The newspapers read as follows from closest to farthest: “County Saves Large Sum By Mexican Repatriation,” “Free Land for Mexicans,” and “Mexicans Keep Going, We Can’t Take Care of Our Own.”
I painted people waiting for a train to the Mexican-American border during the Mexican Repatriation, showcasing the over 500,000 Mexicans forcibly repatriated between 1931 and 1934. It highlights the overlooked history of mass deportation, family separation, and racism, which are still relevant today. The artwork was made with gouache, watercolor, and colored pencils on watercolor paper for my ethics studies class.
This was an intensive research project. I researched repatriated individuals' visual sources, finding family portraits taken by the U.S. Border Patrol, often their only ones. I wanted to include my family portrait in the painting, so I incorporated newspaper articles and posters. After making thumbnail sketches, I created a postcard to choose the color palette. I then drew the sketch, painted it with watercolor and gouache, and finalized the details with colored pencils.
Postcard for Painting
Reference Images
