Elizabeth Lozano

When creating artwork I want to share with the audience the world I live in. In prison the normal becomes the abnormal and the abnormal then normal. My artwork is a combination of material and techniques used to express themes of incarceration and the struggle with explicit bias.

I enjoy working with acrylic paint, finding it most forgiving. However I will use any material I can get my hands on to express what I feel. I like to add texture to my work using pieces of wood, flower petals, glitter or anything that blends with the art piece. I have discovered that this technique makes my work pop out while showing prison and the spirits desire to thrive through it all.

I am the oldest and only woman of six children with parents that migrated from Michoacán and Guadalajara, Mexico to the United States over fifty years ago. Through painting, drawing, beading, collaging and other forms of art I seek to explore, question, and bring awareness to my status as a sixteen year old that was sentenced to die in prison— excessive sentencing, and its effects. Using my own story I touch on themes of restorative justice, rehabilitation, trauma, healing, hardship, resilience, the fear of separation from loved ones, and dying in prison. With my art I hope to bring more awareness to the long history of mass incarceration, the despair in marginalization and continue to impact people.