Many Americans can now recognize the word Tamal and know that it is a traditional Mexican dish made up of sauce and meat-filling, corn dough that is then wrapped and steamed inside of corn husks. What many of us don’t know is that, in Mexican culture, Tamal-itos is a term of endearment for a newborn’s feet. In Andrew Alba's painting, Tamalitos you see two small feet with ten tiny toes emerging from the canvas. One day these small feet may stand strong but for now, they are sweet and tender with many steps ahead. Alba painted Tamalitos after his daughter Ari was born, the first of his two children.