Carmen Lomas Garza

The image that I found most interesting to me was Nopalitos (State II), by Carmen Lomas Garza made in 1992. Nopalitos (State II) is a linoleum block print that is 16.5 by 16 inches, which is a fairly decent size for a linocut. Before reading this part of the book, Carmen Lomas Garza, I did not know what “state II” was referring to, but once I read into I found it very interesting that Carmen reworked the linoleum block and was able to create a new print. Unlike woodcut technique which was the only print technique, I was familiar with.  

I found this very relatable to my life in regards to the multiple hours my cousin and I would spend at our Grandpas house. My Grandpa is one that loves to grow plants, however, he took exceptional pride in maintaining his cactus in which he would use to make nopales. When my cousin and I were around 6-8 years old we would always try and break my Grandpa ’s cactus with golf balls. We did this because we thought it was fun and at the same time, we liked to give our Grandpa a hard time. We didn’t know at that age that his cactus really meant that much to him and furthermore had no idea what he used it for so we thought nothing of it. This image of Antonio Lomas, Carmen's Grandfather, looks almost identically like my Grandpa and it brings back memories of my childhood with him. 

I also found it interesting that Carmen’s artwork tells stories of her past about her family and special events that have occurred. And at the same time, I the viewer, am able to relieve stories and events of my past through her own artwork.