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.

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Air / Aire

Air/Aire
24″ x 48″

Air/Aire

Honoring the local wildlife, my inspiration was drawn from the skies, the eagles that soar through the valley, and the beautiful hues that blanket over them. In a mosaic style, each piece or unique shape of these eagles represents the color of the sky in the hours between sunset and the night. In these twilight colors, the vibrant blues and occasional purples, the eagles and the sky become one. The connection between wildlife and their natural home is hard to separate, the element of air for that reason is deeply connected to the life encapsulated within.
– Artists statement by Alexandra Vanderlip
Earth / Tierra

Earth/Tierra
24″ x 48″

Earth/Tierra

Representing earth, the land we live on, and our heritage was greatly influenced how I saw the earth and nature. In this piece, I sought to represent Mother Earth and to convey the idea of harmony with land, life, and people. Mother Earth gazes forward, giving life by lending her hair to become a river, and silhouetted by a powerful sun. Abstract shapes, in a mosaic style, allows Mother Earth to highlight all the vibrant colors associated with earth and life. In the transition from land to river, mola inspired patterns and shapes take over. Molas are a traditional artform of Panama and the Kuna people, these textiles in geometric shapes often depict flora and fauna but even earlierthese geometric patterns started as art that was painted on the bodies of Kuna women. Bringing these shapes into this element of earth, I wanted to adorn the body of a strong female figure once again with Mother Earth and connect this style to a symbol of the Northwestern lands, the salmon. In this piece I celebrate my Latina heritage and honor the area that I was raised in.
– Artists statement by Alexandra Vanderlip
Water / Agua

Water/Agua
30″ x 36″

Water/Agua

Bear Creek connects Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford, and Central Point until it pours into the Rogue River. This creek was important to the indigenous people of the Takelma, Latgawas, and Shasta. I lived near Bear Creek in Coleman Creek Estates, where I would spend my youth playing in the water and having endless fun. For me water is the definition of life, I always used the saying “life is like a creek or river flowing, its flow is that of time. Which has helped me cope with the loss of my family’s homes. Growing up in Oregon we are taught the life cycle of the salmon. For me, one of my favorite salmon that I learned about would be the Sockeye Salmon due to its beautiful and eye-catching color red against the water. The beauty of the fish inspired me to create this art piece. I wanted to make the fish be in a very dynamic position to give the illusion that they are swimming in the water. I painted seven salmon to honor the seven generations.
– Artists statement by Tahiz Perezchica
Fire / Fuego

Fire/Fuego
30″ x 36″

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

Tahiz Camila 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.

Tahiz Camila Perezchica

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.

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