Jugando Los Manos (2025)

8x10" | Acrylic Paint on Stretched Canvas | $100

🎶 Jugando al Dominó – Trio Servando Díaz

This scene began on my grandfather’s birthday. My daughter to my right, my husband across from me, and abuelo to my left. A blessing to share the table with three generations. He was patient, teaching my daughter the game, and we played a good match- ellos y nosotros, tally marks on paper, laughter over drinks. They won, we won.

It was calm, relaxing, and joyous… yet it stirred even older memories. As a child, I’d walk with my grandfather to the grocery store, the bank, and for his lottery tickets. At home, I’d brush his hair while he pulled numbers from hand-carved circular wooden tiles he made himself. Then he’d play solitaire... and let me “win” every time.

Dominoes have always been more than a game for us. I’ve seen friendships made and mended at the table. For me, it’s a mesa de memorias, a table of memories that spark even more.

In this painting, I wanted to capture that feeling. The warm yellows and whites, the soft blur of myopia, the way joy and nostalgia can sit side by side like players across the table.