I am an 18-year-old artist who uses oils or watercolors, although I also enjoy experimenting with other mediums. It is the beauty of nature, plants, and animals that inspire most of my work. The painting for this show, "Trust," is part of a series of paintings that capture family childhood memories I have with my dad. This particular memory was from December 31st, 2020 when my family and I went hiking in the Arizona desert. We had stopped to visit friends on a long drive from our home in Mexico to visit our family in California. During this hike at Saguaro National Park, my brother jumped from a large rock and my dad caught him as if he was a little kid, even though he was, at that point, a rapidly- growing 11-year-old. Less than two months later, after we returned as a family to our home in Mexico, my dad went into emergency surgery to have a cancerous tumor removed. That year, every aspect of my life changed and I had to learn how to adapt to a new reality. We abandoned our lives in Mexico after living there for 6 years and moved back to the United States. It was a difficult time, but I was determined to find stability.

After moving to Monterey, I found the Youth Arts Collective where I rediscovered my passion for creating art. At this time, creating art also became an outlet to channel my grief. After enduring a relentless battle with cancer, my dad passed at the start of 2022. That is when I started to paint him because I realized how important it is to me to preserve pleasant memories of him from a happier time when he was not sick. Although it was uncomfortable for me to be so vulnerable and share my art I found it to be a personal way to connect with people. I never regret sharing my experiences because doing so has connected me to a supportive community, for which I am so grateful. In a literal sense, I named this piece “Trust” because my brother trusted my dad that he would safely catch him when he jumped. I have always trusted my dad to take care of me and keep me safe; and now that he is no longer on this Earth, I still believe he looks after me and my family. I have also lived my life trusting that in the end, everything will work out, even when situations are less than ideal. Losing my dad was far from easy, but expressing grief has helped me grow so much as an artist and as a person. So whether you share a similar experience with me or not, I hope you can relate to my painting in a way that helps you connect to a deeper part of yourself.