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]
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
^
abcdeVillalva, 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.
^
abcSalinas, 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.
^
abcMartinez, 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.
^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.
JSTOR3193825.
^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.
ISBN978-0-938317-49-4.