I was a student to Don Rubbo for several years when he was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1976 and later in NYC before he passed away. He was the director of the National Center for the Arts, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a grassroots community org. The church lended the building in exchange for us giving workshops to the community. It was a great moment in our art history. Other students were Ceferino Diaz-Ruiz; Peter Gaztambide (now in florida), Ely Barreto, Dennis Mario Rivera, Maritza Davila (now in Memphis Tenn), Gloria Florit and others.
He made a deep mark in us, specially me. I was never the same again. When I met him I was getting ready to leave for mexico to study art. When I visited Gloria's studio at the N.C for the arts to sell her the etching supplies I had. That's when I met him. After talking to him for several hours I realized that he had all the information and experience I was looking for and a willing heart to share it.. I cancelled my Mexico trip and next day I moved my studio to a room next to his in the center. For the next several months he trained me as mixed media artist-printmaker. I was also trained in his philosofy of life is art. He taught us to "see" thru objects and search for thr essential.
He told me a Samurai never took for granted his opponent, and when he did, he was gone. The same with life. Never freeze in your expectations of life, always keep open and adpapt to events. Don was a true "Maestro". I remember him going around Old San Juan with his sketch book and doing people, faces, movement. He taught Movement drawing to many low income kids who didn't speak english and He didn't
speak spanish. It was a lesson in itself watch him teach. He motivated his students to incredible heights. Taught me the principles of caligraphy, commercial art, photography, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and above all "to see" life everywhere. He had a bad temper and would loose it when we would fight among us, always telling us to unite and grow. The only down side was his drinking. He was in a lot of pain due to his many surgeries and he seldom slept. I would be working till late and he would show up after getting out of a local movie house. He didn't watch the films, he would rest in his chair and that was his way to rest many a times. We would work till sunrise.
Every body in Old San Juan knew him and loved him. He was mugged several times thou, by the same people he would drink with.
In october He told me he was leaving for NYC, that he was fed up with many things, specially the death of a hooker in the water front clubs, she was crazy and every body mistreated her. Only Don treated her with honor and respect. One day he told me they found her clubbed to death.
Thats when he decided to leave. I left for NYC with him for what I expected would be a couple of days. It turned into a month in the greatest city of art and history with the best possible teacher: Don Rubbo. He showed me NYC like he owned it. Took me to his art stores, galleries he worked for, bars he used as teaching rooms.
I had to return to San Juan to finish my college degree and other projects. I was never the same again. I promised him I would return to live and work with him . He kind of waited for me. Before I left I introduced him to my friends in NYC, artists and musicians. That way his teachings wouldn't go to waste. That's what kept him alive. He would spend his money on supplies for his students and never accepted payment. He would go into a bar or restaurant and in a short time he was the center of gravity. He taught anyone willing to open his mind and heart, and be strict to students.
Once we were in a museum and I was sketcing with a technical pen and he took it away from me until I would learn to use it the way he told us to use it. He was very stubborn and even more creative. He would show us to do technical processes with common materials and plastics. The days I spent with him in that october of 1976 were unique. He showed me the museums,libraries, parks, hoods and the history behind every stone in the city. He was a living enciclopedia, or as we say today "a website" before sites were invented.
I returned to NYC and to Don 2 years later in 1978 and found him alive but in bad shape. He couldn't walk or talk long, his body was showing the beaten life he had. I tried to keep up with him. It was sad to see such a great being poor and forgoten. My friends in NYC had worked with him as long as his bad temper would let them, he was a hard act to follow. When he passed away in january 1979 I had just signed my
first apartment lease near his place on 13th st. that he shared with his wife Kathy and son Michael. I still think that he was waiting for me to get hooked to the city he loved so much. He passed away in his neighborhood bar among friends. The bartender told me he just laid his head to rest and flew away.
I stayed in NYC for 20 years and what he taught me was with me all the way. The museums, the libraries, the hoods, the people. He showed me the Natural history Museum in detail since he had worked in the exhibitions department mounting the great dioramas show cases.
Don Rubbo taught me invaluable lessons that I've carried on to my friends and students. Iam what I am partly because of him. He shaped me to the point he is with me in everything I do. I have made a living as fine artist for 32 years thanks to him.About any art work of his we only have the silkscreen called "Cabras de la Perla", the goats of la Perla, a poor section in the old city where he had a residence. It was a 20 color silksscreenand everybody learned to print working in the print. Every color was done in different techniques based on the photo engraving of a photo he took. The print was sold to raise monies for the art center.
I also have some photo slides he threw away when he left for NYC with me. They are shots of all sorts of textures and walls. Great shots.
Today all his students here are professionals in the arts.
He made a deep mark in us, specially me. I was never the same again. When I met him I was getting ready to leave for mexico to study art. When I visited Gloria's studio at the N.C for the arts to sell her the etching supplies I had. That's when I met him. After talking to him for several hours I realized that he had all the information and experience I was looking for and a willing heart to share it.. I cancelled my Mexico trip and next day I moved my studio to a room next to his in the center. For the next several months he trained me as mixed media artist-printmaker. I was also trained in his philosofy of life is art. He taught us to "see" thru objects and search for thr essential.
He told me a Samurai never took for granted his opponent, and when he did, he was gone. The same with life. Never freeze in your expectations of life, always keep open and adpapt to events. Don was a true "Maestro". I remember him going around Old San Juan with his sketch book and doing people, faces, movement. He taught Movement drawing to many low income kids who didn't speak english and He didn't
speak spanish. It was a lesson in itself watch him teach. He motivated his students to incredible heights. Taught me the principles of caligraphy, commercial art, photography, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and above all "to see" life everywhere. He had a bad temper and would loose it when we would fight among us, always telling us to unite and grow. The only down side was his drinking. He was in a lot of pain due to his many surgeries and he seldom slept. I would be working till late and he would show up after getting out of a local movie house. He didn't watch the films, he would rest in his chair and that was his way to rest many a times. We would work till sunrise.
Every body in Old San Juan knew him and loved him. He was mugged several times thou, by the same people he would drink with.
In october He told me he was leaving for NYC, that he was fed up with many things, specially the death of a hooker in the water front clubs, she was crazy and every body mistreated her. Only Don treated her with honor and respect. One day he told me they found her clubbed to death.
Thats when he decided to leave. I left for NYC with him for what I expected would be a couple of days. It turned into a month in the greatest city of art and history with the best possible teacher: Don Rubbo. He showed me NYC like he owned it. Took me to his art stores, galleries he worked for, bars he used as teaching rooms.
I had to return to San Juan to finish my college degree and other projects. I was never the same again. I promised him I would return to live and work with him . He kind of waited for me. Before I left I introduced him to my friends in NYC, artists and musicians. That way his teachings wouldn't go to waste. That's what kept him alive. He would spend his money on supplies for his students and never accepted payment. He would go into a bar or restaurant and in a short time he was the center of gravity. He taught anyone willing to open his mind and heart, and be strict to students.
Once we were in a museum and I was sketcing with a technical pen and he took it away from me until I would learn to use it the way he told us to use it. He was very stubborn and even more creative. He would show us to do technical processes with common materials and plastics. The days I spent with him in that october of 1976 were unique. He showed me the museums,libraries, parks, hoods and the history behind every stone in the city. He was a living enciclopedia, or as we say today "a website" before sites were invented.
I returned to NYC and to Don 2 years later in 1978 and found him alive but in bad shape. He couldn't walk or talk long, his body was showing the beaten life he had. I tried to keep up with him. It was sad to see such a great being poor and forgoten. My friends in NYC had worked with him as long as his bad temper would let them, he was a hard act to follow. When he passed away in january 1979 I had just signed my
first apartment lease near his place on 13th st. that he shared with his wife Kathy and son Michael. I still think that he was waiting for me to get hooked to the city he loved so much. He passed away in his neighborhood bar among friends. The bartender told me he just laid his head to rest and flew away.
I stayed in NYC for 20 years and what he taught me was with me all the way. The museums, the libraries, the hoods, the people. He showed me the Natural history Museum in detail since he had worked in the exhibitions department mounting the great dioramas show cases.
Don Rubbo taught me invaluable lessons that I've carried on to my friends and students. Iam what I am partly because of him. He shaped me to the point he is with me in everything I do. I have made a living as fine artist for 32 years thanks to him.About any art work of his we only have the silkscreen called "Cabras de la Perla", the goats of la Perla, a poor section in the old city where he had a residence. It was a 20 color silksscreenand everybody learned to print working in the print. Every color was done in different techniques based on the photo engraving of a photo he took. The print was sold to raise monies for the art center.
I also have some photo slides he threw away when he left for NYC with me. They are shots of all sorts of textures and walls. Great shots.
Today all his students here are professionals in the arts.
