In 1998, I returned to Cuba for the first time in 36 years. I experienced
the real difference between “nostalgia” and “reality”. Apart from the Balsas
Series, my work for the last 15 years had dealt with a romantic vision of
the past and the present. The work fulfilled my need to reconnect with my
culture while still trying to relate it the present. It had brought a great
deal of fulfillment and it provided a sense of spirituality to my everyday
life.

After that trip to Cuba, I saw everything around me quite differently. I
still found value in the work I had done but it is was from a completely new
perspective. Apart from the trip, I was also ending two major series of
works, putting together a complicated installation, preparing to present
three solo shows simultaneously and was moving into a new house and studio.
I knew that I was at a pivotal point in my artistic career. After all the
chaos subsided, I realized that this was a perfect time to carefully examine
the work and the future.

I decided it was time to move into another direction. At first, I wasn’t
sure what that next series would be but I knew that it could not be about
Cuba any longer. I had to gather my thoughts about the past work and see if
there was anything new I could bring to it. I also realized that most things
in life were cyclonic and that I might return to examine issues related Cuba
again but it would be from a new vantage point.

At that moment, I knew that I would have to go in a completely different
direction to completely clear my head and to see what else was available for
me.

A short time later, I answer was clear and I was very excited to begin the
series. The new work would combine my interest in biology, the lost artistic
notion of regionalism and fish. I still planned to introduce issues relating
to the art history and contemporary society. It all seemed very clear. As
most of our social and economic reliance had moved to an urban setting, the
connection between nature and culture in contemporary society seemed to have
been lost over the last few generations. This series would try to mend the
lost connection by presenting paintings of fish and landscapes that were
characteristic to a specific region. While the regions are specific, the
issues raised are universal.