My whole life has led me to what I’m doing now. The artwork I create literally draws upon my life’s experiences. It describes where I have come from and who I am. It embodies my sense of humor and my sensibilities. As a way of expressing these attributes, I began painting canvases and creating boxes 10 years ago.

I was raised in a family of artists, my parents were artists as well as both of my grandmothers. As a child I drew prolifically and told people early on that I was going to be an artist when I grew up. My mother was a great inspiration to me through her encouragement and her creative abilities. I was also profoundly inspired by several paintings by Matisse, which I saw in a museum when I was a child; I tried to imitate his palette with my crayons. Later, I was inspired by David Hockney’s use of color, wit and imagery that are so evident in his work. I’ve used other media but have found painting and box assemblage to be the best vehicles for my ideas.

My images are visions that come to me. They are metaphorical and often humorous. Many times they are social commentary and are drawn from what I see on television, in the newspapers and other media. Other times they are impressions drawn from my home, family and what I see in everyday life. My imagery is sometimes “primitive”, but the realist narrative style is very appealing to me. I like telling stories and like the viewer of my work to “read” these stories.

I try to paint as freely as possible. My work is honest and inspired. My palette is strong, bold and vivid. The colors and their combinations may derive from when I lived in Mexico as a teenager. My mother also had a collection of Mexican folk art. In any event, my love for color is evident; I notice it wherever I go.

I am living a happy life, full of wonder. I sometimes feel like a grown-up child who has traded in her crayons for a new box of juicy paint sticks. I have more ideas than I have time to paint them. I know I must paint and create, to let these ideas out or they begin to overwhelm me. I create because when I create it is simply me being me, doing what I like best.