My great grandmother, Inocencia Montez, died a death similar to far too many farm workers. She was harvesting during a storm and killed by a bolt of lightning.

Her death was not national news. No monuments were erected in her name. The tragedy was just another straw on the sturdy back of American policy that leaves undocumented laborers unprotected.

This is a painting of Inocencia’s mother, Maria. I imagine her grief as she had to walk onto the same fields where her daughter was struck. She is represented with a plate of food, as women were charged with feeding the families working the fields.

This piece is dedicated to Inocencia and Maria, who fed so many, and all of the farm workers who feed this country.

Maria Montez y la Tormenta

Acrylic and fabric on canvas

30 x 40 in