Mere, 2016, Cochineal, indigo and gold leaf on paper
Cochineal Series
Nano and Mere, depictions of my grandfather and father respectively,
are part of a larger body of work that explore familial history and
spirituality in the 21 st century. The materials that compose my portraits
reference pre-Columbian indigenous and Mexican baroque tradition but
more importantly the essence of lives and relationships.
For years my only image of my grandfather, gone before I was born,
came from a faded photograph that hung in our living room. The
limitations of the photograph to fully describe his features and my
inability to see or know him clearly are echoed in missing details and
generalized shapes in multiple portraits. Painting his face again and
again reflect my grasping toward a complete image as well as the
various memories and perspectives of him, narrated by family. Visually
relating my grandfather and father are scarlet, red, fuchsia, gray and
purple flesh tones made from the ground up bodies of the cochineal
insect. An homage to my father, the single frontal portrait with concrete
detail and confident brush strokes evoke our direct relationship. His
exposed heart amongst the indigo pigment of his blue-collar shirt is
testament to his struggle with a heart condition. Gold leaf, fragile (yet
associated with power) highlights the vulnerability and strength of his
heart while visually linking his everyday struggles to the struggles of
martyrs (symbolized by the cross pendant he wears around his neck). A
sober reminder that we too will fade with time, and reminiscent of the
ephemera of offerings on home alters, the fugitive character of the
organic dyes embody the mysteries of the human condition.
