Dating from 2011 through 2019, these select drawings revolve around my mother’s Cuban immigrant family. Interweaving motifs of syncretic Spanish and indigenous taíno cultures with cinquecento-inspired gilding, these works pay homage to the trajectory and triumph of strangers in a strange land—and acknowledge how I stand on their shoulders.
Cultivo una rosa blanca, or “I cultivate a white rose,” is from a line in a poem by José Martí, a Cuban patriot beloved by my mother’s South Florida exile community. Silverpoint’s ephemeral quality mirrors the fleetingness of their recalled memories and narratives, and its inevitable, gradual tarnishing reflects the sacrifice and equanimity brought on by distance and time.
As silverpoint is highly reflective, many of the drawings were photographed in low light to reduce glare. Viewed in person, the mid-tone gray backgrounds are a warm white, as seen in the Installation Shots page.
Dos patrias tengo yo, 2015, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gesoed panel, 30 x 24"
Detail from Dos patrias tengo yo, 2015, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gesoed panel, 30 x 24"
Moriré de cara al sol, 2015, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gesoed panel, 30 x 24"
Detail from Moriré de cara al sol, 2015, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gesoed panel, 30 x 24"
Bellona in Profile, 2014, silverpoint & goldpoint on hand-gessoed paper, 14 x 11"
Do Not Weep, War is Kind: Elsa, 2015, silverpoint & goldpoint on hand-gessoed paper, 10 x 8"
Iluminada, 2012, silverpoint on hand-gessoed panel, 20 x 12"
Elsa, 2011, graphite on paper, 17 x 14"
Yo que vivo, 2017, silverpoint & copperleaf on indigo-tinted hand-gessoed paper, 8 x 10"
Yo sueño, 2017, silverpoint & copperleaf on indigo-tinted hand-gessoed paper, 8 x 10"
De donde crece la palma, 2015, silverpoint on hand-gessoed panel, 18 x 24"
Detail from De donde crece la palma, 2015, silverpoint on hand-gessoed panel, 18 x 24"
Carlos Adrian, 2015, silverpoint & goldpoint on hand-gessoed paper, 10 x 8"
Chicagoan Hatuey, 2016, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gessoed panel, 30 x 24"
San Soldado/St. Soldier, 2016-2017, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gessoed panel, 21 x 20"
Tía Bertha, 2015, silverpoint & goldpoint on hand-gessoed paper, 10 x 8"
Echar mis versos del alma, 2017, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gessoed panel, 20 1/2 x 24 1/2"
Charismatic Soil, 2017-2018, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gessoed panel, 24 1/2 x 32 1/4"
Corona, 2014-2015, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gessoed panel, 36 7/16 x 28 1/4"
Detail from Corona, 2014-2015, silverpoint & silverleaf on hand-gessoed panel, 36 7/16 x 28 1/4"
Spring Equinox Self Portrait, 2019, silverpoint & acrylic on hand-gessoed paper, 29 1/2 x 41 1/3"
