Illustrated Lexicon @alexiswardillustratedlexicon - Tumblr Blog

Posts

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! I present to you ¡Bomba es la raíz del mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world! Here’s my artist statement to begin and set the tone:

¡Bomba es la raíz del mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world! is a two part ink and watercolor series celebrating the enduring presence of West African heritage within Puerto Rican culture. Each work, measuring 43.5 x 34 inches on Arches Hot Press Paper, is created with black India ink applied using traditional Japanese bamboo brushes and layered with watercolor using synthetic brushes. Together, both pieces illustrate how African aesthetics, rhythms, and traditions past live vibrantly in Puerto Rico’s present.

Rather than depicting Bomba literally, the series traces its ancestral threads. In both compositions, a Bomba dancer anchors the image, surrounded by pasteles, conga drums, and the handwritten lyrics of Ismael Rivera’s “Las Caras Lindas.” These elements highlight the persistence of African influence across time: Bomba is African, pasteles are African, the conga drum is African, and Rivera’s lyrics affirm Black beauty and resilience.

The first artwork features mostly wrapped pasteles, enclosing and protecting the Puerto Rican cultural roots. In the second, the pasteles appear fully unwrapped, echoing the rising momentum of the song as it nears the chorus. They serve as a visual metaphor for African pride and heritage revealing itself louder and more boldly.

My approach is informed by Kehinde Wiley’s celebration of Black visibility, Paul Anthony Smith’s explorations of diaspora and pattern, and Wes Wilson’s dynamic integration of text and form. By merging these influences, I endeavor to honor West African ancestors whose beauty, creativity, and resistance continue to shape Puerto Rican identity, my identity. We are here, and we will be heard.

#puerto rico #latino artists #boricua #watercolor #Spotify

Hello everyone! Just wanted to share one last artist named Wes Wilson. He had a great influence on how I approached text in ¡Bomba es la raíz del mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world! Who was Wes Wilson?

Wes Wilson was one of the leading graphic artists of the 1960s psychedelic poster movement. Known for his vibrant color palettes, flowing shapes, and distorted lettering, he transformed text into a visual experience. It’s something the viewer has to feel as much as read. His posters often blur the line between image and typography, creating compositions full of movement, rhythm, and energy.

What inspires me most about Wilson is the way he treats text as art. In my series ¡Bomba es la raíz del mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world!, I utilize this idea by weaving the lyrics of Las Caras Lindas into the composition, allowing the words to curve, surround, and echo the movement of the Bomba dancer and music. Like Wilson, I’m interested in how text can become a rhythm not just a message. Here’s some samples of his work:

1. Big Brother & The Holding Company, 1967

2. The Association at the Fillmore, 1966

#psychedelyc art #60s art #typography

Hey y’all, just wanted to share another artist, Paul Anthony Smith, that influenced how I addressed cultural past, present, and future. Prior to this class, I never heard about him. But Professor brought him to my attention and made noteworthy parallels between our works. With further research, this is what I discovered and learned:

Paul Anthony Smith is a contemporary Jamaican-American artist whose work explores memory, diaspora, and Black identity through photography, painting, and his signature “picotage” technique. “Picotage”involves Smith picking into the surface of a photograph to create intricate dotted patterns. These patterns create a vibrant energy, connecting the subject matter to their cultural roots while also creating an armor for and adorning them.

What inspires me most about Smith is how he uses repetition and pattern to show the past is always present. His textures feel like echoes of ancestry. It’s alive and rhythmic yet protective and treated as sacred. In my series ¡Bomba es la raíz del mundo! / Bomba is the Root of the World!, I draw from this same spirit by looping pasteles around the dancer, Las Caras Lindas across both works in the series, and overall creating patterns that link African heritage to modern Puerto Rican culture.

Paul Anthony Smith and his work reminds me that identity is layered, sacred, and shaped by the people who came before us. That’s an energy I also hope lives in my pieces too.

Here’s some examples of his work:

1. Untitled (Picotage Portraits) (2017–2021)

2. Breeze Block Series (2017-Present)

#black art #carribean #mixed media #painting

Hey y’all, I also wanna spotlight Kehinde Wiley, a Black American artist who inspired my special project ¡Bomba es la raiz del Mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world!

Known for his large scale portraits of Black men and women posed in the style of classical European paintings, Kehinde Wiley’s work challenges art history. He places Black subjects, often overlooked or excluded, at the center of power, beauty, and visibility.

What inspires me most about Wiley is how he celebrates culture through bold color, ornate patterning, and regal composition. In my series ¡Bomba es la raiz del Mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world!, I draw from this same spirit of honoring the African diaspora. Like Wiley, I use scale, pattern, and expressive mark making to uplift Afro Latino identity, highlighting how African roots shape Puerto Rican culture today.

His portraits remind me that both our ancestors and current faces we see walking the streets are worthy of being seen, remembered, and celebrated.

Here’s are some notable examples:

1. Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps, 2005

2. President Barack Obama, 2018

#art inspo #artinspiration

The last but one of the most important elements of my series is “Las Caras Lindas” (“The Beautiful Faces”). It’s a 1970 song performed by Puerto Rican salsero or salsa singer Ismael Rivera and written by Afro Puerto Rican composer Tite Curet Alonso. The song is a loving tribute to Black Puerto Ricans and the African heritage that shapes Puerto Rican identity.

In the lyrics, Rivera celebrates the “beautiful Black faces of my people,” affirming their joy, resilience, and the beauty that shines even through struggle. At a time when Afro-Latino identity was often minimized or erased, this song fearlessly uplifted Blackness with pride and tenderness.

Culturally, “Las Caras Lindas” is a cornerstone of Afro Puerto Rican music and a declaration of visibility. It honors the African roots woven into Puerto Rican music, language, food, dance, and spirit. For many like myself, the song is more than a classic. It’s an anthem of self-love, ancestral recognition, and collective dignity across the African diaspora.

Here’s a video I found that provides not only a translation of the lyrics I used but embodies the soul behind the song:

#puertorriqueños #puerto rican #boricua #Youtube

Continuing from my last post, I’d like to focus on Puerto Rican food, specifically pasteles. In both pieces in my series ¡Bomba es la raiz del mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world!

Here’s a brief rundown or summary of what pasteles are:

Pasteles are a traditional Puerto Rican dish made from a masa of grated green bananas, yautía, and plantains, filled with seasoned meat, wrapped in banana leaves, and boiled. Rooted in West African and Indigenous Taíno food traditions, pasteles reflect Puerto Rico’s blended cultural ancestry.

More than a recipe, they hold deep cultural significance: families gather to make them in large batches during holidays, preserving memory, community, and heritage through the shared labor of wrapping and cooking. Pasteles are a symbol of identity, celebration, and the African roots that continue to shape Puerto Rican cuisine and culture.

I also want to share this recipe video in case y’all wanna see the detailed preparation or want to treat yourself in the future lol:

#puertorriqueños #puerto rico #boricua #Youtube

Hey ya’ll, as we’re winding down to the final weeks of the semester, I wanted to share some cultural history and background that inspired my series ¡Bomba es la rain del Mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world!

First, I’d like to share the origins of Bomba and the lasting impact they have on Puerto Rican culture, society, and norms. Who are we and where do we really come from? ¿Tu sabes o no?

This video goes into greater depth:

#puerto rican #puertorriqueños #boricua #Youtube

Hi everyone, just wanted to update everyone on my Special Project: ¡Bomba es la raíz del mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world! Im very pleased with the eventual outcome of the piece, from the bold line work remaining in tact to the layers of diverse, rich colors I was sable to achieve.

What especially helped me in understanding and applying color was the exercise Professor did a few classes ago. We layered sheets of cellophane to achieve color and shade variations and this inspired how I’d approach layering my watercolors to achieve the reds, blues, and greens you see. The second part of my project is in the works so stay tuned.

#artwork #watercolors #ink painting #illustration

Hi everyone just wanted to take the opportunity to share my Special Project: ¡Bomba es la raíz del mundo! / Bomba is the root of the world! Bomba is one of the oldest traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. Originating among enslaved Africans on the island, it combines drumming, singing, and dance as a form of expression, resistance, and community celebration. The dancer and the drummer share a conversation, the drummer following the dancer’s movements,. This creates a powerful exchange of emotion and rhythm.

This project explores the African elements present within Puerto Rican culture and by extension Latin and Caribbean culture. All too often, this third of Puerto Rican ancestry and culture gets overlooked over the other two-thirds, Taino (Indigenous Peoples of Puerto Rico) or Europe (Predominantly Spain) sides However I’m here to celebrate and educate all about the richness of the food, music, dancing, and other everyday symbols of African culture within and across the diaspora.

So far, I have one of two artworks underway, having completed the sketch and line work over the past few weeks. Within the piece, there’s a bomba dancer, pasteles, a drum, and lyrics to Las Caras Lindas by Ismael Miranda.

I’ve attached photos of my progress and also the elements composing my composition. My materials are India ink and watercolors.

#puerto rican #watercolor #work in progress #Spotify

Hey y’all, I know I definitely have some catching up to do. First I’ll start with the color exercise we did as a class two weeks ago, a still life with a limited color palette. My colors were within the yellow range:

Honestly, it was quite the challenge. I’m very familiar with the color wheel. But I noticed I wasn’t as comfortable making cool colored yellows as I was with warmer yellows. Plus making the folds of the fabric using values instead of lines was difficult. And don’t get me started on not making any sort of outline beforehand or going back in with line work afterwards.

Despite these challenges, I’m glad I was able to not lean on black and take advantage of the possibilities of the color wheel. It’s not perfect but I’m satisfied with how I started and where I ended up. This exercise will also be a great reminder and help as I continue to develop and navigate my special project.

#still life #yellow paint #artwork

Hey y’all here’s one of my last examples I’d like to share with y’all. An oldie but goodie:

Paper Bag Party

2019

Sharpie Marker and Oil Pastel

38x 47 in

#sharpie #illustration #artwork #oil pastel #art

Hey y’all I couldn’t choose just one Celia Cruz portrait I’ve done over the years so here’s all three from the most recent in 2020 to the other two being 2019. ¡Azúcar!

#celia cruz #azucar #ink drawing #ink painting #illustration #artwork