In The Beginning…There was grandma. Everything that surrounded her, was touched by her radiant and gentle soul. Everyone who had her in their world knew, when by her side, life and love: was good- And truly she made life, so very good...

  The first memories I have of learning to create, start with my maternal grandmother, Elinora. Grandma and I spent a lot of time together when I was growing up, and fairly often we were making something in one way or another. It’s hard to pin point the age that it all begin at, but I know by the time I was at least 5 I had already found myself quite at home creating in various ways.

The memories are so old but, I can still visualize a tall set of drawers in grandma’s kitchen, right beneath the corded telephone that hung up on the wall. On the dressers’ surface, she had pens, note pads and other necessary office trinkets. Underneath the very last drawer on the right side, hid a little treasure trove of paper and an abundance of watercolors! I can remember many afternoons, sitting with her at the dining table and learning how to use these paints. Little would I know that this is a learning path I would spend my life traveling on, and eventually expand to include a majority of the painting mediums available. Acrylic being my go-to, I’ve also dabbled with oil, paint markers, air brush and of course watercolor. I definitely don’t intend to slow my learning, and hope to explore every paint type out there.

 Among the best of my flashbacks, is my grandmother teaching me how to sew. Her machine, to this day, is the most precious material item I am fortunate enough to possess. A classical Singer machine built in 1929, with its wooden cabinet, cast iron legs, and treadle; it’s the machine I still use to this very day. In a corner of her room right beside her machine, popcorn and cookie tins held fabric, lace, buttons, and zippers for days. We made pillows, pot holders, part of a Halloween genie costume (Aunt Irene had to help us with the pants haha), and as a teen I would customize my wardrobe to my liking. It seems the more frequent of my memories, are of us at this machine. When I sit there now, I swear she is still there with me.

It wouldn’t be long at all, after learning to sew, we would venture into a new project in a different art form; embroidery. From the choosing of the patterns, to the magic of the iron-on transfer, the endless options of colored threads, and the techniques that would make each stitch different from the others. I had found yet another obsession, and was beginning to start a tin collection of my own. I maintain some of the projects I started as a child… maybe one day I’ll finish what I started so long ago.

Lastly, my grandmother gave me the gift of her style of cooking. Tiny hands seemed to be perfect for kneading empanada dough, rolling out tortillas, and making cookies! Our adventures in the kitchen were endless, I can remember having so much interest in cooking (and of course in eating), all catalyzed by grandma’s teaching moments. From making heaps of spaghetti that required us to call all the family in town to come by for dinner, to large Tupperware bowls filled to the brim with sopapillas that we munched on with honey drizzling off our fingertips. Her spirit and ability to nourish with such loving food,  all came in handy when our days were becoming numbered. I reached back as far as I could to remember the things she loved to fill her kitchen with, that New Mexican comfort food that her and grandpa enjoyed most. We would share those sweet memories and delicious meals daily, all the while solidifying new moments I would always carry with me. I relate all of this to art, because to me, carrying and honoring these traditions is the purest form of art. I take this trip back to my roots frequently in my own kitchen, and delight in sharing these meals with my company, it’s what keeps me grounded to the love that raised me. The love that ultimately made me an artist.

Today, my journey in creating is constantly evolving and forever expanding. My interests and experiments in creating are endless, and at times quite distracting, haha. I aspire to feed my curiosity to learn new things as well as strengthen my discipline in order to raise flowers out of these seeds I sow… but flowers take time. Sow, we shall see in time *wink*

This blog will show as public record, the commitment I’m making to better strategize my random creative learning ventures. Working to create more productive habits and banishing the bad ones for good. There will be much to elaborate on over time, I promise.

  I want to thank anyone who has made it this far in, I know it’s quite long but don’t worry we’re almost done. It really means a lot to reflect on these stories and memories, and even more to open up and share them. I hope I have managed to make them enjoyable for you just the same. In honor and dedication to the subject of this week’s blog, my wonderful Grammy <3 I thank the Universe immensely for her existence and for her encouragement and influence on my creative curiosity; ultimately for being my very first art teacher. I love you always, I pray your soul follows me beyond death <3

In Loving Memory of Elinora M. Padilla <3

<3 Miki Len