Las nenas

Oil on canvas

​

This piece is a tribute to my sisters, Valeria and Lorén, and to our childhood in the mountains of Orocovis, Puerto Rico with our grandparents. Captured from beneath the water, our figures appear dreamlike and distorted, just as memories feel when revisited through time. The ripples represent the movement of life, the fluidity of identity, and the enduring bond of sisterhood.

 

As we’ve grown and faced challenges, both individually and together, we always return to the strength rooted in our shared experiences. "Las nenas" reflects how the simplicity of childhood, the embrace of our culture, and the grounding love of family built a foundation of "fortaleza" that continues to carry us forward.

 

Submitted to the LMSA National Journal for the 2025 Spring Issue under the theme Fortaleza: Crecer Más Fuerte con Cada Desafío. Through this piece, I hope to honor the beauty of Latinx family, memory, and the quiet strength we often don’t realize we carry, until we look back and see it reflected in where we’ve been.