THE RELENTLESS

I based this artwork on a screenshot from a true crime documentary. This with deep respect for the implicated persons in the case. What provoked me to make up this work was the forceful presence of the character, his demeanor and strange, sordid deformity. I add one more thing, my work isn’t an apology for crime, it’s just my interpretation of a phenomenon.


As we may know, Robert Franklin Stroud (1890-1963, US), alias “The Birdman of Alcatraz”, was a convicted criminal. He served his time in this prison in the Bay of San Francisco, California. He was a man with significant contrasts. These dichotomies prompted me to create his portrait. I tried to capture the tumultuous events in his life and in the lives of others that crossed their paths with him.
Robert Stroud, “The Birdman of Alcatraz”
Digital Painting
2021
Collection: The Relentless
To create this work, I used as initial resources the Adam Chin’s Learning Machine images, where a computer program tries–from a frontal mugshot–, to develop the profile of the character.
Inmate #12
Digital Painting
2021
Collection: The Relentless
Video
Study of an Unknown Inmate 8
Study of an Unknown Inmate 8
Oil, crayon on paper
48.3 x 61 x 0.1 cm
2021
Collection: The Relentless
My interests as an artist include the exploration of eccentric topics, such as this artwork which is based on an US inmate’s mugshot, Walter Turpin (1877-?). In this work, I wanted to portray his turbulent life.
Head Study 28
Oil on paper
24 x 32 x 0.1 cm
2018
Collection: Portraits
Post
I based this artwork on a caption picture taken from a true crime video documentary. This with respect for the implicated people in the case.
Crime Scene 5
Digital Painting
2020
Collection: The Relentless
Video & Post
One topic that calls my interest as an artist is the drama you see in the faces of the people in mugshots. I stop to reflex upon their lives and motivations that made them take their choices that affected their lives and the lives of the others that crossed their paths with. This mugshot called my attention because of the tragic expression of the man.
Study of an Unknown Inmate 5
Ink on paper
24 x 32 x 0.1 cm
2019
Collection: “The Relentless”
Title: Study Head 4 Media: Oil and ink on paper Size: 24 x 32 x 0.1 cm  Year: 2018
Study of an Anonymous Inmate 35
Ink on paper
24 x 32 x 0.1 cm 
2005
Collection:The Relentless
I captured an image of a true crime documentary where this character has homicidal impulses. As in other artworks, the painting circumscribes, in a close-up format, the deformed face of the personage. I do the latter to exalt his emotional disturbance.
Head Study 35
Oil on paper
28 x 33 x 0.1 cm
2017
Collection:The Relentless
This artwork is my interpretation of a face reconstruction based on Machine Learning (ML) (1) done to a mugshot (police record). This reconstruction is done by using the front and profile photos of the criminal.
Inmate #8
Digital Painting
2021
Collection: The Relentless
The artwork portraits a turbulent inmate with a long crime history. One topic that calls my interest as an artist is the drama I read on the faces in mugshots. In this case, the fierceful gesture of the character provoked me to make up the two-pieces artwork in a unit. By doing so, I search to create a “speech”, a certain interaction between both works. My work is not an apology to crime. It’s my interpretation of a phenomenon. To see more images of the artwork head over to https://www.instagram.com/p/CQfgMfuH6Rm/
Inmate #7
Artwork: Oil, acrylic on canvas, Size: 31.5 (W) x 23.6 (H) x 0.1 in
Sculpture (head): Plasticine, plaster, cement, acrylic paint, Size: 4.7 (W) x 9.8 (H) x 9.8 (Depth), 8.8 pounds
 2021
Collection:The Relentless. A Thousand Crimes
As an artist, I'm interested in those that fight monsters (true crime) and their reality.
The Persecutor 3
Digital Painting
2021
Series: The Relentless

The Relentless

You're welcome to this collection.

One thing that calls my attention as an artist is the man and its precarious conditions. So, sickness, pathological behavior, forensics… are just some of the topics I explore. I find them fascinating. 

In 2021, I created "The Relentless" where I picture people that have social malfunctions and disorders which drive them to commit crime. The tragedy of their lives and the paths in which they have crossed in the lives of others, are the impulsive elements that compel me to create this series.

I also included in this collection–the manhunters–who are the professionals who pursue these outlaws. I think they too, are relentless. Those who fight "monsters" are also part of this collection because if they "... gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss gazes back on them." (1)  I believe the manhunters' work causes to them profound harm. They become as injured as those they pursue, only differently.

My work in this collection isn't an apology for crime, it's my interpretation of the criminal phenomenon.

1 The above quote is a freedom I have allowed myself to use in this context. It's from Friedrich Nietzsche, as we may know. It's also used by Robert Ressler (1937-2013, US), a FBI agent that coined the term "serial killer" during the 1970s. After his government service, Ressler became a crime consultant and author.

My Art Initial Resources

As an artist, I use all the resources I have in hand to create a piece. Some of my tools are oil painting, charcoal, acrylics, digital painting, colored pencils, 3D digital sculpting, clay sculpting, photographs of other creators and stills from true crime documentary videos–giving the artists their due credit, of course–are all good resources for my work.

I've sometimes mixed, very interestingly, acrylics with digital painting, such as in a work I like very much The Deaf Man No. 7. For this painting, I first made up a portrait, The Deaf Man No. 6. I digitized the latter, distorted it in PhotoShop and, using the same software, created the character's body in a pink environment.

Another interesting work using mixed mediums is one I recently created. The work I'm referring to is Inmate No. 7, where I portray my interpretation of the character's life in two different mediums: a painting (oil and acrylic on canvas) and a physical sculpture (plasticine, clay, plaster, cement, and acrylic paint). I present these two artworks as a unit. This to provoke a speech, a certain interaction between both works.

Art Techniques

The techniques I use are traditional (oil and acrylic, crayon, pencil, clay sculpting, etc.) and digital painting (digital tablet, Photoshop, 3D sculpture, etc.). 

My Art for Sale (Payments only through PayPal)

  • ORIGINAL PAINTINGS. Send me an email if you’re interested in acquiring any original painting or visit: 

https://sala-marte.com/collections/veronica-huacuja/

saatchiart.com/huacujaveronica              

  • INTERVENED PRINTS BY THE ARTIST. I apply acrylic brush strokes (with no structural changes) on the print, as well as adding my original signature. In this way, the piece becomes unique (like an original) and increases its commercial value (your art investment).

    Serial intervened prints: Only 10.

    Max. size: 35 inches wide by tall.

    I will deliver the print with its Certification of Authenticity (COA), and protected with non-acid wax paper, rolled and packed in a wooden crate.

    Ask me for a quote through an email

  • REGULAR PRINTS. If you’re interested in regular prints, send me an email.

Other activity: Online Art Instruction

I’m an online art instructor for company groups–to reduce stress and enrich their lives using MINDFULNESS–and individuals. So, for those interested, head over to patreon.com/veronicahuacuja or contact me through art@veronica.mx

I teach in traditional or digital techniques: portraits, human and animal body at rest and in movement, landscapes, still life, etc. 

I invite you too to read “Why Become my Patron" (first button on the right). 

Your Comments

If you have any comments or questions please send me an email. I'll be happy to answer ASP.

My Social Media

Instagram: veronicahuacuja

Twitter: HuacujaVeronica

Facebook: veronicahuacuja

Youtube: Veronica Fine Art

email: art@veronica

Thank you for visiting and reading this section: Collection: The Relentless.

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