Using self-portraiture as a window to reveal the unseen in society, I reflect on key events that have shaped my life.

From being a gender-bending youth artist to undocumented immigrant to recovering from cancer and gender violence to becoming an artist-healer, these events inform my artistic process. Poetic visual diaries and art journaling enable me to freely play with colors, shapes and life-affirmative writing. When I journal, time freezes, and I enter a special zone where I am able to explore all dimensions of myself. Through the looking glass of self-reflection, I gain valuable insights that then become marks on my canvas. The load I carry gets lighter as I learn to let go of past traumas and embrace my vibrant self and wholeness. In these pieces, I work with water-based crayons, colored pencils, acrylic, medicinal plants, photos, memorabilia, drawing, and ink on paper. My collages are influenced by the work of Frida Kahlo and Charlotte Salomon.

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