ARTIST STATEMENT
Nos Desertan Description
“Nos Desertan,” translating to “They Desert Us,” is a part of my family’s story of coming to the U.S. as children, running through the California desert and hiding behind cacti to evade capture. However, it’s also the story of thousands of people.
When I started planning for this painting, I was researching the history of I.C.E. and border patrol. I found that during the Clinton Administration, there was a “Catch and Release” policy put in place. This meant that people who were undocumented (and documented) were arrested and released at the border. But, they weren’t just released; they were made to travel back through the desert to Mexico. This led to the deaths of thousands of people due to dehydration, freezing, and overheating.
With this painting I am not only paying homage to my mom, aunts, and uncle; I am also telling the story of the thousands who lost their lives at the hands of the U.S. government for simply seeking a better life.
El Coyote Llorando Description
“El Coyote Llorando,” which translates to “The Coyote Crying,” depicts a person in the back of a coyote truck. Coyote’s are one of the many ways people choose to travel when immigrating to the U.S. without proper paperwork, including my family. The person in the truck also has cuts along their legs and feet, from the long journey and treacherous terrain. This is to show that no matter how difficult and gruesome the journey can be, they still have the strength and hope to carry on.
“El Coyote Llorando” was inspired by the story of my mom coming to the U.S. with her two sisters, one older, one younger, and her older brother. When my mom was a child, my grandma paid a coyote (a person who smuggles people across the border via truck or van) to drive them to the US-Mexico border. When my mom retells her story, I’m still left awestruck by the sheer courage she and her siblings had, as well as the trust in each other to keep one another safe. When I think about my mom’s journey, I also imagine how terrified these young children must have been. Afraid of what lay ahead, who they were around, all without either parent to hold on to. “El Coyote Llorando,” however, is not just my family’s story. This is the story of hundreds of thousands of people and families who migrate to the United States, in the past, present, and future. The story of every person who has felt that same fear, hope, and trust all at once.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a Mexican household, surrounded by a culture so vibrant and rooted in art that it became my biggest inspiration. My heritage, ethnicity, and cultural roots are big parts of my identity that seep into my work.
I majored in nursing, minored in fine arts, and ran track & field at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. I started oil painting in my first semester and fell deeply in love with it. My education began with still lifes, which led to my love of realism and classical painting. However, I left school after my third year and moved to Minnesota. I spent my first year in Minnesota figuring out what I wanted to do with my art and which stories I wanted to tell.
The work I do now resembles a mixture of classical and realism. I depict parts of my life, as well as parts of society and politics. In 2023, I began my political journey and awakening, which now fuels me and my work. After experiencing the rise of dehumanization and criminalization of immigrants in America during and after Trump’s first presidency and being raised in a family of immigrants, I finally decided what I wanted to say. In 2024, I started my series about immigration, focused on showing the humanity and sacrifice of immigrants. However, at the time, I didn’t realize just how relevant this series would be to what this country is witnessing today. This series is still ongoing, as there are always more stories and routes to paint.
© Alyssa Wilson