FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – When you walk into Andrea Cano Torres art studio, you’re greeted with the smell of freshly burned sage and large colorful paintings on the wall, each an expression of her identity.
Torres was born in Fresno, but throughout her childhood she spent time living in Mexico in Los Reyes, Michoacán.
For her, growing up in both the U.S. and Mexico came with its joys and its challenges all of which are represented in her art.
“Life is super painful at times, you know,” said Torres. “I always have things in my paintings that poke, but they’re so beautiful to look at and as a first-gen kiddo, we experience chains and bloodstains. There is a heaviness of being the translator, being the financial person, and being the head of household.”
But the burdens of being a first-generation queer Chicana artist, turned into blessings. And when asked to showcase her latest work inside of Moto Delicatessen and Bodega for Hispanic Heritage month she knew it was a good fit.