View Stunning Art Works at Estudio Cajiga
Puerto Rico has a rich cultural heritage which is very appealing to travelers, making this beautiful island a popular tourist destination. Estudio Cajiga is situated right in the heart of Old San Juan. Renowned Puerto Rican artist, Luis Cajiga, is the driving force behind this well designed art gallery which features many of his own works as well as the works of other artists.
Luis Cajiga was born in 1934 in Quebradillas, a town situated in the northwest of Puerto Rico. He started his training as an artist in 1952 in the graphics department of the Division of Community Education in San Juan, where he had the opportunity of working with some of the most notable artists in Puerto Rico. Working with these highly talented artists had a beneficial influence on Cajiga. His main interest at the time was painting the colorful streets of Old San Juan. Artist Antonio Maldonado suggested that he study perspective under the guidance of Fran Cervoni, which he did for a year. This training reinforced Cajiga’s love for his most preferred theme – the streets of Old San Juan.
In addition to his favorite theme of the streets of Old San Juan, Cajiga enjoys painting scenes of Puerto Rican towns, including the slums. He is also well known for his landscapes which often feature a colorful flamboyant tree as the focal point of the painting.
Serigraphy, also known as silkscreening, is a technique that Luis Cajiga has perfected over the years. With the support of renowned graphic artists, Homar and Tufino, Cajiga started off preparing and printing primarily their works. He later progressed to duplicating his own works by means of serigraphy. He also worked on developing his skill in drawing, oil colors, water colors and engraving. His works included posters, book covers and movie titles.
Keeping up with modern technology, Luis Cajiga reproduces some of his favorite paintings by means of giclee, a digitalized copy of the original. The digital print is done on high quality canvas or paper, is resistant to fading and is considered, by Cajiga, as the next best thing to the original. By using this method of reproduction, Cajiga has made his incredible art work more affordable, an innovation that has been very well received by the public.
Cajiga has been the recipient of numerous awards and prizes during his artistic career and besides being an artist of note, Cajiga is also an author. He has published five books of poetry and twelve religious-themed books, as well as a book of vegetarian recipes.
Tourists traveling to the spectacular country of Puerto Rico should make a point of visiting Estudio Cajiga to view the many superb works of Puerto Rican artists displayed there, and possibly meet the multi-talented Luis Cajiga.
