Alfred Hernandez

Sunnyvale, CA — nearest ocean:  Southern Pacific
Indigenous / Native Heritage, Latin / Central / South American Heritage

About the art

In the final year of my mother's life I decided that it would be good to make a video that would act as a way of loving her and just the way she was in these years. I decided to capture images of her hands while cleaning beans and preparing food and making her bed and praying and doing things around the house. I also wanted to capture some of the sounds that make me think of her and being with her. I knew that this kind of video would also be a good tool to remember these times and to help in my grieving process when she passed. After she died this video did help others to grieve her as well. While capturing these sounds and images the trees were very beautiful in the Autumn months. The beauty of nature is something I've shared with my mom and I'd bring her flowers from the garden which would make her smile and bring in a neighbor's dog which she loved. The Autumn trees and their beauty make me think of the beauty of our lives as we come to our final years.

About the artist

I grew up in a creative family. Creativity was a way that we interacted and mentored each other. My older brothers mentored me with my interest in animation when I was a child and I helped them on their projects. As a young adult my creative projects helped me to understand that I was looking for emotional healing. While attending to emotional healing I also decided that my artwork would be a way of deepening the healing and a way of communicating to others, especially other Chicanos, the importance of caring for the self and overcoming trauma while tuning into the natural environment and ways of nature. While being the primary home care person for my elderly mother I decided that it would be good to make a video that captures some of the things I loved about being with her. While doing home-care it was also important for me to practice self-care and having creative projects to work on while in the home was a good way for me to keep my mind engaged and focused while also flexible and free.