My name is Alejandra Villegas; my work represents resilience, strength, and values that flow through Mexicans. I was inspired by a kid who I saw working at a field in Mexico; he was about 6 years old and was covered in dirt, working at a sugar cane. When I approached him with my dad, he had such great manners and spoke better than many people. We offered him money and he denied it at first but eventually let us give it to him. He smiled at us with such bright eyes. My dad had taken me there so I could understand the life he lived and what some still live. It made me think differently about everything I had and every time I complained. These kids contribute to their families at an age when they should be worrying about school or playing. My painting shows the childhood that many Mexicans have had, therefore I named it “Niñez” or “Childhood”. 

My work usually focuses on acrylics or oil pastels. I have recently been liking oil pastels a lot because of how smooth and easy it is to create something beautiful; I like the effortless look of it. I used to not like acrylics because I found it stressful to work with at some point, but I have been getting more comfortable with it and have been mainly using it as my main medium in order to improve. After working on this painting, I plan to focus my art more on real life and things that represent my culture and country.

This piece is far different from any others I have ever done. This painting is one of the most meaningful I've made, and I'm excited to be able to bring it here to be seen and taken in by others who may not have known what it is like to be a kid in Mexico. I hope to touch everyone's hearts with this piece; this is to those who worked hard their whole lives and are still here haciendo la lucha por sus vidas y las vidas de sus hijos.