I recently did this painting as a tribute to the farmworkers' struggle led by Cesar Chavez. I used the proletariet painting style of various workers' movements of the 20th century. The marcher proudly holds the United Farm Worker’s flag while his face is in shadow which was the way they lived and worked, in the shadows. The furrows in his hat are representative of the fields they toiled in for so many years before winning a decent living wage.
The UFW black eagle symbol morphs into a living eagle flying off into a cloud-filled sky, symbolizing the freedom and dignity that the farmworkers' struggle brought to field workers. The impossibility of a symbol turning into a flying eagle echos the title of the painting “Si Se Puede”, which means “Yes We Can” or “Yes, It’s Possible”.
My paternal grandparents came to this country, working as farmworkers for most of their lives throughout the Southwest U.S. With this painting, I am also paying homage to them for their contribution to America through their hard work.
