
Elements of Home, Led by De La Raíz (From the Root) Latinx Story Project is a mobile art exhibit of four paintings created by two Southern Oregon Latinx artists that explore the connection of home and our relationship with water, air, fire, and Earth.
Artists Tahiz Perezchica and Alexandra Vanderlip were inspired by the land that sustains us, and were able to weave stories and personal cultural style into the artwork.
Storytelling through art is a powerful and integral part of the Latinx community. It is a visual way to share ideas, culture, and narratives. Elements of Home is an art project that hopes to remind us to live in balance and harmony with the land, the animals, the water, and Mother Earth. As climate change continues to impact our home and our ways of life, these paintings represent the four elements as we experience them here in Southern Oregon.

Air/Aire
– Artists statement by Alexandra Vanderlip
Earth/Tierra
– Artists statement by Alexandra Vanderlip
Water/Agua
– Artists statement by Tahiz Perezchica
Fire/Fuego
To steer away from the disaster of the Almeda fire, I chose to represent fire as the sacred sun. My family comes from a long line of immigrant farmworkers who have worked the pear orchards in the Rogue Valley. They work a very labor-intensive job under the hot scorching sun, which most of the time they are not respected and valued. This painting encompasses the riviera pear, a brown farmworker hand harvesting the fruit in the orchards in the back roads of Phoenix and Talent. May we heal from this fire and see the fruits of our labor.
– Artists statement by Tahiz Perezchica
Chicana artist Tahiz Camila Perezchica began creating art at a young age, first taking inspiration from Saturday morning cartoons, she began drawing her favorite characters in pencil in her grade school notebooks and with anything else she could find. Now, at 23 years old, Perezchica is focused on digital art portraits and colored pencil illustrations. Still influenced by her love for animation, Perezchica often looks to capture movement in her pieces and pays close attention to the storytelling elements of the overall composition. As for her process, “one of the things I love most is adding color” as it “brings everything to life.” Born and raised in the Rogue Valley, she hopes to continue her work to bring joy and honor those in the community who encouraged her artistic journey.
From the early years of crayons on coloring papers to now creating digital and marker illustrations, Latina artist, Alexandra Vanderlip finds an exciting new element to her passion for art, that is, to create in the classroom once again. Now in her graduate studies at Southern Oregon University in the Masters of Arts in Teaching, she is thrilled to share her love for vibrant colors, shapes, and interesting patterns with the newest generations of artists. While her personal style has changed over the years, she focuses on symbolism, abstract shapes, and bold color palettes. Vanderlip’s inspirations today are from her Panamanian heritage and her love for her hometown of Talent, Oregon.