Artist Biography
Diana Rocha is a muralist, large scale oil painter, and sculptor, currently based in San Antonio, Texas. In 2020, Rocha received a full scholarship to attend Southwest School of Art and will be graduating Spring 2025 from University of Texas – San Antonio with her BFA: Painting concentration. Rocha has interned with Lady Base Gallery/Sarah Castillo and separately with Lauri Garcia-Jones. Rocha is experienced in working with acrylic, acrylic gouache, oil painting mediums, currently Rocha is exploring combining sculpture and painting techniques. Rocha’s work is rooted in the ephemeral idea of life, the inevitability of death, nature, feminism, and generational rage. Rocha has participated in group and solo shows since 2010 with Fiesta Bed and Breakfast Gala, Centro Cultural Aztlan, and Lady Base Gallery. Rocha has participated in murals since 2000, assisted in restoring murals and most recently became a Lead Muralist on a project of her own, “Strength Fosters Change,” in cooperation with San Anto Cultural Arts, City of San Antonio – Office of Sustainability and Texas Creative. Rocha’s work has been published in Saytown Review ‘Zine, San Antonio Current, News4 San Antonio & Fox 29 San Antonio, San Antonio Report, and That Gray Zine.
Artist Statement
As a descendant of the Coahuiltecan tribe, Lipan-Apache tribe, and the Mexica/Aztec peoples, I am inspired by both the shamanistic beliefs of native indigenous tribes of the americas, and the polytheistic pantheon mythology of the Mexica, particularly the goddesses of my ancestral roots. My work often refers to the balance of life and death, nature, feminism, female generational rage, and will shine a light on the the lack of visibility of my ancestral culture and on the subjugation, undermined, and often overlooked power we hold as women reminding us that we are powerful equals.
My work combines the bold colors of expressionism and a mix of impressionistic technique of visible brushstrokes, unblended colors, and loose brushwork. I prefer to work in large scale oil paintings utilizing underpainting and both dry brushing and wet-on-wet painting techniques, medium and materials may differ but the subject matter remains consistent. Currently, I am working on combining 3D aspects of sculptural/ceramic pieces with the large-scale paintings.