“El Lechón”
prismacolor on paper
~27.5×42.5″ (~70x108cm)
2024
$1500
prints available
20×27.5″ (51×70″)in
10 total
$40
11×14″ (28×35.5cm)
30 total
$100
This piece has been quite a ride.
The journey started when my friend and art curator Julian Kundhart asked me to create an original piece for the exhibit “Danza de Color” that took place in January 2025 in Naples, Italy.
The goal of the exhibit was to host a cross-cultural exchange between artists from Dominican Republic and Italy.
14 Dominican artists were represented, showcasing nearly 50 works of art.
Because I’ve kinda been in transition and didn’t have access to a studio, I thought for a while about how to create a unique and sizable piece that would be simple enough to create sans studio.
I decided to make a composite image from 25 sheets from my sketchbook, each sized at 5.5×8.5,” utilizing the magical colored pencils that are Prismacolors. I realized it had been a couple years since I last worked in this cubist/colorful style, so I decided to utilize the approach to create this image of a Lechón, a costumed character from the Dominican Republic’s Carnaval celebrations.
Not entirely sure if I’d make it to Italy for the exhibit itself due to an Achille’s rupture, I decided to ship the drawing to Julian in Italy.
Then, the drawing disappeared. USPS shipping showed it was in Zurich for several weeks.
Fortunately I had taken photos of each of the pages of the sketchbook. I put them together to create a digital image that we had printed in Italy to present at the exhibit.
Then on February 24, nearly two months after I had shipped the piece, Julian received the package at his apartment in Italy!
There are talks of hosting “Danza de Color” in other Italian cities, where the original piece will be framed and displayed.
Robert Castillo 