‘The light that remembers’: The art of Aidamaris Román.

Roman busy at work painting one of her fantastical portraits.

By EVA LLORENS

The hills of Arecibo, quiet and lush, shaped the imagination of Puerto Rican artist Aidamaris Román long before she ever held a professional brush. She grew up in the countryside, surrounded by what she still describes as an unseen magic.

“I live in the country,” she says. “I feel it has so much magic. It inspired me to paint fantasy — like fairies and mermaids.”

That sense of wonder, rooted in childhood, never left her. It evolved into a world of ethereal canvases, luminous figures, and sculptures that appear ready to breathe. 

Román’s artistic journey began almost as soon as she could walk.

“Since I was little, I was scribbling on the walls,” she recalls with a laugh.

Rather than scolding her, her family encouraged it, giving her room to expand those early impulses.

“They helped me,” she says. “I always knew I was going to be an artist.”

That clarity made her teenage years an unexpected launching point. Still in high school, she entered a competition through Puerto Rico’s Recreation and Sports program; in 1996, she won first place.

“That influenced me so much,” she says. “I was seventeen.” 

A gallery also discovered her work and offered to represent her. That moment brought her unexpectedly into the public eye.

“I appeared on Channel 11 and Channel 4,” she says. “I hadn’t even graduated yet.”

A woman artist saw her drawings, mostly in anime, and decided to mentor her.

“She taught me the principles, like how to prepare a canvas,” Román says. “We spent several months.”

Even after that foundational period, Román continued teaching herself — buying books, visiting museums, studying classical techniques. When she reached university, she chose to study marketing, not art.

“I wanted to know how to sell,” she explains. “Now we have several websites and social media where we sell our art.” 

Her paintings, now shown internationally, are best described by her own phrasing: a form of magical realism.

“It’s a combination of realistic style and magical elements,” she says.

Light is her signature, but not as a decorative flourish — rather it’s something she chases, studies, and sculpts with paint until it becomes almost alive.

“It’s not easy,” Román admits. “I’ve worked a long time to make the light look realistic, to capture light like an aura.”

The result is a body of work that feels at once grounded and unearthly, nostalgic yet futuristic. She hopes her pieces serve as a mirror.

“I want people to look at them and think of their childhood,” she says, “or of people who are no longer here. I’m inspired by my mom and dad. I want people to think of the people they love.”

Alongside painting, another world emerged in Román’s artistic practice: the intricate, emotionally charged universe of porcelain dolls. Her joint project with her husband, Forgotten Hearts, began in 2010. 

“I was a sculptor before, but not in porcelain,” she explains.

One day, she stumbled upon the work of several artists whose styles captivated her.

“I saw these women,” she says. “I loved Russian art and the anime style.”

Those influences pushed her to experiment, refine, and eventually reveal her own unique sculpting method. Her partnership with her husband, Gamalier Bravo, blossomed creatively as well as personally.

“He loved my work,” Román says. “Now we make dolls together. His style is more traditional.” 

The craft behind Forgotten Hearts dolls is intensely technical, almost engineering-like in its demands.

“The doll has twenty-two joints,” she explains. “They have to move and still have a beautiful aesthetic and look realistic.” Hidden inside each figure is a stainless-steel mechanism that Román designed herself, allowing smooth, lifelike motion.

“I have to re-sculpt the pieces until they’re perfect,” she says.

Her collaboration with Gamalier remains dynamic and deeply productive.

“We have different styles. We think differently,” she says, smiling. “It’s interesting — and we help each other. It’s collaborative.” 

Román’s exhibitions have taken her across Puerto Rico, the United States, and Europe, from early shows in local galleries to international presentations in Berlin and major events in California and Florida. Yet one experience stands out above the rest.

“This current one at the [Puerto Rico] Capitol is very significant,” she says.

Sharing the moment with fellow artists, gave the exhibition an added emotional weight. And she’s far from done. With a solo show already scheduled for 2026, Román remains open to possibility.

“I don’t know what to expect,” she admits. “But when beautiful things come up, it’s amazing. I hope it keeps getting better.”

Román’s international audience has responded with admiration to her ethereal paintings and fantastical sculptures, drawn to the luminous intimacy and dreamlike quality of her work. Still, she feels her themes remain constant.

“I keep loving the same things,” she says. “Light, memory, spirituality.”

In her dolls, she continues experimenting, blending classical ideas with modern influences. She recently made one inspired by an eighties cartoon — a nod to nostalgia, a recurring thread in her art. 

Asked what advice she would offer to young self-taught artists in Puerto Rico, Román answers with the same grounded optimism that has shaped her path.

“Always be present,” she says. “I’m painting and ready for whatever experience comes. That’s how beautiful things happen.”