La VentanitaOil on canvas 30”x30”
When my studio announced the theme of the Art-Expo this year, I spent two weeks thinking, going over several ideas that interested me, mainly the ones on nature: birds, Biscayne Bay, Crandon Beach, the sunrise, the sunsets, and even the bike riders along the Rickenbacker Causeway. This county is full of beauty and the search for a theme that tells all about it was overwhelming.
What could represent Miami-Dade for me? A question came to my mind… When do you know you are not in Miami-Dade County, especially if you are north of the county? It is at the end of a meal at a restaurant and you ask for a “cortadito” and they look at you, stunned, and say, “corta-what”??
Cortaditos are served everywhere in the county. However, the most genuine ones are sold at the ventanitas found all over, but mainly around Little Havana neighborhood, west of downtown Miami. You can find these windows one after another and it’s amazing that although they look so much alike, they each have their own flair, their own identity. Some things are the same: the window is always open, the water cooler, free for anyone, the espresso machine behind the counter, the white Styrofoam cups and the tops, tapitas, the Spanish-English mixed signage. It holds a very informal setting, at the same time inviting you for a quick chat either with the coffee maker or with another customer.
So the idea behind the Ventanita is not so much what it looks but what it represents. It’s a Cuban invention in Miami. Probably – this is my reasoning – they did it to congregate, to talk about their homeland, to welcome the newly-arrived. So, with the same spirit, I also welcome you to this blog and I hope you enjoy a little journey into my world.
Miami, November 8th, 2008
