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Joe Rodriguez, one of South Florida’s leading graphic designers, has officially launched el Cafecito Culture (elCafecitoculture.com) featuring digital paintings of Cuban/Latin culture in Miami as well as images from his native island.
“I wanted to capture the flavors of my culture through art,” said Rodriguez, who was born in Camagüey, Cuba, and emigrated to the United States in June 1961. “For me, each image is alive, allowing it to ‘speak’ to people about Cuban culture here and in Cuba.”
Rodriguez, an award-winning art director for Ziff Davis Publishing before opening his own creative studio, Big City Graphics, recently launched el Cafecito Culture with a highly successful one-man show at Art South featuring more than 40 of his works. Art lovers from throughout Miami-Dade County attended the show.
“It was very gratifying to see so many people from the Miami community attend the opening,” said Rodriguez, who graduated from the University of Florida and has served for over a decade as an adjunct professor for Miami Dade College’s School of Design. “All the feedback we received was very, very positive.”
Rodriguez, who lives in Pinecrest, uses the latest, state-of-the-art digital painting tools to create his works. He starts with an existing photograph and uses his computer and “digital paint brushes” to enhance the original by adding his own unique techniques. Each piece becomes a one-of-a-kind digital creation.
His two most popular prints — by far — are Cuban First Aid Kit and Maria, is the coffee ready? The “first aid kit” features a whimsical box (complete with the International Red Cross symbol) containing two croquetas and a pastelito while Maria features the iconic cafecito-maker found in every Latin home.
“Anyone of Cuban heritage — whether they were born in Cuba or here in the United States — can relate to my artwork but Cuban First Aid Kit and Maria seem to have hit a special spot,” said Rodriguez, father to two well-known South Floridians — Olympic speed skater Jennifer Rodriguez and Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Eric Rodriguez.
“When you’re in the creation stage, you have an idea that the end-product will be popular, but nothing like the popularity of these two pieces,” he said.
All of Rodriguez’s signed 13- by 19-inch prints capture the everyday images found in the Hispanic culture of Miami as well as memory-evoking images of life in Cuba — most featured on the el Cafecito Culture website — cost $55, shipping and handling included. Rodriguez also has a full-color catalog of his works.
For more information, or to purchase one of Rodriguez’ digital paintings, visit elCafecitoCulture.com or send email to Rodriguez at BigCityGrafix@bellsouth.net.
