Letter of the Year 2024 from Cuba

3 / 6 / 9 an Exhibition of Pour Paintings curated by L.A. Pagan. Opening Reception: Thu, Feb. 1, 6:30 - 9:30 PM

Join us for a fun and creative workshop where you'll learn the mesmerizing art of creating abstract pour paintings. This hands-on event is perfect for adults who want to explore their artistic side and experiment with colors and textures. During the workshop, master pour painter L.A. Pagan will guide you through the process of creating beautiful abstract pour paintings. You'll learn various pouring techniques and how to manipulate the paint to achieve stunning results.  The workshop will take place at 240 East 153rd Street, The Bronx, NY, USA. So, come on down and unleash your inner artist in a relaxed and friendly environment. No prior painting experience is necessary! All materials will be provided, so just bring your creativity and enthusiasm. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn a new art form and create your own unique masterpiece. Spaces are limited, so make sure to reserve your spot today. We can't wait to see you there!

You'll read in my bio that my interest in art began in the 1980s graffiti movement. I was too young to hit the streets at night. Hell, it didn't even occur to me (at that age) that the graffiti writers went out at night to "bomb" the trains. My mom wouldn't have let me go anyways and we lived in a railroad apartment in the South Bronx, so sneaking out was almost impossible. I wouldn't have even known where to go! "Ma! Take me to Woolworth please! Can you buy me markers and black book so I can draw in it?" For safety reasons, mom brought us (sister) sets of 16 or 24 (don't remember) water based markers. With these a bunch of us in school were graffiti writing in our black books (sketch pad for the graffiti writer) loose paper, brown paper bags, whatever we can get our hands on. You see, after the movie Beat Street , we were all inspired to create pieces (slang for graffiti art) almost every night. We would bring our pieces to school the next day and show each other. It was like a little competition (healthy though). I want to say we all respected each other's work. I guess we all didn't want to end up like Spit...watch the movie if you don't know this reference. This experience was in St. Luke's grammar school on 138th Street off of Cypress Ave. Sadly, it doesn't exist anymore. Now it's a charter school...I think. Over the years, this art form faded away as I learned others in art school... but I never forgot about it. A few years back an idea came to me to incorporate graffiti with my abstract paintings. I tried to write again, but it felt like the 10 year old in me is still there and now being a seasoned artist, I knew my graffiti writing wouldn't stand well next to the pro-writers of today. And let me tell you, those pro-writers I'm referring to are some of the same ones that went to the train yards during the 80s. They've been writing for decades and their art form is amazing. So I decided to "stay in my lane" and thought "maybe I can collaborate with a 'graph' artist instead (place lightbulb here). I've met a few over the years, asked a couple and nothing panned out...until I asked Olga Correa during a gallery reception (we were in this show together in Dec. 2022: Voy A Reír, Voy A Gozar, Vivir Mi Vida, La La La La at Comunilife El Borinquen Residence. Thanks Blanka ! Your magic works even when you're not directly involved :) On Saturday, May 20, Olga spent about 4-6 hours drawing her character on my painting. Now it's our work! We're challenging ourselves to create 6 paintings to show the depth and variety that makes us who we are. We're looking to forward to finishing this body of work and will showcase wherever people may have us (I actually have some ideas where to show this work...let's see what happens). In the meantime, enjoy Stay Golden. Tell us what you think in the comments below. Check out Olga's Instagram .

I didn't consider this question until it was time to explore it at 16. My parents placed us (sister) in Catholic School since 1st grade...St. Luke's. Why? Our mom thought it'd be a safer place to learn growing up in the South Bronx during the 80s. We lived on 141st Street and Cypress Ave where crack was sold right on our stoop of the five story walk-up. I remember that 3 bedroom railroad apartment like it was yesterday. So many good memories and a few scary ones too. Naturally we completed all our Sacrements. Only Matrimony remained. But it was too soon for that being in high school and all. But, what I faced next was something I didn't expect. I've done all the rituals, attended many masses, and considered becoming an altar boy and even a priest! Well, I knew the priest thing wasn't going to happen because I liked girls too much. :) But then I started to wonder, is there more to religion? Is there more I can do to exercise my spirituality without becoming a priest? I felt it in my gut there was more. That I could do more to express myself spiritually. So I started to explore. I started to ask people, my elders and others. I really don't remember what they advised me. I do remember exploring the new age section at Barnes 'n Nobles. I was blown away with all the knowledge available and the different spiritual practices to explore. I became interested in doing magic. Not Las Vegas magic silly! I'm referring to spells and rituals to help ensure success in my daily endeavors, protection spells, love spells, and more! I was so intrigued, I wanted to learn it all. But, I knew that would overwhelm me, so I decided to seek out a spiritual practice that is connected to my Puerto Rican heritage. At some point I remembered a place called the Botanica. I don't recall anyone taking me there as a boy, but I knew that was the next stop in my journey. I went to the one on Webster Ave. You know the one close to Sears on Fordham Road. Original Products it's called. It's still there! Right before walking through the front doors, I remember feeling all this anxiety and filled with all these questions like: Is this it? Will I find what I'm looking for? Are the answers to my spiritual questions behind these doors? Original Products is a supermarket for the super natural <--- see what I did there :) Aisles of candles, herbs, books, elixirs, statues, pictures, and more. Items for rituals and altars, beads and other items to carry on your body. They even have a spiritual reader you can see. You can buy stuff for your health, for protection, for love, to repel someone else, for guidance, for prayer...to name a few. Well, I couldn't leave without purchasing something that will lead me to the place where I was seeking. I needed to learn more. So I had to buy a book. But which one? There were so many! Finally, I picked a book about Santeria. That was 33 years ago. And with that purchase began my new spiritual journey. The cover you see above inspired this painting that I started in 2013, and completed in 2017.

Pour painting is a process where three-six colors of liquid acrylic paint are poured onto a canvas, wood or any flat surface. Painters use tools like cups, strainers, and filters to work with the paints. Many different chemical reactions can occur on the surface as a result of the color’s density, medium, and painter technique. As it dries, the paint continues to change over a 24-48 hour period, which can present welcomed surprises or disasters. Usually, the end result is an abstract pour painting with amorphous lines, organic shapes, and color blending.