Cigar News: El Artista Announces Artista Studio Works

El Artista Cigars has announced Artista Studio Works (ASW), a collaborative effort between the El Artista Factory and Dominican Artists of multiple mediums. ASW seeks to bring the life and culture of the Dominican Republic to the rest of the world through works of art and inspiration.

From the colorful expressions of Santiago street art to the up-beat tempo of Bachata in the clubs or refined brush strokes of oil on over-sized canvas hanging in a Santo Domingo gallery the Dominican Republic flows with artistic expression and Artista Studio Works intends to elucidate that art for the world to experience.

“We make tobacco and cigars,” Says Radhames “Ram” Rodriguez, President of El Artista Cigars, “and that is our art. But there is so much artistic expression around us here on the island and I wanted to make an opportunity to share that with anyone who is curious about the Dominican Republic; we are so much more than just tobacco”.

“Artista Studio Works aims to discover talent, bring the artist into the Studio and allow them to interpret the factory, our brands, or the general cigar lifestyle,” says Kevin Newman Director of Marketing & Sales for El Artista Cigars, “and in that way we hope to support, uplift, and generate interest in the artist and in the wonderful community of artists here on the Dominican island.”

Artista Studio Works will find artists from the island and invite select artists at regular intervals and in different mediums to join the collaborative. Artists' works will then be licensed and reproduced and the artist will receive compensation for their work as well as the notoriety and exposure.

The first artist to join Artista Studio Works is René Peña, an accomplished Dominican painter who describes his styles as, “simple realism, abstract and colorful”. Says Ram: “René made for us two brand new works, one of David Ortiz and the other of Buffalo TEN. These are incredible works of oil on huge canvas that will be transferred to artwork and merchandise for the cigar smoking public. We are so very excited to bring these items to the light of day and to showcase René in this way!” Says Newman, “Our intention was to showcase our first artist, René, at this years PCA however it did not work out in the way we had hoped”.

Examples of the artworks can be found on wall art and humidors. 3-Panel wall art (20″x18″) will be given away as promotional materials to retailers and El Artista Cigars fans. 50-CT humidors will be signed by the artist and will be available for sale to retailers on December 1, 2020. Humidors are limited to 200 pieces and are priced at $150 SRP for the Buffalo TEN and $190 for the David Ortiz.