So a few years ago I had an idea to paint the eagle from the Mexican flag to honor both my father and our heritage. At the time my swirly painting technique didn’t really seem to fit a design that would work to render the eagle. Then a few months ago a call came out asking for art with ties to Latin American culture. By now of course I’ve been experimenting with various straight line techniques and it seemed perfect for the eagle. I’m so pleased with the results and more importantly that I finally made a piece dedicated to m my father.

“I'm dedicating this piece to my father David Melgar. I feel so incredibly proud of my Mexican heritage because of him. My love for cooking, for dancing, drinking, for enjoying life the way I do, my sense of humor, I've learned from him. Also there's a bit of Mexican history that has to do with the flag being saved by a national hero with the last name of Melgar. This piece is my interpretation of the eagle on the Mexican flag. It speaks to me of strength and resilience. Life has thrown me a few snakes but I've always caught them, conquered and moved on to the next dance, thanks to my father’s support and example of how to live and survive.”

The next piece was debuted at the reception for the group show “Diversity and Richness” at Sawyer Yards on March 22. The group exhibition will be on view until April 28th at Silver Street Studios.

I also have another piece in the exhibition called “Cuantos Pecados” which translates to “How many sins" The piece is my version of the classic Mexican pinata. I recall as a child watching a pinata being struck and thinking that he was being punished for sinning. I remember wanting to rescue pinatas and take them home so they wouldn’t be destroyed.