Discover how a trip to Antigua, Guatemala inspired a new collage series by artist Leslie M. Guzman. Explore the colors, textures, and ancestral stories hidden in the city's iconic houses—translated through layered, mixed media art.

“The Vibrant Woman” is a mixed-media collage rooted in culture, personal trauma, and ancestral storytelling. In this post, Guatemalan-American artist Leslie M. Guzman shares how vibrant color, texture, and symbolism helped her transform pain into power—and art into healing.

Abstract painting began as a birthday gift for my son’s birthday—but it became something much deeper. By leaving space for him to paint alongside me, the work turned into a shared memory, a lesson in trust, and a reminder that art doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.

A set of chairs became a quiet language for absence, memory, and what remains unspoken. In the Fragments series, these works explore personal history through repetition, variation, and restraint—one version, Ausente, held back from view, while another entered a juried exhibition at Archway Gallery.