Pantomime
Paintings by Esperanza Mendez
April 7 - May 5, 2006
Reception: Friday, April 7, 2006 6-8 pm
"Natural Art" by Esperanza Mendez
La Peña presents "Pantomime" during the month of April. It is an exhibit of paintings Esperanza Mendez. The central themes of her work are based on her personal life, observations, and experiences as a deaf Mexican-American. The show opens on Friday, April 7th at 6 pm and runs through May 5th .
Esperanza Mendnez was born in Mission, Texas and is one of thirteen children of a migrant family that traveled many northern Mexican states looking for work. Esperanza's love of art began at the age of five. Drawing became a means of communication during family or social gatherings. However, with such a large family, paper and pencil were scarce. Her first formal art lessons were taken at Howard College/Southwest College for the Deaf in Big Spring, Texas where she earned an Associates Degree in Art in 1986. She continued to take some art classes at Austin Community College and Dougherty Art Center.
Esperanza has studied art as a hobby for the last fifteen years. She has experimented with different mediums and techniques. After finishing more than 100 oil paintings and drawings in her small living room, her hobby is becoming very serious. Her style focuses on the Mexican and migrant culture of the southwest and embraces vivid colors and patterns of Native American cultures. The underlying subject of her artwork also explores the struggle of self-identity as a woman. Her work has become an expressive means of telling her story.