“I’ve worked in acrylics, watercolor, and charcoals —and I’ve found myself still gravitating toward bold, contrasting colors with dark outlines. Simplified representations, in a way, as well. For a while, I thought it was unintentional and out of habit, and then, I looked back at the artists whose work I’ve always fan-girl’ed over, artists like Yolanda Lopez, Santa Barraza, Judy Baca, The Hernandez Brothers —and so many others (yes Chicano/a/x artists); turns out, it was more a matter of influence. The work that shaped me, affirmed me, reminded me of our struggles and triumphs, finds itself stylistically and aesthetically shaping my artwork in a reciprocal loop that reminds me of community care, cultural impact, and of the refusal to stay bound by any medium, genre, etc.”