[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 192 (Tuesday, December 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO CARMEN LOMAS GARZA

                                 ______


                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 1995

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a very unique 
artist from Kingsville, TX, whose works illuminate the life and times 
of south Texans. Carmen Lomas Garza's impressionistic paintings 
illustrate the various aspects of life in our native community through 
the eyes of her childhood and can now be seen at the Smithsonian 
Museum.
  Her exhibit, now showing at the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 
is entitled: ``Directions: Carmen Lomas Garza.'' Her work inspired a 
popular children's book. Children's Book Press of San Francisco saw the 
wisdom of illustrating her paintings with short descriptions of what 
the paintings show.
  Cuadros de familia--Family Pictures--is Children's Book Press' best 
seller, selling over 195,000 copies. It includes 32 reflections of the 
Mexican-American life in south Texas. It is an ideal gift for a 
youngster at Christmas.
  As a child, the artist was teased and punished for speaking Spanish 
in school. But as she grew older and wiser, she used her art as a 
bridge to get past her anger, and to reflect her pride in our culture.
  Her work is a touching glossary of childhood memories in Kingsville, 
TX. The scenes she depicts include: her grandfather peacefully watering 
his corn; the local faith healer expelling the flu from a neighbor; and 
a community cakewalk to raise money to send young people to college.
  She told me about the peace she found growing up in south Texas with 
her family, and her desire to pass that along to the next generation 
through her art. She remembers the times we all remember with our 
family, eating on the front porch, making tamales, picking oranges, 
swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, and celebrating birthdays.
  One of the most memorable paintings--and one just purchased by the 
Smithsonian for its permanent collection--is a tribute to her mother 
who supported her dreams of becoming an artist. The painting portrays 
the artist and her sister laying on the roof dreaming under the stars 
as their mother prepares their beds. Lomas Garza describes her mother 
as laying out the bed for our dreams of the future.
   Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I highly recommend this exhibit to you 
and your constituents.

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