![]() As street workers trying to eek out a living, they face multiple challenges. Paleteros and other street vendors such as eloteros (corn sellers) have been victims of assault, violence, and discrimination. Many of the street vendors are immigrant men and women who came to the United State in pursuit of better economic opportunities. Paleteros and other street vendors (including taco stands) are commonly stationed at parks, on local community streets, and throughout most of Los Angeles, particularly in Latino neighborhoods. He is alone with no customers to attend to, surrounded by a lush scene featuring Southern California’s iconic palm trees and lime green foliage. ![]() In her painting, American Dream (2020, oil on canvas), Garcia captures a silent moment on a bright day of a paletero (popsicle vendor) sitting on the curb of a park walkway. Her painting process presents many moments of meditation between the canvas, her color palette, her painted subject, her soul, mind, and heart. With bright pulsing colors, Garcia searches for equilibrium between the banal, the invisible, and the privilege to experience life but once in a lifetime. Of Mexican heritage, Garcia spins the use of color on beautiful artisan craftwork onto her expressive colorful canvases.įor scholar Karen Mary Davalos, professor of Chicano and Latino studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, “Margaret Garcia has developed her own color theory … Her color theory requires an understanding of high key color radiant and how the luminous and lustrous qualities work together.” The colors she uses are close to those used by many Latin American artisans, especially Mexican. Garcia is known for her bright color palette and her course textured style of painting. Without a doubt, Garcia is the Van Gogh of our times, giving color to scenes that would otherwise be pale and present a monotonous and gloomy expression. She paints immediate moments engraved in her memory and immortalized on canvas. Garcia’s landscapes act as cartographies charting dear memories of her community and the places she has experienced. Her portraits are of close friends with whom she has developed strong bonds. In this collection, Garcia draws from her immediate surroundings for inspiration. Actor Cheech Marin holds one of the largest collections of Garcia’s work. Running from Novemto and curated by Anna Bermudez, the selection of artwork on display at the Museum of Ventura County in California spans 37 years, beginning in 1985, and represents a milestone in Garcia’s career as a dedicated community artist. For Garcia, at 70 years of age, the exhibition is a lifelong dream come true. VENTURA, California - Arte Para La Gente (Art for the People) is Chicana artist Margaret Gracia’s first retrospective exhibition. ![]() ‘American Dream’ (2020, oil on canvas) by Margaret Garcia (Courtesy of Martha Benedict)
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