An Oeuvre with an Accompaniment of Cicadas

This mixed-media drawing is one of the most sentimental works I have created.  Usually, most of my works are designed as a spectator looking at the world from a safe distance; however, the death of one of my most influential mentors left me desolate and searching for balance.   

An Oeuvre with an Accompaniment of Cicadas celebrates a remarkable man and my greatest teacher on my journey to become an ideal version of myself and a just man.  When graduating from high school, I was taken by a family friend who valued a college education to Texas Southmost College to speak with a counselor, and when asked what I would be interested in studying, I responded, “do you have any art classes?”  I was taken that moment to the art department, which was actually a house with a porch that had been converted into an art building.  There, I met Gomez, and it did not take much convincing to become a loyal student moving forward. 

This drawing did not take any research because he shared every moment of his life with our countless conversations over our time together.  He opened his life to everyone and created a culture for learning that would foster and develop anyone who would listen to his wisdom.  His artwork and work ethic made us passionate about the arts, creating a family of students who would look at him as a father figure.  His premature, untimely death was heavy for everyone who was fortunate to meet him.  To this day, I still have dreams that his death was misrepresented, and I encounter him still in my dreams. 

An oeuvre is a collection of works by an artist, and that is where I began.  Around Carlos Gomez's neck are symbols of memories of our conversations and positive influences in his life.  The first painting I saw of his was a painting of his daughter.  I remembered it clearly because the face resembled his own and it was the first time I had seen his boundless palette of color.  His approach to color and how he applied it within stripes took my breath away.  His stripes were flawlessly painted with so much precision and infinity as he used to create every color that would ever exist.  He spoke of his mother with adoration for raising him and his brothers as a single parent appreciating her sacrifices.  Images of his wife, daughter, and son were also incorporated as he would share their accomplishments as a proud father.  I incorporated ebony pods and tunas “prickly pears,” as he always spoke of nature and how we were a part of nature. 

The cicadas may seem disturbing as they crawl up his body, but they represent rebirth. They live under the earth for thirteen years, then crawl out from the earth, form a chrysalis, emerge transformed, unfold their wings, and fly into the sky. The accompaniment is the resonating sounds of cicadas. The sounds of cicadas create a presence that surrounds you, like the memory of Carlos Gomez.

An Oeuvre with an Accompaniment of Cicadas

30” x 40”

mixed media drawing