Artist Statement
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, I grew up surrounded by the arts.
My father is a successful painter who immigrated to the USA from Cuba to pursue his work, so a huge part of growing up for me was spent in his studio after school while my mother worked downtown as a lawyer. It was there I first learned about creation as an artist.
At his gallery openings, I was always the only child, sitting on the only bench, with the only cup filled with water instead of a smooth cabernet, and I would watch the adults look at my father’s work and talk to each other about what they saw in it.
This was most peculiar to me because I was around these paintings all day every day and had my own ideas on what they were; even though my father didn’t tell me himself, I was a very self-assured child.
Consequentially, I started to understand how art could spark conversation and bring people together.
And I loved it.
I’ve discovered something that makes me special as an artist is my athletic approach to life. I grew up playing highly competitive softball from the moment I was 5 years old, so I now carry the lessons I learned on the field to the stage. My balance of drive and rest, my ability to shake off a bad play, and my sportsmanlike teamwork all come from softball, my dad often being the biggest coach of these lessons, sometimes whether I liked it or not.
(Sometimes the best lessons are learned while being yelled in Spanish in the car driving home from a game)
You knew I really loved performing when my first show ever was The Pirates of Penzance and I still fell head over heels for every part of the experience. Ever since then, I’ve learned to take the artistry and community from my experiences in life and apply them to my work as a performer, educator, and creative.