Media: Oil Painting, Drawing, Collage, Mixed Media

The central question I asked myself was "how can I explore the preservation of my Mexican heritage through my work as an artist?" I moved to the United States at seven years old. It was difficult leaving my family behind. As I grew up I began to appreciate the efforts my family made to keep me connected to Mexico. This selection of works highlights special moments I share with my family, and documents my artistic journey to preserve my Mexican heritage. I documented my family through drawing and painting, and collected artifacts from around my house to incorporate into my work.

At the start of the course, I focused on documenting my family with sketches from life. I tried to capture everyday moments that show their personalities. Then, I experimented with different media to incorporate Mexican symbols I found around my house, such as image transfer and collage. Several of my works incorporate real recipes that date back to my abuela and bisabuela. Being able to hold these memories and immortalize them in my art felt really amazing. Later on, there was a shift in my work as I began to synthesize all of my different processes together in one canvas.