-What inspires you? Life itself. I am often amazed by the simple things in nature and human beings. I consider myself an extremely optimistic person seeking the positive side of any situation. My family has been my greatest blessing and they allowed me to experience the joys of childhood. In reflecting to my childhood I travel to a place of fun, peace, and love. My culture from both Puerto Rico & Cuba fill me with a strong sense of pride that comes alive in much of my artwork and my life. I love many types of music and always listen to it while I’m painting. My playlist includes wide a range of artists and styles ranging from the salsa of Hector Lavoe to Tupac Shakur and everything in between. I am a big fan of sports, particularly the NBA and the Miami Heat. My faith in God keeps me focused and believing that through him anything is possible. My vision is for Yoa Art to serve as an inspiration for people to escape from the complications of life and experience an environment of love, passion, and positivity. My mission is to use my talents and gifts as a communicator to serve as a positive influence to the world and in turn impact the way people look at life. -Where is your name from? The name Yoa is a nickname given to me by my family when I was a little kid. It comes from my full name Urayoán. The name Urayoán is an Indian name native of Puerto Rico. Urayoán was a Taíno "Cacique" (Chief) famous for ordering the drowning of Diego Salcedo to determine if the Spanish were gods. He was the cacique of "Yucayeque del Yagüeka or Yagueca", a region that presently spans between Añasco and Mayagüez. In 1511, Urayoán and Agüeybaná II (Agüeybaná's brother) conceived a plan to find out if the Spaniards were really Gods. Diego Salcedo (a Spanish soldier) was welcomed by Urayoán into his village and was offered to stay for the night. The following day, by Urayoán's order, Salcedo was drowned while attempting to cross, while on top of a taíno warrior, the Guaorabo river (presently called Great Añasco River). The body of Salcedo was watched for 3 days after his death. Upon confirmation of the mortality of the Spanish, Agüeybaná ordered the Taínos to revolt. - What is a Giclee? A giclée print is a reproduction of an original artwork and is today’s state-of-the-art method of reproducing all the brilliance, colors and nuances of an original work of art. Giclée prints simply represent the closest possible reproduction of an original artwork and are the highest quality art prints available to the art lover and collector today. The contemporary giclée has become a valuable part of the limited edition fine art world . Its reproduction qualities far surpass other reproduction methods such as lithography and serigraphy. Displaying a full-color spectrum, giclée prints capture every detail of an original artwork and have gained the acceptance of artists, galleries and museums throughout the world. The term Giclée (jhee-clay) is derived from the French verb “gicler” meaning “to spray or squirt”. Images are high resolution digital scans printed with archival quality inks onto fine art media like canvas or paper substrates. In the Giclée printing process, a fine stream of ink—millions of droplets per second—are sprayed onto archival quality art paper or canvas to produce exceptional “museum-quality” prints. Giclées exhibit a near continuous tone image, smoother gradation between tones, and a more finely differentiated color palette. All my giclées are printed using the finest materials and latest technology available, using archival inks that have been tested to remain stable for decades under proper lighting conditions. My giclée prints are delivered with special UV inhibitors to protect them from the sun’s damaging ultra-violet light. Each giclée is proofed by me to ensure that the final edition is as faithful to my original work and vision as possible. Each Limited Edition Giclée is signed and numbered by me and is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity. Among the many museums, to name just a few, with giclée prints in their collections are: The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The British Museum, The Metropolitan Museum New York, Los Angeles County Museum, Museum of Modern Art New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Limited Edition Giclées A Limited Edition Giclée is a series of identical giclée prints, which are limited to a printing of a certain number of pieces. The artist determines the size of the edition, and signs and numbers each individual piece. Once the edition limit is reached no more prints can be printed. Caring for Giclées No special care is required to maintain giclée prints. As with all works of art, do not hang or expose to direct sunlight and avoid damp or humid environments. All of my Giclée prints are Limited Editions that are carefully inspected for quality. They are individually hand signed and numbered & come with a Certificate of Authenticity.