I am a Mexican-American cut paper artist influenced by traditional papel picado-- by the colorful lace-like flags strung overhead during parties and festivals. I remember being a little kid and enjoying the colorful mood of the flags, the upbeat music, and the powerful trifecta of sweet, salty, and spicy candies in the Hispanic shopping center where my father worked.

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My abuelitos, tios, tias, and primos (grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) would come over every Sunday for a casual family barbecue of 20 or more people. My immediate family alone includes 8 kids! Our culture and especially our family is very affectionate--we are huggers, we greet with a kiss on the cheek. My parents are so playful with one another that even after 25 years of marriage, people still ask if they are newlyweds when they travel. They seem to constantly be celebrating life, celebrating each other, and relishing in play.

 

I've moved far from my family, but I will always have a big place in my heart for our playful, colorful, high energy culture. As I have begun to miss my heritage deeper with time, art has become a way for me to reconnect with my roots and consider how I can share my joy love for Mexican culture with the others. At the core of my new series, "Eroticism Is..." I hope to share feelings of celebration and love with others. 

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My new series Eroticism Is... is an exploration of the different emotional aspects or moods of relationships and eroticism. Skeleton lovers are shown in playful frenzy, in tender, gentle embraces, in passionate tango-esque dance. Accordingly, the titles of each piece complete the sentence, "Eroticism Is...": "Tender," "Ravenous," "Nurturing," and so forth.

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My emphasis on using words to define eroticism comes from my deep belief in the power of words, and the idea that you are what you eat. I think about this saying far beyond the usual context of food. We absorb the T.V. and social media that we view, we absorb the music that we listen to, we absorb whatever literature we choose to read. So when it comes to intimacy, I also think about the power of the words and images that shape how we view and participate in our relationships. If I define my intimate life by words like "Tender" and "Sanctuary," and if I look at images that reflect these words, I believe I channel these things back into my own relationship.