Art statement

I was born and raised in the coastal city in Argentina, Mar del Plata. My mother tells me that even at two years old I was drawing and in grade school I became the class artist. My family moved to the United States just as I was about to enter middle school. Having suffered through the immigrant experience, I dedicated the earlier part of my life to education, in particular English learners. Back then, my art was relegated to elaborate bulletin boards for my classroom and superhero drawings for my sons.

After many years of abandoning my art, I decided to start painting again as a form of release and self reflection in 2013. I chose portraits—female portraits mainly—which ended up allowing me to project my own feelings and emotions into my art. I wrote poems to go along with my paintings to help me express the exact meaning behind each piece, giving me a voice I didn’t previously have.
In 2017, I moved to Ojai, California and fell in love with the natural landscapes and peaceful community. The trees, in particular, inspired and motivated me to create. When the Thomas fires blazed through our area, I felt a deep sadness and guilt for not having done more in the past to protect them, protect Mother Nature.
Growing up in Argentina, I heard many songs and poems about Pachamama. It wasn’t until these last few years that her name has come to mean so much to me. The indigenous people of the Andes revered Pachamama as a goddess—she was Earth Mother to the Incas.
Today, many indigenous peoples in South America base environmental concerns on these ancient beliefs, saying that problems arise when people take too much from nature because they are taking too much from Pachamama. She has been immensely generous for so long that she has no more to give. It is our turn to give back.

So, in honor of Pachamama I start this new series dedicated to the natural world and Mother Earth. These paintings and drawings will tell the stories of the inspiring indigenous women fighting for the future of the Amazon rainforest and all of us.

I’ll close by saying climate change is real. I implore you to do your part to take care of our planet, which is effectively an investment in life as we know it.