Sandra Fernández
Coming of Age (Transformations)
Screen Print
17 1/2 x 24 inches
Edition of 50
Published by Brandywine Workshop and Archives, Philadelphia.
Sandra C. Fernández plays many roles: woman, artist, mother, daughter, educator, Latina, Austinite. As an artist, she says, “My art talks about my own experiences…Art, to me, has to be expression. You need to feel it, you need to have it in your system.” Like Fernández ’s life, many layers of ink—each possessing a unique symbolism—unite to form the print Coming of Age (Transformations), whichcelebrates the 15th anniversary of the popular Serie Project artist residency program presented by Coronado Studio, Austin, TX.
Conveying both the triumphs and struggles of the Serie Project and the Latinx community, Coming of Age (Transformations) shows a girl with the face of a baby in a quinceañera outfit next to a large tree (a quinceañera is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood). These two forms take up most of the space in the print, and there is a collage or assemblage element to the work that is most clearly visible in the wrinkled quality of the tree. She places la quinceañera, the girl whose birthday is being celebrated, in front of Austin's skyline. La quinceañera wears a traditional outfit—elaborate dress, shoes, and crown—but her face is that of a baby, suggesting how much growth the Serie Project still has ahead of it. The dress was sewn by Fernández, then photographed and digitally transferred onto a screen to create the printed dress, preserving a sense of the garment's texture.
La quinceañera triumphantly carries a torch of jalapeños topped with a crown as an homage to her heritage and to Coronado Studio, whose chop, or embossed symbol authenticating each print, is a crown.According to Fernández, the tree is a symbol of strength and wisdom. Written on its trunk are issues concerning undocumented Latinx workers in the United States; each word and phrase is written in both English and Spanish. Hanging from the tree is a pink milagro,or metal religious charm, to bring luck to la quinceañera.
—Adapted fromhttps://serieproject.org/product/sandra-c-fernandez/, accessed 4-25-2022
