This strong, iconic mermaid reflects both the divine feminine along with the beauties and powers of the ocean. The dominant color scheme is my sister's favorite color -- green, the color of a clear, crisp ocean wave. In the Retablo tradition of the Ex-Voto, I painted this for my sister to celebrate the blessing of her recovery from an illness. An ex-voto is a visual acknowledgment and expression of gratitude for a blessing received. Sharing my sister's journey to recovery with her I am in awe of her strength.

We grew up on the Southern California coast and when we were children, spent many days at the beach across the street from our Abuelita's (grandmother's) house. Our memories of the beach are a source of happiness. We played in the waves, boogie boarded, popped buds on long strings of kelp, and walked out onto the jetty with brown paper sacks of warm tortilla chips fresh from my Abuelita's (grandmother's) cast iron fry pan. On the beach, standing on the water's edge and facing west, with the Los Angeles metropolis of millions of people at our backs, we would look into the wilderness of the ocean.