Posted on October 30 2018
AS A MAN, WHOSE BEEN SO DEEPLY AND POSITIVELY EFFECTED BY HIPHOP CULTURE DURING MY LIFETIME, MANY OF PERSONAL VIEWS AND PERSPECTIVES ON LIFE, FILTER THRU THAT LENS.
BEING A CIGAR BRAND OWNER, I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE. BEING ABLE TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH A MASTER CIGAR BLENDER, HAVING A FACTORY SITUATION AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK FROM SOME OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE TRULY MADE THEIR MARKS IN THE CIGAR INDUSTRY, IS AN AWESOME PLACE TO EXIST. FURTHERMORE, I HAVE PEOPLE IN MY CORNER THAT ARE VERY HONEST WITH ME, IN REGARDS TO MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF MY APPROACH. EVEN WHEN I DON'T AGREE, THEIR HONESTY IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!
FROM THE FIRST MOMENT I SAW ARTISTIC CIGARS (THE VISUAL ART), I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF GRAFFITI ART, AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, FAB 5 FREDDY, A PIONEER IN THE STYLE. ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS WORKS PAYS HOMAGE TO ARTIST ANDY WARHOL'S WORK, USING THE CAMPBELL'S SOUP CAN AS HIS MUSE. FAB 5 FREDDY CREATED A MASTERPIECE ON THE SIDE OF A SUBWAY TRAIN CAR, USING GRAFFITI ART. THE INCLUDED PHOTO, TAKEN BY WELL RESPECTED PHOTOJOURNALIST MARTHA COOPER, CAPTURES THE SHEER ELEGANCE AND BEAUTY OF THE PIECE.
WHEN I SEE THIS GENRE OF ART (ARTISTIC CIGARS), I LOOK AT THE NAKED CIGAR METAPHORICALLY AS A NEW SUBWAY TRAIN, JUST BEGGING THE CIGAR ROLLER TO CREATE THEIR OWN UNIQUE EXPRESSIONS ON IT.
THIS POST IS MEANT INTRODUCE AND SHOWCASE A FEW ARTISTS WITHIN THIS GENRE, AND SOME OF THE WORK I FOUND FOR THEM, DURING MY RESEARCH FOR THIS PIECE.
IT IS MY MOST SINCERE HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY THIS COLLECTIVE OF ARTISTS, AS MUCH AS I DID ASSEMBLING THEM.
PEACE AND NAMASTE.
BOWTIE.
ARTIST 1:
SAM LECCIA - LECCIA TOBACCO
ARTIST 2:
LITTO GOMEZ - LA FLOR DOMINICANA
ARTIST 3:
JOSE CALA - CALA CIGARS
ARTIST 4:
JOEL VAZQUEZ-MARRERO - MARRERO CIGARS
ARTIST 5:
MARC GWYNNE - MARC GWYNNE CIGARS
