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Size 105.5cm x 44cm Raul is in love with the stone-built villages of Wales and the way they nestle into the landscape. They sometimes represent centuries of security for those who have lived in them. Having led a bit of a nomadic life himself, Raul is fascinated by the idea of such long attachment to roots and culture.
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Almost monotone, apart from a touch of blue in the sky, this work is oil on canvas and reflects the darkness of winter that Raul experiences in Wales. In Cuba there are no seasons as such and he loves the winter here.
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Size 102cm x 81.5cm It’s night-time and the sounds are distant, leaving the natural movement of the water to sing its own song. The water reaches out to cover the sand, leaving some almost white in the moonlight. As Raul watches this happening, he sits and dreams of how life works in cycles and has its own rhythm that man cannot change.
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Size 71cm x 78cm One of Raul’s preoccupations when travelling is how the different cultures treat their women. This image started life after a trip to Morocco, when he saw how clearly defined the differences between male and female lives were. Although women are around in the streets, they are to some degree still hidden, with only their eyes speaking aloud. It contrasts with both the cultures Raul has lived in, i.e. Cuba and the UK, but he respects that it’s part of their culture and religious beliefs.
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Size 99cm x 75cm In Wales, many of the valleys are deep and quiet, and then suddenly there’s a house or a tree that strikes a chord in Raul’s imagination. It’s similar in Cuba. Raul was born in a deep valley, just like the one at Solva, which is maybe why he is so at home here. It’s a subject he returns to in different forms, again and again.
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102cm x 81.5cm This is part of a series of images and is centred on the fact that in Raul’s home country women provide for the home and the family. And although equality has been part of everyday life since the Cuban Revolution, Raul acknowledges that women still are the centre of the home, often carrying home from the market the food for the family on their heads. So, these paintings aren’t just about the physical fact of carrying, they also represent the degree of responsibility women hold.
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Size 71cm x 102cm Raul is fascinated by old photographs of Welsh women in their national dress, and feels they should be acknowledged as being important to their culture. The clothes, the colours, and the sentiment of the tea ceremony in Welsh homes may be of times gone by, but they are still important to remember.
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A blend of abstract and figurative work, as well as a cultural blend of Cuban energy in the sweeping landscape, which is undoubtedly Wales. It is Raul’s interpretation, where he can feel the throbbing strength of the Welsh cultural heritage as it underlies Solva today.
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Size 102cm x 82cm The two figures rest, dreaming of their future, with a hint they are trapped in their present world, which is underneath the water. Lit by moonlight, there's a sense of sadness within the picture but also the presence of love.
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Size 243cm x 122cm One of a series of works that Raul has been creating since 1997, when he first came to Solva. These images portray how he is engaged with the environment at any specific time. They’re never the same colour or even size, but always carry the energy of the time he is painting.
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Size 60cm x 60cm The Passion is a subject that inspires Raul to explore it time after time. Every image is different, and although the eyelids droop here, in a semblance of peace, the cruelness of the crown of thorns is undeniable. Religion is a fundamental need to Cubans who explore their spirituality in many forms and are as motivated by it as they are by politics.
