| Our Lady of Charity with Dolphins 36" diameter oil on wood 2005 Private collection |
| Toroazul Painting and Fine Arts |
The Virgin Mary, according to
legend, appeared to three
fishermen lost in a stormy sea in
the Bay of Nipe, near Santiago
de Cuba, in the late 1600s. A
small image with the words "I
am the Virgin of Charity"
appeared floating on the water
and led the three men to safety
from the storm. Many Cubans
still pray to La Caridad, or
Ochun (Oh-shoon) as she is also
called in the Afro-Cuban or
Yoruba religion. In the past 40
years, devotion to La Caridad
has gained special significance,
with so many Cubans risking
their lives at sea in search of
freedom.
legend, appeared to three
fishermen lost in a stormy sea in
the Bay of Nipe, near Santiago
de Cuba, in the late 1600s. A
small image with the words "I
am the Virgin of Charity"
appeared floating on the water
and led the three men to safety
from the storm. Many Cubans
still pray to La Caridad, or
Ochun (Oh-shoon) as she is also
called in the Afro-Cuban or
Yoruba religion. In the past 40
years, devotion to La Caridad
has gained special significance,
with so many Cubans risking
their lives at sea in search of
freedom.
| Our Lady of Charity of the Mountains 40" diameter oil on canvas 2007 Private collection |
Our Lady of Charity with
Mermaids
25 " x 19"
pastel
1996
Private collection
Mermaids
25 " x 19"
pastel
1996
Private collection
My images of the Virgin of Charity, or La Caridad, take many
shapes and colors. They are devotional icons, inspired by
different events going on in the world around me or
surrounding the person who commissions one of these pieces.
For example, the image of the Lady in a round medallion,
surrounded by a border of "mermen" has a very stormy
atmosphere, heightened by the dark blue mantle of night,
because the clients who commissioned the painting told me they
were going through a sort of "storm in their life and they
wanted the icon to guard their home from harm.
I paint these icons according to personal specifications and
wishes, although also according to my own personal style and
artistic insights.
shapes and colors. They are devotional icons, inspired by
different events going on in the world around me or
surrounding the person who commissions one of these pieces.
For example, the image of the Lady in a round medallion,
surrounded by a border of "mermen" has a very stormy
atmosphere, heightened by the dark blue mantle of night,
because the clients who commissioned the painting told me they
were going through a sort of "storm in their life and they
wanted the icon to guard their home from harm.
I paint these icons according to personal specifications and
wishes, although also according to my own personal style and
artistic insights.
| Our Lady of Charity 30" diameter egg tempera on wood 2003 Private Commission |
| La Caridad del Cobre 24 " diameter oil on canvas 1999 Private collection |
| Caridad de los sirenos roja 40" diameter oil on canvas 1996 Private collection |
| Our Lady of Charity with Shells and Fishes 40" diameter oil on canvas 1995 Private collection |
| Our Lady of Charity 32" x 29" oil on canvas 1980 Collection of the artist |
| Our Lady of Charity with Shipwreck and Dolphin 10 " diameter oil on canvas 2009 Commission |
| En una noche oscura...LA CARIDAD 5 " X 6" pencil on paper 2009 Private collection |
| La tormenta de ORO watercolor 8 " x 6 " 2010 Private collection |