something I connected to in the course

This course was a lot of fun I loved mixing learning with art. I've always like art was never able to take an art class in college. This class was a good elective to express my itch for art. I loved getting to learn about all the Chicano/a artists and how they each had their own way to express who they are. From Laura Aguilar barring every inch of her body and soul for her photographic art form to Marion Martinez who repurposes old computer parts for her art. This course made me think of my own connection to being Chicana. I am proud of who I am and what I represent and what I learned from these artists is that you don't have to paint Frida or the Virgin to show you practice Chicano art. Art is whatever you connect to and want to express that is what makes it so beautiful. I also loved drawing in my moleskin I plan on keeping up with it even after the course. I was never taught in the aspect of drawing so practicing drawing in this class was nice. I grew up painting and learning another medium was awesome for me. I really enjoyed this class and hope they keep offering it.

The painting below is one of my personal pieces I've done with oil I thought it was a fun mix of my culture and what I like, a Dia De Los Muertos Hello Kitty :) 

Printmakers

In the article by Holly Barnett-Sanchez it is about Chicana printmakers and how printmaking was a huge part of El Movimiento in the 1960’s. Printmaking was a way to connect beyond the local. The fact that this medium was used in forms of posters and cards to be passed around asserting the movement. It was a way to demand their space with the art scene. The printmaker I really liked was Barbara Carrasco who made the print of Dolores Huerta. The fact she wanted to make a piece that showed how powerful yet feminine Huerta was is what made me attracted to her work. She used the color rose to represent her feminine side, yellow to show her radiance of happiness, and mint to show the color of plants since she was working with agriculture. Carrasco got to personally know Huerta, which I found amazing. I also loved how she gave Huerta recognition for I feel everyone focuses on Chavez.

Loteria- Primera Tabla Carmen Garza

In the painting Loteria- Primera Tabla caught my eye. This painting was quite interesting to me since Garza’s mother would paint Loteria cards when she was a little girl. I feel as if her mother was a introductory factor for Garza to get into art. This painting makes me think of her tying in her mothers influence to her own artwork. I really like this piece due to the colors she used which were a light pastel assortment. She uses typical Loteria characters but has made the concept her own. She does this by mixing pre Columbian and colonial worlds. For example a drawing of a talkative man has the words pico largo under indicating that he has a large mouth. I also found it interesting that for the rose block she used the word Rosita instead of just Rosa. Rosita means small rose so she gave this block a pet name in a way. This piece was really beautiful to me I loved how she recreated this traditional game to her own vision. I love how Garza loves to recreate pieces later on in the book she recreates some if her own pieces to make them easier for the public to obtain which I felt was really amazing of her to want people to be able to afford her art.

Letter to Barbara Carrasco

Dear Barbara,

       I recently came across a couple of your art pieces in my Chicano studies class, and I am writing to tell you how amazing you are. Your pieces really stood out to me for the choice of colors you use in them. I love color and how you implement them is fantastic. In your piece of Delores Huerta I loved the meaning behind your color choices of rose, yellow, and mint. Huerta is just as important as Chavez and your piece demonstrates how powerful she is and also how feminine. I also got to see your piece where you paint your face brown with words that you were called growing up. This piece strikes home for me because I am a lighter Latina and growing up I was always called things like “white girl” or “gringa”. So your piece just really resonated with me. I feel too Latina for white America but at the same time I am too light to fit in with Latinos.  I have a question for you because I find your life so fascinating. I would like to know how it was getting to work with such historical people like Huerta and Chavez? I could not imagine how amazing it must have been to be there first hand. Thanks so much for taking your time to read this I truly appreciate it.

 Sincerely,

Ashley Uvina

Comment on Laura Aguillar by Yadira Sesmas

As Yadira states I like that Aguilar also used a photograph medium in her pieces. It is one of the least explored mediums in my opinion. I like how Yadira calls Aguilar a non-conformist. I do see her as non-conformist. I also appreciate how she uses bigger bodies and appreciates their beauty. As Yadira states most people focus on the thinner body as beautiful while Aguilar does not. This view is refreshing for the fact it makes me feel beauty I am not the typical size 2 girl I have curves and I am proud of that. Being in the United states and having a not so typical stick thin body is difficult it makes you feel like your not beautiful sometimes. I appreciate all the movements recently to help girls feel proud of themselves through not photoshopping all pictures. For example American Eagles intimate line Aerie now does not altar their pictures at all. This stand companies are making helps empower young women to feel beautiful. 

Carlee Fernandez Uvina Fall 2014

The artist that stuck with me this week was Carlee Fernandez. I really appreciated her view on Chicano art. Yes she is Chicana but does not create Chicano art.  I like this statement she declared for just because your of Chicano descent it does not mean you automatically create Chicano art. A part of the reason I feel she made that statement is because I feel she does not feel that close to her Chicano roots. She said she just began building a relationship with her father, he is the reason she's considered Chicana. When is comes to the way you look or your last name people automatically assume you are part of something, I feel like connected with Carlee in that sense. I am first generation here in the United States, half Mexican half Argentinean. Due to mom being lighter skinned with european features, I am also light skinned with her european features. It makes it harder for me to fit in with other Chicanos for they do not see me as one of them even though I am. I am in this weird limbo between not being accepted with Latinos or with Americans. With Carlee I feel she also as a struggle with her identity and that made me relate to her. I also loved her use of taxidermy in her art and how she uses things in a fashion others wouldn't have thought of.

Martha Ramirez

I really liked that Martha was an artist we covered in our class. I have the pleasure of having her as my professor this quarter. Today I attended the SPARC event she holds annually for Day of the Dead. Martha is a wonderful muralist. She has shown us many of her works that took months to years to complete. I thought it was interesting how she's able to go back to Ocotepec and continue making murals there.  I thought it was funny how she painted a smaller mural on some wood and the mural was lost then found floating from home to home in Ocotepec. She has a strong connection to her roots and its very inspiring, and the love she has for her culture makes me happy. Also I really like how she teaches culture and language to young children. I believe the younger children learn these things the more they will understand as they grow older. Martha is a great professor and I'm really enjoying taking her class. I also thought it was funny how she always wanted to live in a pyramid so she made one in Ocotepec. The pyramids which is also a University is such beautiful work shes done the colors are so vivid. I love how alot of the artists we have been learning about use alot of color in their work.

stencil I chose

The stencil I chose was a set of eyes with strong eye bows. Eyes have always attracted me. They have such a strong voice without saying a word. The strong brows and long lashes on the eyes show strength and femininity  at the same time. I also chose the color pink for its my favorite color and it truly depicts femininity.  I also chose to hand paint the phrase "You have eyes my dear but you cannot see". Which implies that people don't always look into the deeper things in life. People want everything fast and now. Life is about living and appreciating the small things. People need to take life slower see the beauty around them. For example here at UCLA you see students rushing around campus from class to class. You see them engulfed in their technologies not even glancing to see the beautiful school we attend. Thats just an example but its the reality we live in today. People need learn not to count the days but to actually make the days count. Living through moments because you think there will be other moments is not the way to live at all.

La Virgen

Being raised Christian the Virgin of Guadalupe was never a large part of my direct upbringing. My family on my dad’s side on the other hand saw her as a large part of their lives there was paintings of her and statues.  I loved the depictions of the Virgin that were shown to us and in the book.  It was an interesting rendition of the respected figure.  It shows her in a different light and a great mixture of different cultures. I liked how one photo mixed the Virgin and Aphrodite. The fact that she was mixed with normal things from our society I really enjoyed. Seeing her with legs and heels was quite amusing and empowering. This image I could see very disturbing for very religious followers of the catholic church for I know she is a huge part of their culture. The artist stated that she just wanted to make the Virgin like any other woman so she was given shoes with a shorter hem line. I also found it cute how even though she is walking she is still praying.  The artist wasn't trying to offend anyone she just wanted to make the Virgin like any other woman. 

Uvina, Ashley

Hi my name is Ashley Uvina I am a transfer student from Orange County. This is my second year at UCLA, and I am Anthropology major. I am first generation here in the United States and the first to go to college. My mother is from Argentina and father is from Mexico.

Out of the house, the Halo, and the whore’s Mask: 

Women will always be the underrepresented group almost the world. Women even make less than men in the workplace. The feminism in the movement is enlightening; I find joy in the fact that they want change. The way women are viewed in Latino society fits the title of the article perfectly. Going from  virgin, mother, or whore. The fact that Chicana artist use their sexuality in their art shows that they can have power in their own way.

There’s no place like Aztlan: Ebodied Aesthetics in Chicana: 

I found it interesting how De Alba references the wizard of OZ in this piece. The journey to OZ parallels to me the journey Chicanos must make to get to Aztlán.  Also how does the journey to Aztlán 

 Help Chicanos to adapt living the US? This piece made me think of how different areas of comfort come up to people. Aztlán seems fictional but Chicanos find comfort in the idea. Is the idea on home a physical idea someplace you can physically go to or is it some emotional place fixated on memory? In the Wizard of OZ Dorthy kept asking to go home while she was in a strange place. “Home” was her comfort is that  what Aztlán is to Chicanos? 

Artist for Presentation: Grace Vega

I would like to choose Grace Vega as my artist for my presentation. I am in love with the color she chooses in her pieces.  She has a texture and depth in her brushstrokes that attract me to her work.