Carmen Lomas Garza - Sandia

The piece I chose to focus on is "Sandia".  This painting stood out to me immediately because of it's beautiful colors and relatable subject matter.  This reminded me of summers spent with my family playing with my cousins outside.  Sandia is often used as a symbol of national pride due to it's red white and green colors, which resemble the Mexican flag.  Garza creates an atmosphere of warmth by bathing the porch in a warm yellow glow.  It almost seems as if the Garza is saying that the home is a safe space, while everything beyond it is touched with darkness.  This same use of warm colors is echoed in the clothing that the family is wearing.  This piece shows Garza's typical narrative style that tells the story of a family enjoying time together.  However, it also holds an element of seriousness by portraying the world outside the family as dark and mysterious.  This is something Garza often does with her art, shows a happy scene on the surface but with a lesson that lies beneath it.  She also pays close attention to small details, like the lizard on the window pane or the black cat that lurks just beyond the confines of the porch.