In 2002, immediately following the birth of my fourth of six children, I had become very critically ill with pregnancy-induced Acute Graves Disease. I was at death’s door. During that period, I began enjoying a strong soul connection with the angels, the spirit of my ancestors and God. Today, in my complete wellness; my relationship with the spirit world continues. I open my heart to be artistically moved by the Spirit and by the will of my ancestors’ souls whom I often eulogize on canvas.
In many ways, environmentally as well as spiritually, I am what I am because of my ancestors. I am their dream come true. I inherited from them skills in art and writing and a passion for evangelism and social justice. My father’s father, José Rodríguez Figueroa (whom I eulogize in the “Mambi en la Manigua” painting), was a widely published author, poet, oil painter, multi-linguist, evangelical minister and Mambi (insurgent Cuban soldier, during Cuba’s War of Independence from Spain). His publications are housed in Cuba’s national libraries. I included in my Mambi painting excerpts of my Abuelo’s publications. The text touches on the story of his mother’s (Clemencia’s) tragic death. Clemencia was a full-blooded Siboney (indigenous Cuban) who died a victim of the war. The story of my great-grandmother’s demise, along with an artifact of her death, was exhibited in the National Museum of Cuba.
In my paintings of Cuban content, I attempt to thematically expose the paradigm of the suffering that we Cuban people have endured, juxtaposed against the splendid flora of that beautiful Caribbean island in which I was born. I do not tire in telling our stories of suffering, for there is joy to be found even in suffering. It was through my mother’s suffering in which I came into this world, hallelujah, and it will be in my children’s suffering through which I will depart from this world into heaven, amen. Similarly, it was through my parents’ suffering and great sacrifice in which I left Cuba and came to this country. As my friend Deborah Gregory has said, "Suffering is the touchstone of creativity."
Of course, not all of my ancestrally-driven paintings project suffering. The soul connection I enjoy with each of my departed grandparents and ancestors manifests itself uniquely on canvas. Sometimes, playful paintings are birthed, such as the one with the dragon, wrapped around my Chinese maternal great-grandfather, Chung Fatt. The Dragon is me. I was born in the year of the dragon (1964) and hence enjoy a special relationship with my great-grandfather’s spirit. My extended family has always called me “La China,” on account of the almond-shaped eyes that I inherited from Chung. It was Chung’s spirit which mystically led me, unknowingly, to my new studio on Chung King Road. The diminutive lady in the painting, dangling an ackee fruit in the open clasp of the dragon’s claw, is my Jamaican great-grandmother, Miss Lou. I painted Miss Lou, dancing in the center of another one of my works entitled, "Carnaval en le Trocha de Santiago de Cuba." Miss Lou loved to dance. My family has always declared that I am the spitting image, both body and soul of my vivacious great-grandmother, whom I had the privilege of knowing. Miss Lou and Chung bore my beloved grandmother Princesa, whom I eulogize in the “Mango Mama” painting. I was very close with my Abuela Princesa.
In all of the portraits of my ancestors, I attempt to show the manifestations of their personalities and the stories of their lives as they are reflected in me. In the portrait of my mother’s father Julio (“Padrí Pallerols de Las Paellas”), I gave him a paella for a halo, because he was a very beloved paella cook. Born in Tarragona Spain, my Abuelo Julio moved to Cuba, where he fell in love with my Abuela Princesa. I tried, in Julio’s portrait, to show the seriousness with which he regarded the artistry of his work. The paellas my Abuelo cooked were in themselves brilliantly designed seafood mosaics. Today, when our family reunites in our home in Spain, my mother and sister Georgi commemorate my Abuelo Julio by giving serious attention to the detail in design of the paellas they cook together. As did my Abuelo, they carefully lay red peppers aside green beans, purple shells against yellow rice, much like the way I paint.
Whether it be through paintings of my resilient Caribbean slave ancestors, my beloved multicultural grandparents or of animals and flowers that thrive in the countries from which we hail, I attempt to commemorate the important roles which my forbearers, God and nature play in my being. Not knowing from which African tribes my Caribbean slave ancestors were stolen, I indulge my imagination in painting Africans from all sorts of tribes. In all of my portraits, I try to capture the complex face of human emotion, which crosses all cultural boundaries and all generations.
My experience as a professional actress lends to the dramatic overtones of my paintings. At times, I magnify the mood of my artwork with dramatic performances, such as alongside my painting, “Goethe’s Der Erlkönig.” Whenever German-speaking pedestrians wander into my art studio, I dramatically recite for them, in German, Goethe's famous poem Der Erlkönig, which inspired me to create the painting. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in German and am particularly drawn to the content of the poem, as it relates to a parent suffering over his ill child. My children are my main earthly inspiration and nurture me towards prolific creative expression. As my friend Dion Raymond once said, "Our children are our teachers as well as our mirrors."
My future plans for occupation and profession involve my continuing to breathe life into a burgeoning body of oil paintings, which thoroughly celebrates every aspect of the beauty and resilience of my Cuban, Jamaican, Spanish, Chinese, and British heritage. I also incorporated a nonprofit youth mentoring art organization and am excited by its promise. The name of the nonprofit is ¡HABLA! Harvesting Asian, Black, Latino Artists. The purpose of ¡HABLA! is to provide, through the mentoring of inner-city Los Angeles youth, a platform for the voices of Asian, Black and Latino Artists in the mainstream art world, where artists of color are grossly underrepresented." One of HABLA's goal is to provide a bridge between the fragmented communities of Chinatown's residents of color and the myriad of predominately white-owned art galleries that have been gentrifying the Chinatown marketplace of Los Angeles, California.
My plans for the future involve my enrolling within a Masters of Fine Arts (“MFA") program at a top tier institution. Being an MFA candidate would help expand the platform in the exposure of my artwork into mainstream art gallery and museum representation. It would also enhance the status of ¡HABLA!, as well as place me in an environment where I can best develop my work as a painter and mentor whose subject matter bridges many academic communities. My plans for my academic enrichment involve the continuation of my travels across the globe, interviewing artists of color. The goal of the itinerancy is to publish articles which expose the artwork of artists of color throughout the world and to shed light on the uniqueness and universality of their technique, inspiration and challenges.
My travels and research in India, born from my brother Dan's marriage to his Hindu bride Anu, reinforced to me that God places me in situations in order that I may be a vehicle for his will to spread His love through the exposure of my own paintings as well as the artwork of other underrepresented artists whom I encounter in my world-wide travels. My research in my travels to Cuba, China and Spain in particular, have revealed to me facets of my multicultural ancestry which edify my paintings. I am very grateful that the complexity of my life and my heritage allows me to create art which means so much to so many people of so many different cultures.
Click here to visit (online) my nonprofit: ¡HABLA! Harvesting Asian, Black, Latino Artists at www.hablala.org
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