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I was born and raised in Hialeah. An American City with a Cuban soul. I was raised in a typical Cuban household although my grandfather never let me forget I was part Puerto Rican. I have always had a strong impulse to create. I grew up with Saturday morning cartoons and Frijoles negros. I used to struggle to identify with either my Cuban/Puerto Rican self or my American self. Painting has allowed me to unite them both and meld them with the myriad of other influences in my life into an unresistable urge to create. In my art, I have folded in mythology, religion, philosophy, psychology, even comic books and countless other inspirations. From the Bible to Alan Moore, from Ovid to Nietszche, this eclectic combination of concepts has created a powerful thread of influences which I weave into a creative force on the canvas.
I strongly believe artists have been and can continue to be, at least, strong agents for social introspection, and at best, champions for positive social change. While I admit that not every work I create has this lofty goal in mind, it’s definitely a large contributor to my creative process. This ultimate reason to paint has manifested itself into themes of personal responsibility, values, cultural topics, and current events globally. All these can be found in my works, amongst many other topics. I have numerous styles and techniques I employ to evoke what I feel and to pull what inspires me into reality, although Acrylic paint on canvas is my current favorite medium. I use symbols, personal and universal, bold colors and lines, and a carefully crafted composition to present a human situation, conflict, or resolution. In the end, however, the true struggle and balance I attempt to achieve is one of aesthetic quality and realization of purpose of the work.
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