In more than 20 years spent living in Tucson, the artist says he has never, “witnessed immigrants who arrived to integrate into our society being randomly violent, or irrationally drug-crazed, as the continual false political narratives portray them,” instead, most often, they are, “dignified, hard-working, and family-oriented people like most Americans, who, except for Native Americans, have all arrived here as immigrants at some point.”

The portraits in the series, which convey both the appearance and the feel of the lives being represented, portray how different cultures bring their unique customs – in foods, clothing, cultural and religious beliefs – to enrich the lives of the communities they enter.

Through the use of a light source focused intentionally on a painted subject, Tesoriere’s portraits engage with facial features particular to individuals, bringing out their unique essential physical characteristics, and allowing viewers to more easily perceive the subject’s underlying personalities