Susan Keating

There are many stories that can be told about a country that has been around for 500 years: Stories about love, faith and passion. I chose to tell a story of color and vibrancy, about age versus agelessness, about pattern and repetition. I selected my subjects from a painterly desire to capture what I felt there, to take and hold pieces of the best parts, to bring them with me and to tell a story of celebration.

In November of last year, I joined a group from Ringling College for a trip to Cuba. I had wanted to visit Cuba ever since I was a kid growing up in Florida. When I was a teenager, I worked in a nursing home. The Sugar Barons’ wives I took care of there told me about what life was like in Cuba and I always imagined the colors and textures of their world.

When I arrived in Havana, I got the chance to walk around unaccompanied, to absorb the textures and patterns and to find the images that interested me. I used a Nikon D90 and experimented with the images in Photoshop, enhancing the color, loving the light, reinvigorating what was crumbling with new vibrancy. When you view these images, remember: juxtaposed color, pattern, repetition and just plain form. I hope you can see that here.

Thirty four of the thirty five photos here are printed on one hundred percent acid free museum rag and archival inks. The inks lay on the surface with a velvety softness that lends depth to the images. The blacks are crisp and emphatic because all light needs a good darkness.

I love color.

Enjoy the show!