Artist Statement As a Latino immigrant child growing up in the United States, I learned about the safety of my imagination. As an artist, I have found that art has given me a tool to escape safely and tap into a source of release that heals, empowers, and provides understanding. I believe that we all experience the world in our own unique way. My art allows me to go on a journey and recapture experiences through different media. As I cross the bridge between thinking and feeling, I always go back to my reference pictures and sketches, but it is really what is in my heart that gets translated into my artwork. As an immigrant Latino woman whose experience has been about relocating I find my themes reflect cultural diversity, movement and growth. I find nature grounds me and helps me move forward in my life. My desire is to connect on a human level with the world. I envision myself inspiring others to be free and to celebrate their own creativity.