Life Lines, no 2
Living with Colorblindness and The Beauty of Shape
Welcome to issue no. 2 of Life Lines! 🌀
First off, let me just say—writing? Definitely not my usual thing. Especially not for a newsletter! This is totally new territory for me. But here we are, diving in and trying to pick up new habits. I see all these people online making newsletters look like a breeze, but ay mamacita, let me tell you—it’s not that easy, haha! Anyway, welcome to Issue No. 2 of Life Lines. Let’s get into it!
The Beauty of Shape
A few weeks ago, I stopped running from something I had been avoiding for a long time—something I knew deep inside but kept at a distance. I took a color blindness test, and just as I suspected, the truth unfolded: Deutan, a form of colorblindness. My world has always been more nuanced than simply seeing or not seeing color. Deutan affects my M cones, meaning green hues slip through the cracks of my perception. Colors blend and transform—what should sometimes be green becomes gray, and vice versa.
For years, I didn’t understand why the idea of mastering colors felt so daunting. Maybe it was the fear of facing the truth, of misnaming a color and feeling exposed. More than once, I found myself pretending, blaming distraction when, in reality, I was seeing something entirely different—something others couldn’t comprehend. There are colors in this world my eyes will never fully grasp, and somewhere along the way, I embraced shape over color. I embraced black and white. It became my comfort, my simplicity. Black and white never betrayed me.
And then one day, I discovered silver and gold. Silver spoke to me through reflections, and I began to see light not as color, but as movement. As my career progressed, I realized I had been hiding a part of myself. Still, I found ways to navigate this colorful world without the colors I couldn’t see. And it worked. It still works. My life without those hues is good, but confronting this truth with you now feels like a release.
In the end, it was my relationship with shape, line, and space that blossomed. The spaces between elements, the flow of the lines—these became my art. I am a shape-based artist, not a color-based one, and I’ve come to accept that. It doesn’t mean I can’t play with color, though. Lately, I’ve been trying to embrace it, and maybe, just maybe, it’s been fun. 🫣
Collaborations
Counting collaborations like stars in the sky—first one, then two, then three, then four, and who knows how many more to come. I am filled with joy and gratitude to these organizations for weaving me into their journeys with my art. 🙏
⚬ 100th Anniversary of Colorado Legal Services!
Earlier this year, I connected with the Colorado Legal Services team to discuss a potential collaboration, and I'm so glad it all worked out. I love supporting great organizations as much as I can, and this one was a blast! The unveiling of the piece is happening soon, and the artwork is full of surprises. I'll provide a breakdown of the work very soon.
⚬ In The Mirror: The Origin Stories Project
Saffron Communities, a nonprofit in the Bay Area, invited me to participate in an initiative where they send you an acrylic box to represent your origin story. For me, this story is one of new beginnings—a tale of when I moved to the United States and how this journey taught me to accept that light is just as inevitable as darkness. The delicate dance of reflections and shadows, both beautiful and challenging to assimilate, echoes the duality of joy and pain I have embraced.
As the light changes, so do the meanings inside—while the dark block keeps me grounded, the bright lines guide me forward, showing that both light and shadow are essential parts of this journey.
Here is a link to more photos of the piece.
⚬ "From the Americas" video project
This past month, I was interviewed for the second season of "From the Americas," a video series produced by the Biennial of the Americas and Rocket House. The video showcases creatives and business leaders from across the Americas who are part of the Biennial of the Americas’ Colorado community.
Stay tuned for the premiere of the video soon! 😀
Other projects from the last few weeks.
In Flux (Covet)
Covet, 2024
This work on paper is one of those not-so-new pieces that I am pushing myself to share, as I continue to explore how to express and discuss them. Something I have learned is that by slightly shifting how I approach the line, which is at the core of my art practice, entirely new dimensions of my work emerge.
In this piece, through sharp, deliberate, and chaotic yet controlled lines, I depict a deeply personal moment. At the center of it all is the King Eye, dominating the space, both watchful and burdened, filled with chaos—a packed realm of abstract shapes, fragmented forms, and cryptic symbols. There is tension and turmoil that envelop the eye, representing a mental landscape of confusion and conflict.
The King Eye then gazes toward the horizon, fixated on a simple, unadorned circle—pure, quiet, and free from the chaos. This fixation embodies an emotional narrative of envy: the King Eye longs for the simplicity, ease, and calm that the circle represents. It is a moment of profound self-awareness, as the eye recognizes its own complexity and entrapment in the tangled lines of existence.
This tension between the King Eye’s complexity and the circle’s simplicity lies at the heart of the narrative—the chaos of the eye and the simplicity it desires. Upon reflection, I realize this serves as a visual metaphor for the conflict between what we are and what we long to be.
Art Friend Showcase: Nohemi Olvera
I met Nohemi a long time ago when we were just rookies in college back in Monterrey, Mx. Even though Nohemi wasn't exactly in my classes, we would always hang out between classes and after college. We've known each other for maybe more than 15 years, and it always makes me happy to see her creations and how her style has evolved. Nohemi is also an amazing visual designer and muralist. You can see more of her work on her Instagram, or check out her design portfolio here.
Wohoooo!! You made it to the end! As a token of appreciation I want to introduce you to someone super cool. Please meet Moo Deng 😍
