Final Thoughts

Lady Freebird

Oil, acrylic, gold leaf, glass beads on canvas, 48 x 30 in. 2022

Commissioned by Cindy Reyes

The highly celebrated artist Ana Hernandez paints her female muses with strength, grace, whimsy, and beauty. I wanted a painting that featured those characteristics with mementos represented throughout, from my children’s birthstones, my mother’s china, my parents’ national flowers (Ana’s idea), our family crest... Ana intertwined each one so harmoniously. But the painting is not solely a family heirloom but has a more expansive message. At the very top, a blue bird is flying, which can represent different things to each of us. For me, the bird represents the power that we all have to fly. Lady Freebird is in us all; we just need to believe in it for ourselves.

Ana Hernandez San Antonio-based artist, Ana Hernandez, was born and raised on the US/Mexico border. She holds a BFA with a concentration in painting and a minor in art history from UTSA. Her practice, which includes murals and sculpture, as well as works on canvas, blends elements from the border with motifs from American popular culture and art history. Ana Hernandez is represented by AnArte Gallery in San Antonio, TX.