Guided by the color and texture of the walls in La Habana, Cuba, San Antonio Artist and Photographer Jorge Villarreal finds a gem in each wall in his series, "You're a Gem." The salt from the ocean's air distresses and erodes the layers of paint from the walls developing gemstone-like formations. For Villarreal, discovering these walls tucked away in small alleyways and hidden corners is what makes the city of La Habana the true gem.   Guiando por las texturas y colores de las paredes de La Habana, Jorge Villarreal encuentra una gema en bruto en cada una de ellas en la serie “You’re A Gem.” La sal de mar que lleva el aire de La Habana, forma siluetas con la pintura destreza en las paredes que dan como resultado un parecido al interior de cristales y cuarzos en bruto. Para Villarreal el conjunto de estas paredes representan la joya que realmente es la ciudad de La Habana.
       
     
Projects / You're a Gem
"Blü" 2012
       
     
Projects / La Habana
)8/10/18 - 09/08/18 La Fototeca de Cuba La Habana Vieja
       
     
Projects / Sink
Wet is an ongoing project that San Antonio artist and photographer Jorge Villarreal begun in the summer of 2016 in Havana, Cuba. in this series, Villarreal uses spontaneous and uncontrolled condensation, water, or soap to create dreamlike landscapes. The interactions between surface and substance creates sensuous blurred visions to form the lack of lines and structure resulting in captured clouds of color that occupy space. Since the depth of field is disturbed, the surface becomes the only true subject matter and what is beyond becomes an alternate reality.
       
     
Projects / Wet
The Robaina Family was chosen to be the sole producer of the country’s finest tobacco by Fidel Castro. Finca Robaina grows and sells tobacco to major distributors Cohiba, Romeo y Julieta and Monte Cristo. Alejandro Robaina, considered the “Godfather of Cuban Tobacco,” ran the Finca all his life. He passed away in 2010. The man photographed in this series was Alejandro’s personal cigar roller for 47 years.   Photographed in "Finca Robaina, Vinales, Cuba"  2013
       
     
Projects / Finca Robaina
“All My Friends Are Sketchy” is a photographic collection of individuals captured in Villareal’s travels. Each photograph has been digitally manipulated blending real with surreal, through mixed media, to reveal a raw and exposed existence, the cross of mediums communicates the nature of perception and reality through the visual. The work speaks to our connection with culture and the human experience which is illustrated by the stark white subjects’ bare vulnerability that simultaneously depicts the immense density of being.     "Elbia"
       
     
Projects / All My Friends Are Sketchy
       
     
Projects / Recetas
Moshe Safdie: Bentonville, Arkansas 2015
       
     
Projects / Travel