“Under the Sun,” (or alternatively: snapshots of blooming life, in the home away from home).

8 ft x 8 ft ( 2 panels total, each is 4 ft x 4 ft) Unframed, acrylic paint on primed canvas.

“Under the Sun,” is a mural that was painted across 3 Saturdays, with the first live, interactive painting session being at the “Women in the Arts,” event hosted by the Dixon Gallery & Gardens in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino.

Goal: Create a mural with an interactive aspect that speaks about Latinas in Memphis, their work and impact on the community.

Notes and inspiration: the song, hasta la raíz by Natalia— hiding in the mountains with the sun that follows you everywhere; yet, also that feeling of nostalgia and longing I get for what I left behind in Mexico and miss from culture. 
Latinas in Memphis: thinking of all that I’ve met, there’s determination and a strong sense of fight to break out of any cage that holds back, there’s sadness and longing for what they’ve left behind, and there’s how they’ve struggled to start a life a new out of nothing or out of the minimum items they could fit in a cardboard box (hence the plants blooming from cardboard). And then, there’s home and celebration (events by the Dixon and Crosstown), there’s book clubs, (desayuno con libros) storytelling, dance (cazateatro) that have been started to create communities and moments where culture is embraced; where cultures blend into each other, where for a moment, you are no longer alone, and have a bit of “what’s back home,” in your new home. Where under the sun, that sense of alienation and distance fades away as you gather to hear stories, dance, eat and for once feel warmth in the new place that felt so cold and empty.