"I found out that Estrabao is very old and his family doesn't take very good care of him," reported our facilitator/translater, Carlos, in Havana, "but he still paints and we have an appointment with him Saturday."

The experience of Cuba is like Forest Gump's box of chocolates, full of surprises.  We expected a sad and broken old man.  But, 77-year-old Heriberto opened the door and greeted us with the energy of a very young man and a smile as grand as a Caribbean sky.

Large bold, in-your-face abstracts on canvas cover the walls, and trace the evolution of his talent over a lifetime.  Walking us proudly around, "In my work, you can see what interests me most," Heriberto offered.  "I love women, music and horses."  He laughed.  "Especially women" and his blue eyes shown with indomitable spirit.

We selected two of his canvases that depict...women, music and horses.  And while Carlos and Heriberto joked and talked, I moved around a work table strewn with a mountain of books and papers, and found a treasure I had to have.

A 30"X40" abstract of greens and blues, arms and legs, cows and wings and other things that subliminally emerged erotic.  An image I would "find things in" for years to come.  Painted in acrylics on heavy paper that the Cubans call "cartulina", it smelled old and mildewy like the residue of a long-gone hurricane. Eleven tiny powder post beetle holes showed as little dots of daylight through the paper.  How many years had this delightful work lain buried in the dust of 35 or 40 others, each unique and compelling?

This then, is the challenge of the Cuban artist that is sometimes visible in an otherwise fascinating work...a water droplet from a leaky roof, the odd bug hole, a painting that has been painted over with a second image for the sake of conserving canvas.

To the purist, these visible representations of a physically harsh work environment can enhance the uniqueness of the efforts.

Whether classically trained, like Heriberto, or self-taught, Cuba's artists demonstrate the resiliency of living in their deteriorating homeland.

 - Notes from Cuba! Gallery of Fine Art -
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Estrabao studied art at the Jose Joaquin Tejeda School of Santiago de Cuba, and at the prestigious San Alejandro Academy.  A full bio is available.