Farida Hughes, (b. NY) is a Baltimore, Maryland visual artist, whose works are distinguished by vibrant color and translucent layers. Navigating a mixed South-Asian Indian/German-American upbringing, her paintings are an abstract language concerned with the layering and bridging of worlds that formalistically reflect lived experiences and the merging of cultural and environmental influences. Hughes studied art and English at Fordham University (NY), then obtained an MFA in visual art at the University of Chicago. She exhibits nationally in venues such as The Delaware Contemporary Art Museum (Wilmington, DE), Asian Arts & Culture Center (Towson, MD), Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (Milwaukee, WI). Hughes has received grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and Minnesota State Arts Board. Hughes’ paintings are included in private and institutional collections and have been commissioned or placed for projects throughout the US. Artist Statement: My work lies within the canon of color rich organic abstraction combined with my own interest in contemporary light art and time-based practices. Collected narratives and actual observation of human interactions influence spherical and stacked curvilinear shapes, streamlines, and a flowing composition. Mixing paint into epoxy resin generates a slow build of lush, glossy surfaces, developing moments of hiding, revealing, and merging as the underlying layers leisurely expose themselves. The artworks encourage emotional connection through vibrant palettes and glossy surfaces. I utilize the fluidity, transparency, and color harmonies of my medium to guide a metaphorical subject matter of interconnectedness which is felt before it is known.