SELENE COLÓN
ARTISTRY

interview JORGE PEREZCHICA

Hi Selene, how’s quarantine life going?
Quarantine life has been a real challenge just like it has been for everyone else. I haven’t been able to work my regular job as an afterschool program coordinator due to schools not being open. I have been really focusing on my art and just trying to make the best of it.

Growing up in the Coachella Valley, did you always want to be an artist?
I am so proud to have grown up in this valley. My first real painting ever was when I was 8 and it was of the mountains and desert. In middle school, I had great support from my teachers and that is when I truly identified as an artist. Throughout high school, I was known as “the art chick” and was very involved in the art scene. I was a proud recipient of art scholarships from various sponsors and organizations in the Coachella Valley and I was able to be a junior docent at the Palm Springs Art Museum.

How did you start a career in the makeup industry?
I remember my uncle helped me fall in love with the movie-making process. I was mesmerized by the power of makeup and special effects. In school, I was always an artist, but I also had good grades and AP classes so my counselor and my parents were not so supportive of my love of art and pushed me to follow a “regular” college degree. Luckily as a sophomore in college, I switched my major to a Fine Arts Degree and took a theatrical makeup class where I discovered the magic of makeup artistry. Since then I have been certified in Makeup Artistry and I am also a licensed Cosmetologist. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked on photoshoots, fashion shows, indie films, and theatre, including the McCallum Theatre, CVRep and Dezart Performs.

What keeps you inspired and motivated each day in the age of Covid?
Without being able to work or do makeup, I’ve been taking it day by day, being able to create a little bit every day has been very motivating and emotionally helpful in this painful year. I also had time to re-imagine my career. I enrolled back in college to be able to add psychology to my education and pursue a career in Art Therapy. I have worked with children through the YMCA for a decade and I have found that helping middle school kids with art is a huge motivation for me.

Tell us about the paintings you created most recently.
This year I was finally able to sit down and paint some of the concepts I had been brewing for a while. I have conjured inspiration from my love of the moon, self-expression, and female empowerment from wonder woman to re-imagined Disney characters to the endurance of losing a loved one. A few of my paintings are of moon goddesses; all of them are controlling the world around them just like the moon can encourage tides of change. My painting Elixir is of the pain of being depressed and how we drown our pain in a dosage. Most recently, I have finished off the year with my mixed media piece of Blind Justice. In it, Lady justice has noticed the overwhelming weight of blood spilled from injustice and has begun to remove her blindfold that ironically has kept her blind to the truth. I’m pretty proud of that one.

You collaborated with Victor Simmons on GENERATE. What was it like on set?
Our inspiration, like the title, was about showcasing Coachella Valley creators getting together and Generating ART. We really wanted to highlight the artistry that comes from our growing valley. Most people think of our valley as mid-century Palm Springs which is awesome, but we are so much more than that. My inspiration for the makeup was our scenery. I wanted to make it modern and dramatic so I used metallic reds, pinks, and purples like our beautiful mountain sunsets, as well as sandy browns and greens for our desert oasis landscapes. I also made sure the skin on our models was golden and glowy like being in the desert sun. Working with the Crown Collective and the king of the crown himself, Victor Simmons, after so many months of social distancing was the greatest feeling!

On photoshoots, it’s hard finding a good hair/makeup team but you guys work seamlessly together. How did you two meet? And how would you describe your collaboration?
I love and respect Victor so much! He is a driving force and a true visionary. I first met Victor years ago when I started attending Marinello’s cosmetology school. Although we are close in age, he was one of the professors and quite frankly, the best one. The energy and unique creativity he brought to the learning process really clicked with me. I had already been working in the makeup industry professionally and we started collaborating on projects. Throughout the years we’ve done hair shows, events, and countless photoshoots. There are many artists and creatives out there, but it’s really about creating a team where everyone respects everyone’s artistry and can really work off each other’s inspiration to create awesome looks, Victor and I have that.

What are you working on next?
I am currently working on new paintings and I’m also looking forward to submitting my painting, Blind Justice to online galleries focused on civil rights. As a woman of color, I try my best to be socially active and I hope that I can inspire other women to express their voice, creativity, and talent.

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