Returning to the Basics
Before embarking on my architectural journey in 1999, I used to draw all the time. Living in Cuba, I didn’t have access to fancy papers, refined canvases, brushes, or oils. My artistic arsenal consisted of basic paper and a precious 6B graphite pencil – an investment that was somewhat extravagant for me back then. Not a 2B or a 4B, but a 6B, and from this limitation, I learned to extract the maximum potential from my pencils.
Never put your pencil down
All people around me often warned that pursuing architecture might distance me from my love for drawing, and all of them told me that I should choose between being an architect or a painter. All but one (an old artist) who offered an advice that has stayed with me to this day: “no matter what you do, never put your pencil down.”
He was spot on. In 2005 I became an architect and almost two decades later, despite the array of advanced software and tools I have in our office enabling us to create stunning renderings, virtual walks, and various kind of illustrations, there’s something significant on my desk – a 6B graphite pencil.
Yes, I still use it.
Primarily for crafting quick sketches to share with my team and clients, and occasionally for artistic drawings (when time allow me). Yet, this pencil on my desk serves a purpose beyond its practical applications: it’s a reminder. In a high-tech world, it stands as a reminder that, in both architecture and life, the simplest solution is often (if not always) the best one. Sometimes we don’t need fancy software to communicate an idea, or get complicated design solutions, sometimes we just need a pencil and thinking in simpler terms.
As Gaudi used to say: “Originality consists of returning to the origin… to the simplicity of the early solutions.”
Below are some of my artistic drawings from that time and now.
