An Artist on the Roof and a Unique Estate

7 August 2015

Our last full day in Cuba; a rather mellow one that left some time to enjoy the resort.

The lobby of the resort is open to the air, and very humid. The rooms run off the center like spokes on a wheel and only then are you in air conditioning.

We spent the morning visiting Mariella, a fabric artist and designer. As an artist, she has a special permit from the government to be self-employed, and she also pays high taxes. (Most people don't pay any taxes in Cuba because most people are state employed.)

Her work was very vivid and creative. She used found object and objects from nature, and then some stitching to paint on fabric. Sometime the work was just for the color blend, like below.

But on the day we were there, she had been doing a series of portraits of Frida Kahlo.

Look carefully. Kahlo's face is facing Mariella. The eyes are below the petal-like wreath at the top and the beads are around Kahlo's neck at the bottom.

Mariella's husband is a woodworker who makes humidors.

Our last tour stop was to visit the home and farm, Finca Coincidencia, of Hector, a very big fan of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He has a large estate where he lives with his sons who are grown and raising families of their own and helping to run the farm. They also made pottery. He made the farm in order to transmit the message that people should not be separated from nature.

Organic farming in Cuba has garnered much attention, and Hector's production is organic. However, he has a very moderate opinion of organic farming and society. He believes that people have to eat and that organic farming is not necessarily going to work to feed all the people that need to be fed. "You can't go against the times...none of the inventions of mankind will stop." It's worth listening to his perspective because Cuba is a country where people may more or less have enough to eat, most of the time, but as a whole, people spend a lot of time wondering if they will have enough. Organic, then, can easily seem like a luxury of the wealthy.

And so, the wealthy sat to eat at Hector's table. It was one of the best meals we had because the food was very fresh. The okra and pumpkin dishes were especially good.

And then back to the hotel. A last afternoon in the ocean, a farewell dinner and a long evening spent talking afterwards, with just about everyone in our group.