Calle Olvera, Final painting 8x10 inches, acrylics on canvas. Click on picture to expand views. 

Background on Painting

Calle Olvera the final paintings. Here is a complete back ground for those not familiar with my work. I give a brief synopsis of the how's and why's of the painting. All paintings for me are like mini classrooms. I learn from them all and hope to grow as an artist from each piece.

Dear Olvera Street Merchants and Friends

This is the final painting. It is a small size canvas so trying to capture the look and feel of Calle Olvera was a bit difficult. This was so much fun for me. I enjoyed taking a walk down memory lane while visiting the website. It is a fun little painting that I hope you can use. If not I completely understand. I plan to do another similar to this but expanded on a larger canvas, showing both sides of the street. (hard to do that with this one because of the size).

A little bit on why I painted it this way and my style of painting. I paint in almost a child like style that is very primitive, but I try to leave no stone left unturned on the details. The street is rounded to capture the perspective (AIW) “alice in wonderland”** and to give the illusion of movement and history on the calle. I can remember walking on it and feeling how the bricks were worn and even seemed to be rounded from the constant foot traffic… that it has seen over the many years. I wanted to capture the fact that Calle Olvera was alive and flourishing even after 75 years. Showing merchants, the tree in the background (symbol of life and growth). The warmth that you feel when experience Olvera. I used the sun peeking out from behind the buildings and the tree to show warmth. The child on a mother’s lap. A lot of the merchants children have grown up on this street. The dangling folk dresses in the traditional Mexican style. Pinatas hanging in the distance. Colorful flowers in clay pots scattered on the street. The beautiful bouganvilla on the right side. The papel picadostreamers to remind of us of all the wonderful celebrations throughout the year that take place here. The children united by their hands a symbol of unity, family, friendships. The cross to symbolize faith and all the religious celebrations that also take place here. Las posadas, blessing of the animals, etc. I even painted a little child with the calavera face to remind of the day of the dead celebration. And to also add a little bit of whimsy. The buildings were a little hard to do simply because I didn’t have a lot to reference them.

I hope you enjoy this fun little painting and can use it. I have been very blessed and have enjoyed the process in painting it. Please let me know if there is anything that you don’t like or want me change. I can always go back to the drawing board if this is not what you had in mind for the curriculum. But I will need more direction from you.

Gracias,
Maria Sanchez

Here is the painting with light washes for the base of the painting to get the "look and feel" it is shown here at about 50%. Starting to take shape. 

The beginning drawing/sketch for the Calle Olvera project. This is simply how I start a painting always with a simple concept. The concept of this painting was to capture the merchants, children and history of Calle Olvera.  

Calle Olvera project

This artist journal is dedicated to Olvera Street and the painting project I am working on for the children's curriculum.