"Icnocuicatl", oil on canvas, 8" x 10"

Fifteen minutes after I received the call that my grandfather had passed away I was sitting in the break room at work trying to comprehend what I had just heard. Then one of my good friends, Jaime, before I mentioned to him the call, passed me some ear phones playing a song called "Icnocuicatl" by Lila Downs. The song seemed to be a reflection of my mood as I tried to make sense of the news. Then at my grandfather's funeral our aunt shared with us some of his last words directed towards the family. He knew that he would pass soon so he asked us to remember him in music and laughter. The message was uplifting but the atmosphere was somber. When I came back home I played the song over and over again and looked at a few images. This image coupled with the song described for me how I felt at the time. The figure to the right reminded me of my grandfather's silhouette. He would often wear a hooded coat and trucker hat. The figure is heading towards the light and the figures inside appear to be sad. I saw the figures inside as my family and I in response to the loss. As I researched the lyrics of the song, which was sung in a native mexican language, I found that it was a song of mourning. The soul that had passed was asking it's sibling that remained not to be sad but to look up to the sky, where the deceased soul would send down sunshine. I found it very fitting, seeing as the message of the song was uplifting but the mood was somber. I felt as if it all just came together in this one.