Week 6 Post

The piece by Carmen Lomas Garza that I have chosen is called Haciendo Papel Picado/Making Paper Cutouts. It was completed in 1999 and it depicts Garza's efforts in trying to incorporate aspects of her culture into her artworks.

As in any aspect of art it is about expressing your creativity and Garza captured that in this black and white cutout. The image depicts a woman at the center of the piece surrounded by 3 other people: one male and two female. The woman at the center of the piece as can be seen is larger than the average woman. She is demonstrating how to go about making/creating paper cutouts. The people around her are paying close attention to her instructions. The fact that Garza is surrounded by other children demonstrates her passion for her profession as well as her passion for teaching art to children.

Making paper cutouts is a big part of Latino culture (as I have seen in many Latino parties/fiestas) so I think it was a valuable aspect of Garza to teach younger people the value of knowing ones own culture. But it isn't just about culture it is also about teaching art and appreciation the work ethic and love of expressing creativity.

I chose this cutout because it reminded me of the stencil works we have been creating in class. And it has shown me how to understand the process of making stencils and cutouts. The process may not be the same but it is similar.