Some pieces come from memory. Some from heritage. Some from imagination. This one came from all three.

Midnight Cuban Diaries was created as a quiet tribute to my father, who was born in Cuba. My grandfather was a successful tobacco farmer in Pinar del Río. When I began shaping this still-life composition in my darkened studio, I imagined him in Havana long before I was born — strolling along the Malecón, the Caribbean breeze warm and salted, his Revere 8mm movie camera in hand, capturing fragments of everyday Cuban life that no one else thought to preserve.

In my mind, it is near midnight. The city finally falls silent, and the music that once echoed through balconies and doorways fades into memory. My father settles into his room, searching for a place to write. With no table available, a large wooden chest becomes his makeshift desk. Opening his diary, he begins recording the day’s events and reflecting on the images he filmed earlier… savoring a Cuban cigar as smoke curls slowly into the darkness.

The cigar featured in this still life is authentic. I purchased it in Little Havana in Miami — and the moment I saw it, I knew it would become the anchor for this composition. It wasn’t simply a prop. It was a symbol. A bridge. A thread to the past and to the country that shaped my father’s early years, and through him, shaped part of me.

As with all of my still-life light paintings, the scene began in complete darkness. One careful stroke of light at a time, I sculpted each object — controlling reflections, shadow falloff, glow, mood, and subtle texture until the final blended image revealed itself. This method gives each element emotional weight and quiet purpose, adding meaning far beyond the literal physical object.

Midnight Cuban Diaries is more than a nostalgic memory. It is a moment that could have happened. A night that very likely did happen. A visual poem about heritage, legacy, and the fragments of history we preserve through the simple act of recording life.

If this piece resonates with you, it is available as a limited edition fine art print through the Pittsboro Gallery of Arts or directly on my website.