I have so many childhood memories of my Mom creating various works of art. Whether it a was the Easter cake she made for my class party (I remembering being in awe of the bunny she drew out of frosting that sat on coconut flakes she dyed green for grass and the jelly beans she placed on the fake grass), or the costumes she made my sister and me for our Ballet Folklorico performances (she used the little Mexican dolls we had to copy the costumes because as good at she was at sewing she could not sew from a pattern), or the skirts she made for the Spirit Team at the small private school my sister and I attended (I remember how much the skirts she made resembled the expensive ones that the cheerleaders from the public schools bought). Then, there were the birthday parties she made us, the weddings receptions she coordinated, the beautiful wedding dress she made me (including the pearls and lace she handstitched down the bodice), the matching dresses she made for my daughter and her American Girl doll. The list goes on and on. What demonstrated my Mom was not only creative but truly an artist, are her paintings. I recently snapped the following photos of the paintings my Mom and Dad have hung throughout their home. There are more, but here is a sample of her works of art.

Red Roses
by Constance Gutierrez
This one she painted on canvas using acrylic paint and is hanging in her bathroom.

Backyard
painted by Constance Gutierrez
I found this painting in a black frame sitting on the counter in my parents’ garage. It’s a painting of my parent’s backyard with one of the two sheds my Dad built (a “his” and “hers” for their “stuff.” This painting looks like something my Mom painted, but the frame looks like someone may have painted this for them as a gift. I went to remove the painting from the frame when I noticed a faded signature at the bottom right corner. It was quite faded, so I had to get close to read what was written. “To My Husband – Love, Constance.”

Wine Country
by Constance Gutierrez
This painting is in a nice frame hanging above their fireplace.

Little Sisters
by Constance Gutierrez
This painting is hanging in my parents’ hallway. My Mom used acrylic paint on a canvas where she painted this picture of my little sister and me.