"Dulces" was inspired by fragments of patterns dating back to the pre-Colombian era found on the tops of spindles. Fiber production in many ancient societies was often seen as a spiritual endeavor that linked humans with the divine. The colors represent cycles of growth (green), life and death (black and white), and the small glimmers of dulces/sweetness in between (multicolored pieces meant to encapsulate the colors of ofrendas/Dia de los Muertos).

“Sacrificia” was created as a “sacrificial painting” meant to draw creative energy back into my studio practice by

unleashing pure energy. Traditionally, sacrifices are made to call the gods down to earth to commune with

worshippers. The title is also a nod to my spiritual beliefs surrounding collective wisdom and ancestral healing that

can be accessed through meditative practices such as art making, specifically of animal sacrifice in Cuba and the

West Indies, representing another facet of my heritage.

“Coba” was inspired by my first trip to Mexico, specifically Tulum. Before this, Mexico lived in my mind as a mythic

place which my dad's birth family, who we never knew due to adoption, originated from. The warm colors comprising

the background are reminiscent of sunsets there during summer. The marks made with deep blue are meant to

resemble the Alebrijes (traditional folk sculptures of animals covered with intense colors and intricate patterns). I use

abstraction as a means of addressing the liminal space of my experience as a second generation immigrant to the

U.S. I am never quite Mexican or American, but a third culture somewhere between the two.

“Ritmo y Raices” is part of a series of new works exploring identity through abstraction by other means. It borrows

aesthetics from graffiti and topography, such as the bold use of outlines and irregularity of the shapes. The white

background is meant to evoke a blankness that exists in this feeling of living in a third culture, a blend of my own

heritage and sense of loosing traditions and cultural knowledge through adaption of ‘American-ness. The candy

colors filling the shapes here are still reminiscent of traditional Mexican Folk art. However, graffiti is often used to mark

and bring attention to abandoned or overlooked places, here they represent persistence of cultural traditions in new

forms.

This piece was inspired by a trip to Mexico and my time visiting the Jalisco state during summer (which my dad's side of the family originates from). The colors are reminiscent of sunsets there during summer. And the rows of shapes in the composition are from hieroglyphic runes meaning 'Jalisco'. The hieroglyphics are repeated in sequence both forward and backward as a meditation on the passing of time. The title Collective Revision is a nod to my spiritual beliefs surrounding collective wisdom and ancestral healing that can be accessed through meditative practices such as art making.