Carmen Lomas Garza is a Chicana artist known for her art representing her daily life, cultural/familial practices, and traditions as a Chicana growing up in South Texas. One of her images that stood out to me is titled “Tamalada” (1988). It is an oil painting that depicts the labor-intensive process of making tamales in her home. In this painting, you will find her family working happily as a team, each with different tasks, such as placing the filled hojas in a pan, separating the dried hojas, extracting the corn silk, etc. Garza’s father stands in the doorway, holding a little girl at his feet. Garza says that this position references the manner in which her father taught the children in her family how to dance. Everyone’s facial expressions seem happy and focused, which suggest they are enjoying themselves. This image stood out to me because it radiates a certain comfort and intimacy. Just looking at the painting creates a sense of warmth, coziness, and the feeling of being home. We can imagine the conversations happening, the smell of the tamales, and the sight of everyone coming together that Garza was trying to replicate through this image. The bright and bold colors work together beautifully, and the lack of shadows and voluminous depth reveal Garza’s traditional folk art-like style. This image shows the closeness of her family, and how certain traditions, such as cooking, can bring the family closer. This image was displayed in an exhibition next to other paintings that showed her other childhood memories, many of which also show her family or extended family performing tasks such as cooking, dancing, singing, healing, and painting. While many Chicanx artists showed more political and serious images in their work, Garza takes a lighter route, and shows how everyday tasks and traditions can bring people together. Although these traditions may vary by culture, the general sense of comfort that they bring creates, or should create, a sense of unity for all ages and ethnicities alike.
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