Artist statement

I practice a traditional Mexican folk art known as “papel picado” also referred to as paper sculptures or paper cut outs.  Through it I try to express the beauty of Latino culture and complement the art pieces with little fun facts and history lessons of the different regions and folk heroes of Latin America.  Being born in Guadalajara, Mexico and raised in Los Angeles I found that many Latino immigrants and US born Latinos felt disconnected from our history and culture, there was a struggle to understand our identity.  On one end  many of us had experiences that made us feel not accepted as Americans while also being denied an understanding and appreciation of our Latina/o heritage; we found ourselves in no mans land. Often times the messages we did receive about who we were and what we were capable of were negative. 

I use my art as a form of story-telling to help instill a sense of pride, identity and knowledge. Without a sense of identity and pride it becomes difficult to function in a society, you become a blank canvas to the environment around you and the story-lines you see on TV and social media .  Ofcourse, not all my art is on identity, some is just good fun and about the joy of creating.  Cheers!