Coby Cerna

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Artist Statement

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The people I encounter populate my work, and the conversations I have or overhear, as well as my surroundings, manifest themselves into my drawings, paintings, and sculptures. Constantly observing, absorbing, and deconstructing these moments, I reconfigure them into my imagined compositions and scenarios. My sculptures isolate materials typically found in paintings and recontextualize them. 

I am aroused and consumed by cartoons, comic books, and comic strips. Reading and viewing them are an integral part of my life, and they inform and influence my art-making process. Not only do cartoons and comics function as entertainment and a point of reference in my work, but also, they provide a distraction and escape from real-world concerns. I transform the tedious grind of working in the customer service industry into a meaningful undertaking of observing the nuances of daily life and plant them in my work