• A woman looks upward as their left hand runs through their long brown hair, sitting on a large brown flower.
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Comfortable, 2021.

As one of my final pieces as an undergrad, I decided to do a self portrait for many reasons. In my works of art I frequently explore themes revolving around societal issues such as colonialism, gender, race, and social class. These stem from my own experiences of being a woman of color and my financial struggles growing up. Many of these negative influences I encountered affected the way I perceived myself for many years. In my drawing, I wanted to portray myself not only in a way I want to be, but in a way I deserve to be. I have accepted I will never fall into the white western beauty ideal, but I still deserve to be comfortable in my skin. I have struggled with confidence in the past so I wanted to draw myself in an empowering way. I have also depicted a flower to represent a blooming and reinventing of the self.

Nicole Chumpitaz
B.A. Art Practice, 2021 | UC Berkeley Visual Arts |
Nicole Chumpitaz graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Art Practice in the Spring of 2021. She transferred in the fall of 2019 after attending both Irvine Valley College and Folsom Lake College. She was born in Oceanside California, but frequently relocated throughout the southwestern part of the U.S. growing up. Nicole is a multimedia artist and produces works of art in both traditional and digital mediums.