I found a whole new joy for art in this class. Up until now, I was all about stick figures. Learning to focus on the shadowing for the hand signs alphabet was fulfilling and I found a love for stencil work, which I plan on continuing to hone and have fun with. The history I learned with each presentation was amazing too. The overall number of Chicana and Latina artists and their varying styles was impressive! The photographic works of Graciela Iturbide, Delilah Montoya, and Laura Aguilar were all distinct and powerful. In particular, the philosophy and inspiration behind Aguilar’s work was heavy as she reminded us about the importance of human touch, but also how nature can touch the body too. My partner Martha has some artwork from Janeen Carlino that I love but I did not know who she was until I mentioned her to Martha, and she showed me the painting, one I had been admiring because of class. This one is of a young woman dancing, but with antlers on. Maria Izquierdo left an impression because of her tragic story but also because of her surrealist quality in her art. As for the books, I loved the visual paintings by both Yolanda M. López and Carmen Lomas Garza. With López, I appreciated her political activism and how she championed the “everyday Chicana.” With Lomas Garza, everything about her art felt like my life. I never knew the importance of the nopal for the indigenous until I read her book. The funny thing is I just heard my tía Ofelia Esparza mention how important nopales were to her mother and great-great-grandmother. They prepared nopales in their meals all the time. Plus, it was an incredible honor to introduce and do a presentation about my tía for class.
Some of my work... Thank you!
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