Day of the Dead Collection
WATERCOLORS
This year (2024), I decided to paint a series of watercolors alluding to the Day of the Dead, while portraying traditions and customs of the Mexican culture.
The characters are not completely skeletons like José Guadalupe Posada’s classic Catrina; some still wear their skin, or it’s vanishing to reveal the skeleton, because “Noche de Muertos” is a threshold, where the living coexists with the dead.
Day of the Dead Meaning
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican celebration that honors deceased loved ones. Celebrated on November 1st (All Saints’ Day) and November 2nd (All Souls’ Day), it blends ancient indigenous customs with Spanish Catholic traditions.
The celebration is not about mourning but about remembering and celebrating the lives of the departed. Families set up altars, or ofrendas, in their homes or at cemeteries, adorned with items such as photographs, candles, marigolds (cempasúchil flowers), food, and personal belongings of the deceased. The purpose is to welcome the spirits back to the world of the living, allowing them to enjoy their favorite things and feel close to their families once more.
Symbols like decorated sugar skulls (calaveras), colorful paper cutouts (papel picado), and the Catrina figure (a skeleton dressed in elegant clothing) are central to the celebration. It is a joyful, vibrant event that views death as a natural part of life and a moment for reconnecting with ancestral roots.