My Painting: "Decolonize Boriken to Standing Rock" part 2

"Decolonize Boriken to Standing Rock", acrylic on wood

Recap

This time last year, I was asked to be a part of a "happening" called Tiny Room For Elephants (TRFE). It was a month long event that transformed an old warehouse, in the middle of town into an amazingly vibrant space where creatives of all backgrounds gathered to do what they did best.

Inside the warehouse space during one of the events

Race to the finish...

Tools of the trade. Here is the scissor lift that was used by myself and other artists to reach the high areas on our murals

Many of us worked on different schedules but all artists had to finish before the opening. I had a job and cared for family during the day, so I had to make every moment I spent at the warehouse count. I was able to work on the painting 3 nights a week, usually starting after 9pm and painted until 1am, coming home covered in paint, all I had energy for was to clean up and collapse onto my bed.

Painter's hands

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One of the elephants in the room

The Concept 2...

As I wrote before , I tend to paint and draw about issues that affect my community or society at large. The topic I chose to focus on, Colonization, in which the pressing issues of Indigenous Sovereignty at Standing Rock and the status of Boriken (Taino word for Puerto Rico)as a colony of the United States, began to materialize on the surface of the wood panel. The central figure, a young Lakota woman firmly holding the "Black Snake" seemingly unfazed by its aggressive stance, her blue regalia flows down to her feet as it turns to rivers of water.

Detail of the center of the painting, acrylic on wood

Towards the left of the painting, there is a woman holding the colonial flag of Puerto Rico, her face turned away seemingly in shame, yet the statue, a Cemi, emerges from behind as if to encourage her to move forward. Will she turn to show her face? Time will tell. To the left of her on the bottom, is the Jibaro, a descendent of the Indigenous Taino People, standing at the ready to defend Boriken.

closeup of Decolonize painting.jpg

Detail of the left side of painting, acrylic on wood

The Big Night...

An hour before the doors open to the general public

I managed to finish the mural just hours before opening, I was so relieved and exhausted, but there was no time! I had to run home( across town), clean up, then return in time for the event and able to make it back in time to enjoy all the art displayed as well as hang out with fellow artists.