Painted with soft pastels on sandboard

I gathered oranges, tangerines, and lemons from my garden and my sister’s garden here in California, and while holding them I started thinking about what to paint next.

I could have painted a citrus tree.

Or a bowl of oranges.

Or a single lemon in the light.

But I kept thinking about California itself.

This place is citrus, sun, and soil — but it’s also people. Layers of history, migration, and mixed roots. So instead of painting the fruit, I painted a girl who carries it.

She feels like California to me. Mostly Mexican heritage, but also a blend of all the cultures that arrive here every year and slowly become part of the land.

I like choosing subjects that feel a little harder, a little more personal. That’s usually how I know it’s the right thing to paint.