Nelly Galindo

My family hadn’t celebrated Dia de Muertos until my grandfather died. We hadn’t had close deaths in my family before. My grandpa passed away in 2013 and then his parents died subsequently the following years. Since their deaths our families, uncles and aunts, have all become closer; visiting each other often, helping each other when needed. My grandpa always stressed to them the importance of “siempre estar unidos” and we set out to uphold that.

Some recurring motifs in some of my pieces like the orange papel picado and the paintings on the “capilla” style frame are bees and caña. My grandpa Tranquilino lived in a very small town in Jalisco, Mexico called Las Abejas (which translates to “the bees”). He had a farm and caña (sugar cane) fields he tended to. He was always very respectful of nature and loved what he did so that is one of the main things I remember and respect about him.