Art Editor's Pick Feature

The RGV

 

 

An Aztec yollotl (heart) is in the center of the outline of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas or as we call it, the RGV. I was brought up here, in the southernmost part of Texas. Inside the heart lies various histories. A Spanish crown sits on a Mesoamerican pyramid, while a Texas flag lies on the side of the heart. In the Rio Grande Valley, the vast majority of the population is Mexican American, and the valley’s people carry influences as Mexicans, Americans, and most definitely, as Texans. Protruding from the heart is wildlife that are prominent in the area. Each of these animals are native to, or passerby’s of the RGV. From left to right, there is a Green Anole, Javelina, Cardinal, Ocelot, Monarch Butterfly, Hummingbird, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, And A Great Kiskadee. The wildlife is the heart of the RGV. Nature sustains the land. Thus, my painting is an homage to the creatures which make this land so special.