These are portraits of Latino undocumented immigrant workers. Originally, I began the series after painting a worker I had hired as a model. In this first portrait, I recognized the worker’s expression in a photograph of my grandfather, who was a sugar cane worker. I decided to start a series to give more visibility to the contributions of undocumented workers in this country. Through a journal I kept I realized that portraits with a studio background had the ability to transport the workers into a completely different class context. I believe it is this juxtaposition what may ultimately persuade the viewer to confront the undocumented worker’s humanity and individuality. Some of the workers came by word of mouth, and I recruited others around San Pablo. Finding women sitters was especially difficult. All of the workers were paid and treated like professional models. They signed a model release written in Spanish. They chose their pose, and posed an average of six hours in one or two sessions. The workers took breaks and were given lunch or snacks as appropriate. The sessions were long because most of the sitters could not return for a second session, so I usually started and finished in one day. I titled the paintings so I would not have to reveal their identities, even though several wanted to share their real names. They believed that an exhibit could increase their visibility in the present political climate.
Undocumented
