A Saturday morning with Carmen Lomas Garza

Last week was probably one of the longest weeks of my life. I've been struggling to keep up with my workload at work and I've been quite exhausted lately, but that's a whole other story. We also had our Fall Carnival at the school where I work this Friday. There is a lot of planning that goes into it, and since it is hosted by PTA and I work directly with PTA, I carry a lot of the load. By the end of Friday night, I had worked approximately 55 hours this week.... and I still had to get up on Saturday morning to attend a workshop with Carmen Lomas Garza, the Mexican-American artist and writer. Sigh. I was not looking forward to it- I was just so tired.

The tired part of me wanted to opt out, but the "responsible" part of me told the tired part that I had to go. When I arrived I was greeted with 2 free books, coffee, tamales, rice, beans, and empanadas. Not a bad start.

The lecture got started, and Carmen Lomas Garza talked us through the stories of her art. If you are not familiar with her art, she calls her work "narrative art". Her paintings tell the story of everyday life as a Mexican American, more specifically her life growing up in Kingsville, Texas. But being that I am Mexican American myself and having grown up on the border, I was able to relate on many accounts. I also learned a little bit of history that I should have probably known about already, but didn't.

Aside from her paintings, she also does paper cut outs with very intricate designs. Through the years, she has been contracted by various cities to work on large scale projects to incorporate her cut outs for building and architectural designs. She first got started with "paper cut outs" while making papel picado (which is not quite the same and it's nothing compared to her cut out art). So, she spent the last hour showing us how to make papel picado. It was hands-on instruction, and by the end of the workshop, I had a string of 4 squares. Working on the papel picado was the most relaxing part of my week. So, while I was obligated to be there, my attitude quickly changed as I was able to view this time more as a learning experience and as a form of therapy. It was so nice to sit in silence and work with my hands, letting my mind wander away from everyday stresses of life.


When I got home, Elan could see I was carrying something colorful in my hands and he wanted to know what it was. When I opened it up and showed it to him, his response was "woooow." It was my moment to feel proud of myself. :)


Elan asked that I hang it up in his room, so that's where it is. We've read Good Night Moon twice this week and he has made sure to say, "good night papel picado" both times. So cute.

Book signing and meeting Carmen Lomas Garza