Guest Art page

Malena Salazar Maciá

I consider Malena a double threat: not only does she write, but she also draws. To her, writing and drawing are interconnected activities. One inspires the other, and vice versa.

Dragons, beast-gods, wizards, swordswomen, and aliens. These are some of the beings that haunt her daydreams. Seated before her desktop computer, she unleashes her imagination and creates an imaginary world populated by fantastic creatures that come to life through her words and illustrations.

Ever since her debut as a novelist, her Cuban publishers have made good use of her two talents. Her original illustrations have graced the covers of her books. Even so, she is modest about her illustration skills. She considers herself primarily a fiction writer and draws primarily for her own pleasure.

She tells me she works at a slow, deliberate pace, utilizing various references. Her choice of software is Photoshop 2017. She drew with a mouse before she finally got herself a Wacom a few years ago.

Some of her books such as Las peregrinaciones de los dioses feature her black-and-white interior illustrations.

She is not currently accepting commissions, but we shall see how her career unfolds. Her fellow writers have been pressing her to lend them her illustration skills. She may relent someday.

I am pleased to showcase her considerable talents here.

-- Toshiya Kamei (translator)

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