04/20/2026
This is Maritza. I met her when I was in Armenia in 2024. She is the catalyst for the project I will be working on during my residency in June at the . She ran a small convenience store in a tiny village (I won’t share details for privacy), tucked deep in the mountains. She was warm and generous, and allowed me to take her photo after I told her I was an artist, hoping to paint the people I met along the way.
Her family has lived in this village for generations. Their roots there run deep.
I remember walking through the village cemetery and noticing how many of the graves belonged to young men lost in the 2020 war. In such a small place, the weight of that loss felt immense. And yet, there was also care everywhere. Despite limited resources, the homes were tended to with attention and ingenuity, built and repaired with what was available, held together with a kind of quiet love.
Women like Maritza are the quiet backbone of these communities.
