Art in the City of Dreams

Reynaldo Castro's living artwork interacting with paintings by Antonio Oliveira at ArtNight. Photo by Maria Moreno.

A few weeks ago, my good friend Maria Moreno, who happens to be a great photographer , asked me if I would like to have my art included in an event called ArtNight. As it turns out, ArtNight is an annual event that's been put on by the Marriott hotel brand SpringHill Suites at their various locations throughout the US and Canada since 2010. The purpose of ArtNight is to give exposure to local artists and engage hotel guests, giving them a glimpse into the city's art scene - while "demonstrating the brand's dedication to design and style" (their words, not mine). This ArtNight, entitled, "Art in the City of Dreams," would take place on Tuesday, October 13th at their Midtown Manhattan location. The invited artists, besides Maria and myself were  Antonio Oliveira, Lorenzo Sanjuan and Reynaldo Castro (as well as musical performers Joselyn Salomon, and Elizabeth Soychak & the Pleasure). As for my part, I figured (based on the theme, Art in the City of Dreams) that I could show paintings that had a dreamlike quality, of which I have a few - I picked three older pieces, along with a new one that I had already begun making for my Puerto Rico series. 

It was a gorgeous fall evening for our ArtNight. Being an event organizer myself, it felt strange and wonderful to just show up and not have to do any work (thank you Gina!). To my surprise when I walked in, the band was playing live harp and violin (classy!). The artwork was displayed really well, transforming the hotel lobby into an interesting art space. The paintings by Antonio Oliveira, Lorenzo Sanjuan and Reynaldo Castro looked great alongside Maria's narrative photo story, and my paintings too. The surprise of the evening was when Reynaldo came out to complete his painting on a naked lady! Once his work was done, she (a living piece of art) moved around the room interacting with the people and the artwork for the remainder of the night. Being that the room was full of friends and friends-of-friends, and fueled by wine, we all had a great time. The band played on, eventually adding singers and an acoustic guitar, while we mixed, mingled and laughed. I hope that the hotel guests enjoyed it as much as we did!

Group shot of the artists and musicians at ArtNight. Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

Photo by Maria Moreno.

My paintings: (top left) Sonando en Flamboyan Puertorriqueno, (bottom left) Sueno, (top right) Portrait of Frida Kahlo (bottom right) Flamenco. Photo by Maria Moreno.