I was born with a paintbrush in my hand, before speech, before walking, before everything. I work with paint and canvas and with a pen in my hand; I paint with words. Art is who I am, and I am what art is.
At first, I painted family portraits and moments I recalled from my experiences as a migrant worker. I wanted to capture the beauty of family, work in the fields, nature, and travel through the countryside in order to document my family’s journey to the fields of Wisconsin and Michigan. My paintings were colorful, and none were sad or depressing, as that was not the migrant experience for me.
I then began what would become the “Mujer Grande” paintings series. These colorful paintings depicted large women who appeared to break out of the canvas.
Excerpt from Casarez Vasquez, Enedina. 2010. “Art as Life and Life as Art.”
Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social 9(2): 8-10.
