Cuban Portraits
(1997-1999)

This series was influenced by the work of a Mexican portrait painter by the name Hermenegildo Bustos (1832 – 1907). Bustos his long series of portraits unknowingly created a visual document of an ethnic group during a specific period in their history.

I created my series of portraits to document Cubans in Cuba and in the United States during this period in history. There are subtle distinctions between the portraits from Cuba and the portraits from the U.S. (Miami). The portraits try to capture elements of the individual’s character, their economic class and their ethnicity. I also found it fulfilling to connect my work to those investigations started by other artists many generations ago.

Series contains 22 paintings.