Hi!
I’m Kena Ramirez Dillon, a Mexican-American contemporary artist and US Navy veteran.
My passion for creating goes back as far as I can remember, and as cliche´as it sounds, I’ve known since childhood that it was my intended path. I work in a variety of media; drawing in graphite and charcoal, painting in acrylic, oil, and digital, and creating abstract sculptures through woodworking and welding; skills which I acquired while earning my BFA at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP (Design, Architecture, Arts, and Planning) program. Since obtaining my BFA in 2017, my welding has also leveled up, by earning my certification in Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) from the American Welding Society, in 2019; being 1 of 3, in a class of 15 (me being the only woman), to pass the certification test.
My main discipline was drawing in charcoal and graphite until 2015, when I finally set my fear of an unexplored medium aside and gave painting a try. I soon realized I’d let fear hold me back for too long, and should’ve tried it sooner. As much as I enjoy creating two-dimensional art, I also enjoy the physicality of working with my hands. This led me to venture into sculpture in 2016; falling in love with a new medium (woodworking and welding) once again. Although I work with different media, my current body of work consists of a series of surreal paintings in acrylic and digital, depicting Blobby Dude, a character of my own creation.
In 2019, while recalling a childhood memory, I was inspired to sketch what I was seeing in my mind. Through this moment of self-expression and reflection, Blobby Dude was born. For a while now, I’d been in search of a non-human being to have as the main subject in my work. Since that sketch, Blobby Dude has become a pliable vessel to depict any person(s) needed in my surrealist paintings. While the first Blobby Dude created depicts a terrible experience I had as a child, the others are inspired by other past experiences, my family life, time in the Navy as a plane captain and aircraft mechanic on F-18 jets (mechanic briefly on H-60 helicopters), random and silly moments/thoughts, and the everyday. They’re a way for me to share my life, thoughts, and any moments that have deep roots in my memory; while masking some of the most terrible and intimate ones through the seemingly innocent facade of Blobby Dude. I don’t always choose to share the meaning of each piece, but instead invite my audience to bring their own; so that each piece may be as personal to them, as they are to me.
Recently, I’ve added a new tool to the creative arsenal in my studio; a 3D laser printer/engraver. Currently in the planning phase, I’m working on creating new work that combines the laser, painting, and sculpture. Although I’m not quite ready to share it with you all at the moment, I’m excited with the direction in which it’s heading, and looking forward to these new future pieces.
Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask 🤓
For exhibition info, check out my resume/CV. (link below)
For more up to date info about what I’m up to, check my Instagram and Instagram stories. (links below)
Shot of me bringing in an F-18 (as a plane captain) at a Blue Angels Air Show at NAF El Centro, CA in 2010