Q & A ABOUT MY ART

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? How did you begin making art?

I am a 68 year old self taught artist who came to the US at 44 from Cuba. | started painting at 58 because it greatly helped me deal with depression and anxiety. | am inspired by memories from Cuba, the streets, people, and warm culture. Art came intuitively to me and it is the way | have of expressing my feelings and life events.

Although an Industrial Engineer by trade, art was always at the core of me.

I currently live in Orange County, California.

2. Why do you make art? What do you love about making art?

3. What are you artistic inspirations? What are your favorite art materials? Why?

Leaving Cuba at a mature age was very difficult and heart breaking. | have missed the

rich culture and lively days of the land | grew up in. Many paintings reflect this nostalgia and have become a way for me to show others beautiful things | lived there. | also get inspired by daily life, people and places. | choose colors based on my emotional state at the time. | enjoy painting with acrylics on canvas and have also done mixed media pieces where | incorporated cold clay and fabric.

4. How do you feel while you are making art?

| truly enjoy mixing colors and creating textures, it gives me so much pleasure

to see how it all comes together at the end.

5. What is unique or important about your art process or particular style of art? How long does it typically take you to complete a work of art?

Many times | start a painting my mixing colors based on my current emotional state and

as | continue a memory or image would come into my mind as an inspiration. Other times | do have specific ideas of what images | want to convey. Lately most of my inspiration comes from my daily life and the people and places | meet. It takes me about a week to complete a painting.

6. Tell us about the art program or social service agency you work with. How has this

program contributed to your life or success as an artist?

As of now | only receive help from the US Social Security which help me with some

living expenses and leaves me some time and space for doing my art.

7. What have been the challenges or struggles that you have faced in your life? What are ways you have been able to overcome the challenges or creatively work with them?

Living in Cuba had its challenges itself since most of the population is poor, including

our family. | grew up as an outcast in society because my parents opposed the Communist

regime and had tried to leave the country without luck. In order to bring food to the table |, with the help of my children would create all different kinds of art pieces and decorations to sell to locals and tourists. We made wall pieces from polished copper or bronze, paintings on wood, macrame, etc. Finding the resources for this art work was difficult and we would constantly scan yards for scraps and beg for oils paints from various places.

A regular job in Cuba did not guarantee you would have enough to eal, and scarcity

being the mother of invention, we used art as a fun way to afford our food.

8. Describe any challenges that you have faced in regards to making your art. What are

ways you have been able to overcome the challenges or creatively work with them?

My anxieties make it difficult to concentrate and transmit the essence of what | have in

mind. It is a daily struggle to find open spaces of creativity without being pulled aside by

distractions and worries. Yet | persist through it until | can see on canvas what pleases me.

9. How have your particular life experiences affected or inspired your art? Your identity as an artist?

The countryside in Cuba inspired a lot of my art, although | was raised mostly in the

city | spent a great deal of time at my grandparents’ small farm participating in the daily work and social life. Thus some of my art has reflected Cubans playing dominoes,

the chickens, the typical farm labor clothing and siestas after lunch.

Another part of my artwork has been marked by life events, like the birth of my first

grandson, my children getting married, and times of sorrow as well.

10. Tell us about other aspects of your life apart from or in addition to art. Are you currently employed? Volunteer work? Other passions or interests?

| am not currently employed as | am retired. | volunteer my time and little resources

to send packages to Cuba to people highly in need, from medicines to clothes and toys for

kids. | am very passionate about crafts and make children clothing, dolls and toys.

11. What are some of your most important accomplishments? What are you most proud of?

| feel very proud to have managed to bring my children to a free country and they

became good people.

12. What are your dreams or hopes for the future?

My biggest aspiration is to help others in need through me art.

13. What does it mean to you to sell your artwork? To have your art hanging in people's

homes? To have people appreciate your art?

It would make me very happy to be able to show others my art and sell it. Finding a community is so important for me, to know other artists in a similar situation as me and share my life story through art. | have many paintings that sit unseen in my closets and it saddens me to know that they could be lighting someone's home instead. The profit from selling my paintings would be crucial to buying materials to keep painting and also improve my living conditions since my only income is Social Security.

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? How did you begin making art?

I am a 68 year old self taught artist who came to the US at 44 from Cuba. | started painting at 58 because it greatly helped me deal with depression and anxiety. | am inspired by memories from Cuba, the streets, people, and warm culture. Art came intuitively to me and it is the way | have of expressing my feelings and life events.

Although an Industrial Engineer by trade, art was always at the core of me.

I currently live in Orange County, CA.