mark making, I bring my history, my experiences, my knowledge, and my biases. I still strive to be that empty vessel through which music flows onto a ground. Yet at this point, I have come to understand that what I’ve been doing is riffing; mark-making is my instrument.