The life of artist Frida Kahlo--from her complex and enduring relationship with her mentor and husband, Diego Rivera, to her illicit and controversial affair with Leon Trotsky, to her provocative romantic entanglements with women, Frida lived a bold and uncompromising life as a political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary.

The life of artist Frida Kahlo--from her complex and enduring relationship with her mentor and husband, Diego Rivera, to her illicit andBy now half of the Americas must have heard the tale of the girl from Coyocán who was injured in a horrendous trolley accident, miraculously survived to become a painter and married the famous Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera. Today the legends of her passion for Diego, his betrayals, her love affairs and her sufferings are repeated as if they were the Stations of the Cross. Frida Kahlo iconography began years ago with books and postcards and now includes buttons, posters, tote bags, sequined patches, bejeweled altars and statuettes. 

Frida and the legend of her suffering have taken on a power that sometimes seems to exceed everything else.Many of Kahlo's works are responses to Mexican folk art in one way or another. Kahlo was barely more than a schoolgirl when she met and married the already acclaimed Rivera, who was twice her age. Long before meeting Kahlo, Rivera had served his artistic apprenticeship in Mexico City, then spent more than a decade in Europe, where he established himself as a cubist in the avant-garde circle that included Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Juan Gris. He was back in Mexico, working as a muralist and creating--with his friends--the artistic idiom and philosophy that came to be known as the Mexicanidad movement, when he became involved Kahlo.

Kahlo was 30 and had been married to Rivera for seven passionate years.

Kahlo is most known for the images she painted of herself. "I paint self portraits because I am so often alone," she famously explained.

 I use colors, patterns and textures to tell my compelling stories that evoke different times and places throughout my life. What is most unique about my mosaic/collage style is that I am fascinated by life and death so most of my work revolves around Dia De Los Muertos, Frida Kahlo and Virgen de Guadalupe.
My Dia De Los Muertos items are colorful and reminders that dying is only the beginning of our life. Frida Kahlo items are a reminder of all the tribulations and suffering one goes thru in life. Virgen de Guadalupe items The Lady of Guadalupe has always been a part of my Mexican heritage I am constantly compelled to show her in my art it doesn't matter if you believe in her or not, I can always turn to her and she will help.

My current offering includes decorative mosaic art, decoupage wall hangings and boxes.
I create all one-of-a -kind pieces by hand in my home studio in Laredo, Texas. 

Its been a long weekend and a hectic Monday ...yesterday we received a frantic call here at the office around noon time from one of our employees wife that their son Alan 15 months old --slip from a chair and hit his head on Sunday and she rushed him to the ER at Mercy Hospital here in Laredo the night he fell around 8pm -- X-rays were done and the doctor examined the 15 month old and told her he was fine and was released ..........Then around 1030am she receives a call from the ER hospital and they tell her that she needs to bring in Alan ASAP because another doctor looked at the X-rays and saw a FRACTURE IN HIS HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and she needed him to bring him back to ER ASAP..................So she calls the office because her husband was out in the field and could not be reached by cell phone ,, so our dispatcher called and reached one of the guys and told him about the problem ...so I spoke with her and she was crying and telling me that Alan was going to be rushed by helicopter to San Antonio because there is not a head specialist here in Laredo to read the x-rays ...and she needed her husband to go with Alan to San Antonio on the helicopter..beacause she would not be able to go ( NO VISA she is a Mexican citizen ) I told her it was going to be about 3 hours before he gets here so I told her if she had anyone else to go with Alan and she she no her mother and brothers live here but do not have their papers ( also no visa ) so I volunteer to go with the child.......I arrived at the hospital and she was crying and holding Alan which he looked fine ....the head nurse came in and started talking English to her and I asked him to speak Spanish because she does not understand English so he spoke to her ---mostly in English so I related to her what was going on ..he then asked her when did the accident happen she told him last night and he looked at her like OH AND YOU JUST BROUGHT HIM IN ....I told did you read the record before coming in to discuss the plans on getting him to San Antonio and she did bring him in that night and was released .....so he quickly apologized to her, I asked what happen and if he could tell her why did the ER release the baby last night if he had a fracture skull......he stated that there is not a head specialist to read the x-rays and that they forwarded the XRAYS to San Antonio doctor and he was the one who read the XRAYS WRONG and that when they were going to file the X-rays in the Childs folder in the morning another doctor noticed the fracture and that’s when they called the mother.....So the helicopter nurses arrived to get Alan ready I told them I was going to fly with the child they told me that there was not a xtra seat and the child would have to go alone !!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE ^*&%^&%^$^^&&** I said to him the child is only 15 months and was crying how could he go alone??? Sorry he said …and then they transferred the child to the safety bed and fasten him down and took him to San Antonio ALONE…..while we looked on his father arrived in time to see his son get on the helicopter and he was going to be driving to San Antonio to meet up with son …
This morning I called the mother and asked her about Alan and she said that her husband called her and they were waiting for another specialist to come and see the child for a second opinion…….

Are you predominantly left brained or right brained?

I Guess I am the RIGHT Brain!!!

I really like these beautiful illustrations created for a Mercedes-Benz ad campaign. Love the very technical, industrial left side designs and the wild, colourful and layered illustrations exploding from the right side. I think I know what side I tend to spend most of my time using…

Left Brain
I am the left brain.
I am a scientist. A mathematician
I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear.
Analytical. Strategic. I am practical.
Always in control. A master of words and language.
Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers.
I am order. I am logic.
I know exactly who I am.

Right Brain
I am the right brain.
I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion.
Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter.
I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feet.
I am movement. Vivid colors.
I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas.
I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel.
I am everything I wanted to be.

Mujeres Gonzalez Art & Permilia Jewelry

I finally found the right names for my art & jewelry work--

My Collections-will be named --Mujeres Gonzalez Art & Permilia Jewelry .

Mujeres Gonzalez-- because most of my art is inspired by my mother and sister death and of all the challenge they both had. They both had faith and confidence to a higher power, and were sympathetic and had a compassionate attitude toward others. My mother was a very stong women who kept the Gonzalez business going strong for about 50 years, my sister had a very active fantasy life she did not worry about anything and made everyday feel like it was her last day to live. Both died in a 3 year span.

Permilia Jewelry--that is believe it or not is my middle name...the name Permilia comes from Mexico ---a famous movie star....My mother loved the name so my Jewelry is as beautiful as the name..

The Rosary

I saw this beautiful skull rosary ......an I thought I need to make some so I research on how /when skulls were added to the Rosary.

these are the ones I made

SKULL ROSARIES - EARLY CHURCH TRADITION Where do we go to understand why skulls were / are used in rosaries and chaplets? We can track the use of skulls in prayer beads, rosaries and chaplets back to the late middle ages (1066-1485) . The custom was especially popular from the 15c through the middle of the 19c in Italy, Germany and Mexico (from Spain) and in prayer counters from other religions. It helps to understand more about the customs of El Dia de los Muertos (see below).
EL DIA de los MUERTOS What is Dia de los Muertos? Where did it come from, what are its roots? How do we celebrate it here in the US? Dia los Muertos or Days of the Dead is a very popular holiday in Latin America and the Southwestern part of the US. To understand these days is to change one's mind on a lot of preconceived notions. In a way, it helped me understand the tradition of using skull beads in rosaries. It certainly opened my eyes to the Communion of Saints and its relationship to our Hallowe'en

It’s a wonderful way to express your faith or show your devotion to your church. But, how much do we really know about the rosary? I would venture that most people, even those who get rosary tattoos, know very little about this religious symbol. The Rosary is the tradition of the Christian devotion in which vocal and mental prayer unite the whole person in effective and purposeful meditation on the central mysteries of Christian belief. The Rosary thus joins the human race to God through Mary whom God chose from all time for the specific purposes of mother and intercessor. Each bead in the rosary is prayed upon until the entire series is completed. It is a practice that started in the middle ages and continues to be practiced today. Roman Catholics in Mexico have a special affection for the Holy Rosary. They hold Rosary events in church, in private homes, outdoors, or anywhere the faithful choose to meet for prayer. Most parish churches offer a daily Rosary every afternoon. When a priest is not present, a lay volunteer called a rezandero or rezador (feminine: rezandera/rezadora) leads the prayer
The purpose of the Rosary is to help keep in memory certain principal events or mysteries in the history of our salvation, and to thank and praise God for them.

This is what we say when a person dies and we have a wake at the funeral home its usually in Spanish here in South Texas.

There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary, and these are divided into the five JOYFUL MYSTERIES, the five LUMINOUS MYSTERIES, the five SORROWFUL MYSTERIES, and the five GLORIOUS MYSTERIES.
Make the Sign of the Cross and say the "Apostles' Creed."
Say the "Our Father."
Say three "Hail Marys."
Say the "Glory be to the Father."
Announce the First Mystery; then say the "Our Father."
Say ten "Hail Marys," while meditating on the Mystery.
Say the "Glory be to the Father."
8. Announce the Second Mystery; then say the "Our Father." Repeat 6 and 7 and continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.

After the Rosary:
HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
After each decade say the following prayer requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy."

In Latin America --Valentine Day

Valentine's Day is known as "Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship it is known as the "Día del Cariño" (Affection Day).
the Dia dos Namorados (lit. "Lovers' Day", or "Boyfriends'/Girlfriends' Day")
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.[1][3] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced

Day of the Dead---Calavera de la Catrina

I admire this man for bringing this art to us, I have a couple of examples here to show what catrina look like in my art.
the original catarina that José Guadalupe Posada, La Calavera Catrina design



the modern catrina in a tattoo

José Guadalupe Posada "Calavera de la Catrina"José Guadalupe Posada (2 February 1851 – 20 January 1913) was a Mexican engraver and illustrator.He was born in the city of Aguascalientes, where he learned the art of lithography and, by 1871, was working for a local newspaper called El Jicote ("The Hornet"). After a few years, he eventually joined the staff of the Mexico City publishing firm of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, creating various book covers and illustrations. Much of his work was also published in sensationalistic broadsides depicting various current events.Posada's best known works are his calaveras, or skeletons, which often assume various costumes, such as the Calavera de la Catrina, the "Skeleton of the Female Dandy", which was meant to satirize the life of the upper classes during the reign of Porfirio Díaz. This figures is often depicted wearing a hat with a large (ostrich) feather. Most of his imagery was meant to make a religious or satirical point. Since his death, however, his images have become associated with the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, the "Day of the Dead". They draw on medieval art traditions of the danse macabre and Native American motifs.Largely forgotten by the end of his life, Posada's engravings were brought to a wider audience in the 1920s by the French artist Jean Charlot, who encountered them while visiting Diego Rivera. While Posada died in poverty, his images are well known today as examples of folk art. The muralist José Clemente Orozco knew Posada when he was young, and credited Posada's work as an influence on his own.










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