​

Janice Aponte

 

I am a visual artist in Chicago born in Ponce, Puerto Rico growing up in New York City. As a child I began my creative journey, instinctively drawing and sketching. Throughout my childhood, I relocated between New York and Puerto Rico, facing challenges of readjusting to new environments and cultural values. Despite these challenges, my love and intuition for art remained constant. I continued drawing skills as a self-taught artist and obtained a degree in Business from Ponce, Puerto Rico. I relocated to Chicago with my family and worked in the accounting industry. My true passion led me to enroll in oil painting lessons, transitioning from drawings to oil paintings. My earlier paintings drew inspiration from influential masters such as Picasso, Monet, Kahlo, and Wichie Torres. Over the years, I developed my unique style using it as an anchor for empowerment and purpose.

 

Notable exhibits include Frida @ 110 at the ChimMaya Gallery in Los Angeles, Art is Money, Money is Art in New York and the Genesis Collective at the Hive Gallery in Los Angeles. In 2011, as a guest speaker for the United States Postal Service I received a recognition artist award at the unveiling of The Julia de Burgos Stamp.

 

In 2017, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, I co-founded a non-profit organization, Arte al Rescate, with Erica Sanchez. Arte al Rescate served communities in Puerto Rico through collaborative efforts, raising $34,000, providing art supplies and school materials to those in need.

 

In 2024, I opened AponteArt Gallery in Jefferson Park,earning a beautification award from the Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce and receiving a distinctive review by Third Coast Review Chicago. AponteArt Gallery provides a platform for artists of all levels in Chicago, and it is one of my most cherished accomplishments as a female Puerto Rican artist.

​

​

Artist Statement:

 

As an artist I draw inspiration from my travels, relationships, and personal experiences.  The creative process allows me to channel my energy, heighten my self-awareness and discover new aspects of my identity as both an artist and a woman. My art connects me with others, inviting the viewer to step into my world and experience their own emotions and interpretation of my work.

 

I work from my Chicago home studio, I use a range of mediums and tools to create texture and layers in my paintings, which adds depth and interest, incorporating brushes, sponges, combs and unconventional objects. My favorite tools are my bare hands and pallet knives! I prefer oil paints, and enjoy oil pastels, acrylics, and experimenting with mixed media. 

 

My artistic style is modern, characterized by themes of femininity, love, and cultural heritage rooted in my Puerto Rican ancestry. Over the past seven years, I have shifted towards a more intuitive approach in my work resulting in heavily textured pieces created in musical solitude with its unique experimental moments. These works, including my topographical and Flamboyan pieces, demonstrate my affinity for curvaceous shapes and vibrant and playful color palettes. Feminine subjects and themes are a recurring motif in my works, manifesting in portraits, landscapes and abstract compositions.  I also express my creativity through fashion and jewelry design under my label AponteART.

​

          

         Painting takes me to a place where my soul dances,

        the colors are my music,

        at late hours in the night...

        when everyone is dreaming,

        my brush dances over my canvas and I am dreaming too.

                                                                             Janice Aponte

 

 

 

 

​