Orlando Almanza

Bouquet con candelita (type of bird)

(2024) Oil on canvas 20” x 20”

River Riders #1

(2023) oil on panel 12” x 12” SOLD

River Riders #5

(2023) oil on panel 12” x 12” SOLD

Fire Horse with Blue Agave

(2024) oil/panel 12” x 12”

Fire Horse in the Blue Path

(2024) oil/panel 12” x 12”

Fire Horse and la Botija Enterrada

(2024) oil/panel 12” x 12”

River Riders #2

(2023) oil on panel 12” x 12” SOLD

River Riders #3

(2023) oil on panel 12” x 12” SOLD

River Riders #4

(2023) oil on panel 12” x 12” SOLD

The cowboy and the Monarch butterfly

(2023) oil on panel 12” x 12” SOLD

The magic seashell of Countess Gómez

(2023) oil on panel 12” x 12”

Fire Horses (Diptych)

Two panel of 12” x 12” framed, Oil on Canvas, Portland, Oregon SOLD

Story: Mono and Garabato were two horses that were stolen from my grandfather. The horses played an important role in his life and that of his family, both financially, as the horses helped to provide for the household, and emotionally, as his grandchildren played and learned the country life riding on them. My grandfather told me that Mono was stolen at 12 noon and Garabato was stolen around 12 midnight. After his second horse was stolen, my grandfather decided he would never own another horse for the rest of his life, as he was heartbroken at the loss.

The forbidden romance between Maroya ( the moon) and Naguao ( the shapeshifter) near the Canasí River

In the Cuban countryside, they tell stories of Maroya (the moon) and Naguao (the shapeshifter) who fell in love from the first moment they saw each other. Their courtship was destined to fail as they belong to rival tribes.

One day, Naguao decided to use his powers to shapeshift into a wild deer to sneak away and meet his love, Maroya, near the river Canasí. But Maroya’s father, Guananey, who found out about their plans, sent his wild dogs to try and separate them by force. They escaped together under the moonlight and their story became legend.

(2023) Portland, Oregon Oil on wooden panel 12” x 12” SOLD

Countess Gomez at the boathouse

(2022-2023) Oil on wooden panel, Plein Air and Studio Session, 12” x 12”, Cascade Head, Oregon and Portland, Oregon SOLD

Bio

Orlando Almanza (b.1989, Las Tunas, Cuba) pulls us into his uneasy dreamworld of memory, myth and loss with lush landscapes, portraits and storytelling. His stories take place in the natural world where the figures are intertwined with the plants, animals and light. The interconnectedness of his work points to the artist's deep dedication to the natural world, and the unique way it connects with myths and storytelling across cultures. Each painting invites us in, to search for meaning and truth in these fantastical landscapes. Almanza received his B.A. in printmaking from the Institute of Superior Arts in Havana, Cuba. In 2022, Almanza presented a solo exhibition titled “Born by the River'' at Soapbox Arts Gallery in Burlington, Vermont as well as a solo exhibition titled “Un Laberinto en el Estómago de un Cocodrilo'' ( A Labyrinth in the stomach of a crocodile) at ONA Galeria in Havana, Cuba. These exhibitions focused on the stories and myths from the artist's childhood, growing up in the Cuban countryside. Recent honors include an Artist Residency at the Newport Art Museum in October 2022, an Artist Residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in August 2022 and the addition of one of Almanza’s works to The Hood Museum at Dartmouth College collection. The artist splits his time between Havana, Cuba and Portland, OR.

Artist Statement

I am drawn to stories. I love to listen to myths, legends and stories and to hold them in my mind. To imagine how they occurred. My passion and work is to find the visual universe where myths exist and to commit them to memory on the canvas. My pieces often begin with sculpture-like figures which are then layered with paint and colors. I like to leave lines, clues and hidden surprises in my pieces, exploring the nuance and layers of each moment. In my work, nothing is certain, nothing is finished, nothing is exactly as it seems. Spirit-like figures appear momentarily, half-truth, half-myth. Aggressive, fantastical beasts are nestled behind palms and colorful flowers. Lush landscapes and colors, give an uneasy sense of the unknown, of our hopes and fears and all things both real and imagined.