Gloria Osuna Perez

Gloria Osuna Perez (November 21, 1947 - June 25, 1999) was a Chicana artist. She had a pottery line, but is best known for her paintings. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the El Paso Museum of Art.[1]

Biography

Osuna Perez was born in Madera, California on November 21, 1947.[2] Her parents were migrant farm workers and Osuna Perez also worked in San Joaquin Valley fields picking fruit.[2] She moved to El Paso in 1985.[2] Before she returned to painting, Osuna Perez worked on a Mexican pottery line, called Pottery En Español.[3] Not long after moving to El Paso, she began painting again.[3]

Osuna Perez was the featured artist in Latina Magazine in 1996.[1] That same year, she also debuted her "Coyolxauhqui Madre Cosmia" exhibit at the El Paso Museum of Art.[1]

In 1996, Osuna Perez was told that she had six months to live after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[4] She made her own funeral urn.[1] She created several urns, "representing continuous faith," according to the El Paso Times.[4] Creating the urns helped her stay positive in the face of the cancer diagnosis.[4] Osuna Perez died on June 25, 1999.[3] A memorial fund in her name supports art education at the El Paso Museum of Art.[5] Osuna Perez was inducted into the El Paso Women's Hall of Fame in 2001.[6] In 2008, her work was displayed at the National Museum of Mexican Art.[7]

Work

Osuna Perez often used Mexican-American people as subjects for her art.[1] She also painted the daily routines and lives of people.[8]

One of Osuna Perez's last works was three illustrations for the book, Little Gold Star/Estrellita de Oro.[9][10] Her daughter, Lucia Angela Perez, helped finish the illustrations for the book.[9][11] The Austin Chronicle called the illustrations by mother and daughter "vibrant."[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Villalva, Maribel (11 July 1999). "Her Art Lives On". El Paso Times. Retrieved 17 March 2019. and "Osuna". El Paso Times. 11 July 1999. p. 7F. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c Salinas, Sandy (22 June 1996). "Meeting the First Lady". El Paso Times. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com. "Artist". El Paso Times. 22 June 1996. p. 3D. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Aguilar, Cristina (27 June 1999). "Well-Known El Paso Artist Gloria Osuna Perez Dies". El Paso Times. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Martinez, Melissa (10 September 1998). "Artist Creates Legacy of Hope, Faith". El Paso Times. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com. and "Artist". El Paso Times. 10 September 1998. p. 4D. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Gloria Osuna Perez Reception". El Paso Times. 18 February 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Villalva, Maribel (25 February 2001). "7 To Be Inducted Into El Paso Women's Hall of Fame". El Paso Times. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Con Safos: Contemporary Chicano Art from the Joe A. Diaz Collection". National Museum of Mexican Art. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  8. ^ Eklund, Lori; Medrano, Terry (July 2000). "Community and Contemporary Chicano Art: Four El Paso Artists". Art Education. 53 (4): 25–32. doi:10.2307/3193825. JSTOR 3193825.
  9. ^ a b Renteria, Ramon (22 April 2000). "Mom, Daughter Illustrate Book Linked in Purpose". El Paso Times. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Hayes, Joe (2000). Little Gold Star / Estrellita de Oro. Illustrated by Gloria Osuna Perez & Lucia Angela Perez (1st ed.). El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 978-0-938317-49-4.
  11. ^ "Gloria Osuna Perez". Cinco Punto Press. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-02-10.
  12. ^ Garza, David (28 July 2000). "Little Gold Star/Estrellita de Oro: A Cinderella Cuento". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-03-18.