Final Reflection

As I reflect on the past 10 weeks in this course, I am astonished to see how much I have grown. Not only have I learned about many Chicana artists and their work, but my mentality has also changed allowing me to get past my fear of drawing and slowly getting past my perfectionism that limits me in many aspects of my life.

I felt ashamed when asked on the first day of class to name Chicana artists that we knew of because it was very hard for me to contribute to the list. Being introduced to these inspiring mujeres has truly been an amazing experience. It is empowering to learn about women because I see a reflection of myself in them. I am grateful to not only say that I am able to identify many more artists, but understand many overarching themes and... through which to analyze Chicana artwork. 

Engaging in art myself was both nerve-recking and exciting. At the beginning I couldn't get myself to draw my hand. I remember looking at my hand and then at my paper consistently, yet not being able to get anything on my sketchbook. I don't know exactly what was stopping me; I think that it was a combination of things. 

1. I didn't want to mess up
2. I didn't think I could draw
3. I feared my own judgment as well as the judgment of other people
4. I feared failure
5. I wanted it to be perfect
6. etc. 

This class, with the help of Professor Lopez, helped me push passed everything that was stopping me. For me, even starting to draw was a big step- a sign of improvement. Once I got started, I realized that it is just a matter of starting. It may not come out just as I want it at first and that's absolutely normal, but I kept trying and working on my sketches. After all, this is a SKETCH book. After this realization and the support of the professor along with my peers, I improved a lot. I am very proud of myself and hope that I continue to move past everything that stops me from being able to do anything. 

I want to thank Professor Lopez for helping me break down the wall I built by creating a non-judgmental atmosphere, providing me with tips and reminding me that art is not as scary as I thought it was. I hope to continue drawing as a stress-reliever and form of expression. Overall, I am walking away with a lot of precious knowledge and I am extremely grateful for that.

Thanksgiving

Drawing the family scene a la Carmen Lomas Garza was difficult for me. Although i could have been much more detailed, I am happy with my piece. 

My drawing depicts me and my mom singing. The funnest part of our family gatherings is doing karaoke and dancing all night. On the upper left shows the dining table where we ate, however, I put less focus on that because for me it isn't just about the food (although it was nice having home food as oppose to dining hall food of course). The most valuable thing for me is bonding with my family and doing what I love- singing and dancing my heart out.

I also drew a christmas tree because me and my family got together and decorated the tree together. This was very meaningful to me because since I moved to UCLA I have felt that I have missed out on important moments with my family. 

On the upper right hand side, there is a bonfire depicted. One of my favorite things to do during the Fall is to sit around a bonfire and enjoy the warmth of the fire and the warmth in my heart of being surrounded by loved ones.

I hope everyone enjoyed their time with family and/or friends! 

Week 8

For this week's blog post I decided to write about Faviana Rodriguez. Her piece titled "Migration is beautiful", is a painting of a monarch butterfly which represents the migration of people. I believe that she is showing how natural the process of migrating is in order to combat the negative connotation that the term"migration" holds. The butterfly becomes a symbol of not only migration, but transformation and freedom across all borders as well.

This image has become adopted as the logo for many undocumented groups or organizations.

I believe this is a very empowering image for those who live “in the shadows”.

Image from Presentations

Milk the Pass, 1990

Acrylic on canvas

It has been very interesting to learn about a numerous of Chicana artists through the presentations given by my fellow classmates. The image titled “Milk the Pass” by Barbara Carrasco stood out to me as I can relate to it to a certain extent. I too, am a light skinned Chicana like Barbara. This image, as described by the presenter shows Barbara in a milk gallon with steam coming out of her mouth as a result of eating a jalapeno. She did this to prove that she was a Mexican American because she was consistently challenged of her ethnic identity. Often times people don’t think I am Mexican American and typically respond with something along the lines of “you don’t like the rest” when I tell them I am. To say that all people from an ethnic group look the same is a false assumption and I can understand Barbara’s struggle. At the same time, however, I also have acknowledged the upper hand I have often received because I can “pass” as white.

Carmen Lomas Garza

Out of all the art pieces, the painting named Curandera really stood out to me. This painting was created in 1977 from Gouache on cotton paper. It is 11 x 14 inches. This painting shows healing through spiritual practices. In this piece, the daughter is getting “cleansed” using a ruda plant with copal incense burning. The use of color in the painting calls attention equally to the act and everything that surrounds it in a very detailed manner. This holistic approach connects with the spiritual practices that are holistic in nature. I think this is reflective of Garzas’ focus on family and community amongst her artwork. The religious icons depicted in the back also shows that spirituality and religion are not complete opposites. This painting emphasized that art pieces are often loaded with meaning.