Lusmerlin's portfolio

Work samples

Dance Painting sample Performance

(2020-ongoing) - Performance - 30s video from ~10 hours across locations - I set up in non-art public spaces to make impromptu performances. The frustration of questions regarding immigration emboldened my choice to make a presence. I utilize dancing, which is a heavy tradition in my family. Playing with the idea of being subject, object and the performer of action took me to performance. The dance paintings become backgrounds or standalone pieces.
The Uncatchable Ciguapa

2024 - Installation - 30ftx15ftx7ft. Step into the mythical world of La Ciguapa, an elusive figure from the folklore of La Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti. La Ciguapa is believed to dwell in the woods and rivers of La Hispaniola. Known for her long, flowing hair and backward feet that make her impossible to track, folklore holds that she can only be captured during a full moon, but if held in captivity, she perishes.
Intuism 031 (I moved across the ocean)

2024-Pastel, Acrylic. 30x40in. The background of this piece is from a dance painting performance in Union Square, San Francisco. The upper layers are added layer in the studio. Migrating out of an island can feel like eventually drowning.
LUSMERLIN-09-2024-Intuism 021 (Blossom blitz)- Pastel on canvas-24in-36in

2024-Pastel on canvas - 36x24in.The fruit of much experimentation, this piece displays multiple pastel application techniques, and achieves a sealed surface that can be displayed without glass without major smudging.

Available for Purchase
Dance Painting sample Performance

(2020-ongoing) - Performance - 30s video from ~10 hours across locations - I set up in non-art public spaces to make impromptu performances. The frustration of questions regarding immigration emboldened my choice to make a presence. I utilize dancing, which is a heavy tradition in my family. Playing with the idea of being subject, object and the performer of action took me to performance. The dance paintings become backgrounds or standalone pieces.
The Uncatchable Ciguapa

2024 - Installation - 30ftx15ftx7ft. Step into the mythical world of La Ciguapa, an elusive figure from the folklore of La Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti. La Ciguapa is believed to dwell in the woods and rivers of La Hispaniola. Known for her long, flowing hair and backward feet that make her impossible to track, folklore holds that she can only be captured during a full moon, but if held in captivity, she perishes.

About Lusmerlin

2024 OTW Artist Howard County

Bold like the streets of Santo Domingo, where she grew up, LUSMERLIN is a nationally exhibiting multidisciplinary artist, practicing in Greater Baltimore and Philadelphia. She has a professional background as a chemical engineer in textile and cement manufacturing. LUSMERLIN is a 2024 Philadelphia Mural Arts Fellow, and a 2025 Sondheim Prize semifinalist,

View Lusmerlin's Resume

IMPRINT Series (2019-now)

Intuism 031 (I moved across the ocean)

2024. Pastel, acrylic on canvas. 30x40in. The background of this piece is from a dance painting performance in Union Square, San Francisco. The upper layers are added layer in the studio. Migrating out of an island can feel like eventually drowning.
Tea Time Stories

2022-Pastel, ink on paper-18x18inThe fluidity of ink plays with the blocky-ness of pastel. There is a special type of communication between girlfriends achieved by “vibing”, not just talking. This piece is about that ambiance of close relationships.
Imprint 021 (The Congo Congregation)

2024-Pastel on paper-18x24in. My hometown carries one of the oldest Santería music traditions in the island, so drums (Congos) are part of my definition of home.

Available for Purchase
Stories of Creation

2025. Stories of creation-Pastel and acrylic on canvas-30inx40in. Self-Portrait.

Available for Purchase
IMPRINT 014 (The ochre mines of Rousillon)

2024. Pastel on paper-18x24. Rousillon, in south France, has ochre mines - like those referenced by Cezanne. This is my Caribbean take on that place: a color burst, and dancing lines. The difference in textures is achieved through experimentation on wet and dry pastel applications.
Intuism 021 (Blossom blitz)

2024. Pastel on canvas. 24x36in. The fruit of much experimentation, this piece displays multiple pastel application techniques, and achieves a sealed surface that can be displayed without glass without major smudging.

INTUISM Series (2023-ongoing)

Intuism is a series of abstract work focused on the hidden layers and musicality.

Intuism 024 (The void deep in)

2024-Acrylic on canvas-48inx36in. A highly performatic piece - the top layer is finished directly with hands, utilizing very energetic body movement spanning across the canvas.
Intuism 002 (The gods are catching fire)

2024-Acrylic on canvas-36x48in. All stories of creation have angry gods. If you look at the dancing fire in the painting, you will find that they are painted directly with fingers but also my nails have scratched and destructed what I created. Body movement is key in this process.
Intuism 011 ((Deja Vu))

2024-Acrylic on canvas-20x20in. A few times a year, I feel like I have a memory into the future. I will live a more modern life, and I have these electrical portals to take me away from the life that I have been living.
Intuism 023 (It's a magical summer)

2024-Acrylic on canvas-36x48in. There are two seasons in the Dominican Republic: Summer and Hell. When Summer treats you kindly, and you smile at the bright sky, and blossoms are all around you: that is the topic of this painting.
Intuism 013 (Yet another nested dream)

2024-Acrylic on canvas-36x48in. I often have dreams within dreams, and sometimes nightmares within dreams. It’s like the sidewalk full of tents, where you feel trapped and never seem to be able to exit.

IMPRESSION Series (2023)

A Black and White digital photography series of my personal life and travels, focused on light, contrast and geometry

Repentance not mandatory
Aunt Carole's gloves
Parallel Universe
Breathe
Transient desert

Transient desert
Dawn's ritual
Lost in the cloud forest
Life by the cliff
Jeremiah 29:13
After Dawn

HOMELAND series (2024)

My hometown Villa Mella underwent a transformation of overpopulation and destruction of green spaces as I grew up. My backyard, which was appropriated by the government, was turned into a Police Station. Personally, and as an immigrant, I feel like I do not have a home or a hometown to truly go back to. This is a series of photographs where I walk the streets of my hometown, and other places I used to frequent in Santo Domingo, in my quest to re-connect with my past.

The woman who won't sweat
Sticky Smile
This took forever
Dreaming of Capicua 25
The American Dream
The Collector
Just Hanging
A dream job
Riding like Superman
The loss of inocence

Am I pretty yet? (2024)

A filmed performance... In a yard overtaken by invasive weeds and vines, I perform a ritual: how long, how many ways can you balance a 20lb sculpture that reminds you of all your imperfections? Throw in feminine rescue: waacking, cosmetics, female mythology, and resilience

Am I pretty yet?

The Uncatchable Ciguapa (2024)

The Uncatchable Ciguapa

2024. Installation. 30ftx15ftx7ft (variable size). Step into the mythical world of La Ciguapa, an elusive figure from the folklore of La Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti. La Ciguapa is believed to dwell in the woods and rivers of La Hispaniola. Known for her long, flowing hair and backward feet that make her impossible to track, folklore holds that she can only be captured during a full moon, but if held in captivity, she perishes.

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Lusmerlin's portfolio

Inter- and Multi-Disciplinary Work