Artist: Crystal Gonzalez Callison
Title: Morena Valiente/Brave Brown-Skinned Woman
Media: Mixed Media
Size: 20.5 in x 23.5"
Price: $2,200
Artist Statement:
“Morena Valiente” is a tribute to my late maternal grandmother who passed away shortly after I started this mixed media piece. The summer before she passed, I was able to interview her and learn how her life was marked by both hardship and incredible resilience. She lost her father, her mother was imprisoned, and she lost her baby sister to pneumonia when she was 8. Despite this, she worked tirelessly in the cotton fields, sewed designs on boots at her first job at 13, and later found solace in sewing. She created beautiful dresses for her sisters, herself, and later her daughters and granddaughters. My grandmother raised 11 children and lived in many places from Mexico to Texas, Utah, among others, always with the weight of the past on her shoulders but never allowing it to define her. In the final years of her life, she faced breast cancer with quiet strength. While creating this piece, I was able to connect with her and understand her more. I wanted to capture her bravery, an unspoken strength that flowed through her, unrecognized by many, but deeply felt by those who knew her. This work reflects not just her story, but the legacy of perseverance and love she left behind. I carry a part of her with me, and through this piece, I honor the countless ways she shaped our family. This piece is also in honor of the countless elderly immigrants who face life with bravery.