On My Way Home. There’s a special kind of peace that comes from recognizing where you are, not because of signs, but because the streets, colors, and people surrounding you subtly remind you that you’re almost home. My painting La Sazón de mi Catira is the first piece in my Venezuelan series On My Way Home. It’s an acrylic on paper with dimensions of 12x17 inches based on a real place in my hometown, Barquisimeto, Venezuela. I would see this little corner after school ‘on my way home’ or walking across the street with my friends to get a milkshake. This series is about those moments when you’re driving through familiar streets, looking out the car window, and realizing you’re getting closer to home and repeating the same route all over again. The place in my painting isn’t famous, it’s just a small breakfast stand with deep blue tiles and a faded yellow sign. But to me, that’s what makes it special. It’s the kind of spot that holds quiet memories, the kind of detail you only notice when it’s part of your daily life. When I started painting it, I wanted to capture that feeling of comfort and belonging that comes from seeing something familiar after being away for a long time. Moving away from Venezuela made me realize how much those simple places shaped me. The bright walls, the texture of the tiles, and the way people interact in those spaces all became part of how I see the world. Through this series, I want to celebrate those everyday details that carry so much meaning; the warmth of the culture, the rhythm of daily life, and the quiet beauty that often goes unnoticed. In La Sazón de mi Catira, I tried to paint not just what I saw, but how I remember it. The perspective, like from a car window, gives the sense of both distance and closeness, how memory can blur the edges of a moment but never take away its feeling. The characteristic hand-painted signs became a symbol of safety and nostalgia for me, representing both the distance from home and the comfort of recognizing them. This piece is deeply personal, but I also hope others can see a bit of their own story in it. Everyone has that place that makes them feel grounded; a street, a smell, or a view that says, “you’re almost home.” My goal is to capture that universal feeling through my art. La Sazón de mi Catira marks the beginning of a journey to reconnect with my roots and share the beauty of my country, one memory at a time.