Common Heroes
The “Common Heroes” project features everyday people who are inspirational to others.
I first started experimenting by making paintings based on portraits that Dave Jordano, a photographer I admire, had created in Detroit.
Then I started painting people I knew who had a quiet way of being resilient and inspiring.
Finally, I asked friends and neighbors who they think is a hero in our community. I interviewed these people to integrate elements of their stories into painted portraits.
These portraits were created in part thanks to support from Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Cafe Con Leche, DMex printing, Blick Art Materials, and Raymond Lozano.
Read MoreI first started experimenting by making paintings based on portraits that Dave Jordano, a photographer I admire, had created in Detroit.
Then I started painting people I knew who had a quiet way of being resilient and inspiring.
Finally, I asked friends and neighbors who they think is a hero in our community. I interviewed these people to integrate elements of their stories into painted portraits.
These portraits were created in part thanks to support from Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Cafe Con Leche, DMex printing, Blick Art Materials, and Raymond Lozano.
Luisa, 2015. Gouache and collaged view of Zug Island petroleum coke mounds on watercolor paper. 16 3/8 x 12 ½ in.
Maria Luisa Carillo and her husband Jaime started Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Itzel after their school recreation center at Holy Redeemer closed in 2005 and left their dance group with nowhere to go. “We were bad kids,” she says, “Went to skip parties...” But dance was their positive outlet. They started out practicing wherever they could, and in 2011 decided to make it a business. She is getting her PHD in Public Health and sees Ballet Folklorico as part of a larger effort to create a healthy community.
