Carmen Lomas Garza by Constance Cortez allows us to dive into the Chicano/a culture through her lense. Although she grew up in Texas it is clear to see that she did not leave her customs behind as a Mexican-American. Although customs vary with culture, I believe any individual who looks at her paintings can sense the emotion being evoked by memories. Her images capture very particular moments in life which I can relate to.
"Tamalada" (1998) stood out to me because I grew up with my parents making tamales at a young age. This picture is an oil painting that demonstrates the efforts that go into making tamales. The picture depicts generations of family coming together to make tamales, each one of them pertaining to their own special task. We can also see that each of them demonstrate their own sense of style that goes with the individual. Although I never grew up with family, it was nice to see this picture and imagine myself portraying one of the characters. I can only imagine the bond families create during the holidays especially being able to grow up with these accustoms. The image demonstrates how beautiful bonding and working together harmonious can be so intimate. It's interesting to see how there are different generations of family being shown in the image. Lomas Garza does a great job at showing the sentimental value of family through her imagery.
It is important to note how she also used very bright colors in her image. Everyone seems to be wearing something colorful and the walls are painted. It is light-hearted in comparison to other chicana/o artists, she tends to focus on culture and family. Instead of being thought provoking, there is a sense of nostalgic emotions that come from the intimate scenarios that she paints.
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