Building Steam with a Grain of Salt

Abstract

In Building Steam with a Grain of Salt, Fernando Ruíz Lorenzo writes and reflects on his artistic process and work as a Puerto Rican artist from New York City. In this thesis he merges the historical and political narratives of Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship to Spain and the United States through an explanation of his “salt crystallizer” paintings and the process of seeking, finding, and transferring salt from the flats of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, to New York City.