Growing up in the inner city of San Antonio gave me an enormous love, respect and appreciation of my Mexican culture.

I translate this connection to my roots by creating work that communicates some of my favorite things about the city like eating and sharing tacos and making tamales. I love highlighting imagery that’s important to me and the larger Mexican culture while using a bold composition with vibrant colors. Perhaps this is a way I want important parts of my culture to be remembered, showing love and tradition through the making and sharing of food. Although this is not the only subject matter I do, I am often drawn back to it. I mean who doesn’t love tacos? Am I right?!

My path to being an artist started with a challenge…

I always loved and excelled at drawing so in the third grade I gave myself a test to decide whether I was good enough to be an artist (big thoughts for a 3rd grader I know). I looked for the most difficult picture I could find which turned out to be a pair of cheetah cub faces in the National Geographic magazine. I thought to myself that if I could draw this photograph then I could be an artist. For a whole week while my class would go out to recess, I stayed in to work on my drawing. Although the drawing has long been lost, I have a clear memory of looking at it and the photograph at the end of the week and thinking, “they looked exactly alike!” I remember feeling overjoyed at the thought that I had answered the question all kids get asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” My resounding answer was AN ARTIST! And I’ve never looked back.

I was greatly influenced by a determined athlete and educator, my Ma. She instilled in me the love of education, determination through defeat, and the belief that my artwork was something to not only celebrate but to also cultivate. Although arts funding was cut throughout my school district from elementary school until high school, my Ma would save her money to send me to any art classes she could find during the summers. She was so determined and filled with belief in my art that she attained special permission so I could take an adult figurative drawing class at the age of ten. Because of her dedication, motivation, and belief in me, I continued to pursue art alongside athletics.

With the encouragement of my Ma, I tried my hand at many different sports. I have participated in synchronized swimming, triathlons, basketball, volleyball, and track. But the one sport that I had a talent for was soccer. In addition to improving my soccer skills, I continued to hone my craft sitting nightly at my drafting table (best Christmas present I ever got), quietly drawing into the night. In high school, I was the captain of my soccer team and took Advanced Placement art classes. My portfolio received a perfect score and acceptance into the Meadows School of Art at Southern Methodist University. I also tried out for the soccer team and made it as a walk-on! I briefly played for SMU but ultimately decided to focus on my art. My education has taken me to the white towers of SMU and the wide-open spaces of West Texas at TTU. Each time I found myself returning to my city and community to give back within the school system.

In the classroom, I strive to pass on many traits that I have learned as an athlete and coach on to my students. I create a structure within the classroom that allows them to experiment and fail without fear, practice to strengthen perseverance, and that you have to “believe it to achieve it”. I want my students to ultimately leave my classroom with an appreciation for art and to always have art be a part of their life in some way. Everyone needs a bit of art in their life.

When I’m not in the studio or classroom I’m on the soccer field with my husband and daughter. We fell in love while coaching and playing on the field. We are the best team complimenting each other perfectly. My daughter grows by leaps and bounds every day. There’s nothing she can’t do and she surprises me every day. They are lights of my life. I love them more than words can express.