Contemporary figurative painting has played a continuous important role in the modern art of Latin America. It is my intent to draw upon that tradition to inject new ideas and energy into both my current work and my teaching. I began my fellowship by attending an exhibition of the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN in February, 2008. This large retrospective exhibit included many of her major paintings that had never been outside of Mexico before. Although I have read extensively about Kahlo’s work and have seen several of her paintings over the years, being able to examine important works in one location provided new insights and inspiration.