Cuando el Mar se Acercó: When the Sea Came Close
Woven Works in Response to Hurricane María
This series of woven artworks reflects on personal memories of the sea during and after hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico—especially Hurricane María and, earlier, Hurricane Georges. These pieces are not literal depictions, but emotional landscapes: memories woven into texture, weight, and movement.
Through natural fibers like jute, banana fiber, wool, and indigo-dyed linen paper, I translate the overwhelming presence of water—its terror, beauty, and force. Each work holds a specific memory: the sea pulled back to reveal its depths, the tide rushing into the streets, the quiet tension of witnessing nature’s power up close. These are meditations on vulnerability, resilience, and awe.
Se Encuentra con el Mar (2023)
Woven Indigo-Dyed Linen Paper, Banana Fiber, Jute on Canvas
29" L x 22" H (framed in oak)
Se Encuentra con el Mar—“It Meets the Sea”—was created in response to Hurricane María and the lasting impact it had on Puerto Rico. This three-dimensional woven work features a tide of warp threads that extends beyond the edge of the canvas, cascading outward like a surge. The materials—indigo-dyed linen paper, banana fiber, and jute—evoke both fragility and resilience, recalling the textures of land and sea.
This piece reflects the overwhelming force of water rising through the streets: fast, relentless, and unstoppable. There is terror in that moment, but also awe—a deep respect for the sea’s power and unpredictability. The suspended warp becomes both a gesture of flow and a record of rupture. It holds the memory of impact and the quiet strength required to endure it.
Corriente (2022)
Woven Jute, Banana Fiber, Wool on Canvas
20" L x 20" H (framed in oak)
SOLD
Corriente (translated as “current”) is a woven reflection on the sea in the wake of Hurricane María, rooted in a childhood memory of Hurricane Georges. After the storm, my parents took us to the beach. The ocean had pulled back farther than I’d ever seen, revealing the seafloor and channels of water streaming in and out. It was quiet and powerful. The swell of it—the pull and push—filled me with wonder and fear all at once.
This piece is about that tension. The ocean’s strength, its constant motion, and the unsettling beauty of what’s usually hidden beneath the surface. Through coarse jute, flowing banana fiber, and soft wool, I tried to translate the complexity of that moment: the feeling of standing still while everything around you moves.
