La Naranja navideña by Julie Ann Lake-Díaz

Artist: Julie Ann Lake-Díaz

Title: La Naranja navideña

Medium: Oil on Masonite

Dimensions: 5 x 5

Price: $195

Artist Statement: A memory of my mother’s childhood in Santiago, Chile. At Christmas time it was customary for children to receive an orange with their shoes that they left out for Papá Noél. Christmas was humble, but there was always an orange and Christmas Mass at midnight.

Artist Bio: Julie Ann Lake-Díaz is a mixed Latina woman. Her work explores themes of faith, and Chilean identity. Most Chileans like Julie Ann and her family have a shared indigenous and European ancestry. Pieces of history are quite literally interwoven into the DNA, and can be traced to Northern Africa, indigenous groups spanning up and down the west coast of the South American continent, and also include ancestry from Portugal, Spain and Italy. Painting has been a vital tool for Julie Ann in exploring her identity and in claiming her family’s past.