“Las ultimas hojas” (the last leaves).
3.5 meter x 4.85 meter.
Spraypaint & marker on canvas.
STRAATmuseum NDSM Amsterdam.
Tymon de Laat 2022.
Model: Luis Rodriguez Pando.

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My finished piece for the Straat museum.

Walking through countryside of Viñales, Cuba I met Luis working in his tobaccofields. A gentle man with hands like shovels. We spoke about life in Cuba and the Netherlands before he excused himself to get back to work. Just a quick photo I asked him in the middle of his tobacco plantation Coco Solo. He was friendly enough to oblige. What I saw in that photo was a hardworker and his tradition of cultivating tobacco. I wonder what will happen to his business as smoking (and rightly so) is being banned across the globe. And what will consequently happen to this craft that has been passed down from father to son for many generations. Are these the last leaves he will pick?

Thank you STRAAT Museum and @droos86 for hosting me for over 10 days so I could finish this work to the level of detailing as I had envisioned. It has been a personal quest to see how precise I can work with spraypaint. The more I work with spraycans the bigger the possibilities become and realise that there is still a long exciting road ahead of me. For me this was a big step for me to present myself amongst all the big players in the museum collection.

I have been contemplating on doing a fine art print release of this work. If you would be interested in more info drop me a comment below and I will get in touch with you.