Aldonte the Artist

Aldonte the Artist, pictured with aspiring artist Cayden, is the man behind the breathtaking mural that spans the side of 787 Market & Café, at 6105 Memphis Avenue in Cleveland. The idyllic painted scene, resemblant of Old San Juan, has been transporting many of Old Brooklyn’s large and growing Puerto Rican population to the Island of Enchantment. In a recent interview with La Villa, Aldonte shared his experience with us.

Aldonte the Artist shares a moment with Cayden at 787 Market and Café, set against Aldonte's mural.

What feedback have you received about the mural at 787?

Aw man, I get so much love from that mural! It definitely warms my soul, because I've never been to Puerto Rico, ever. I definitely wanna go this year, just off that alone. A lot of people that were coming to me, the days that I was working on it, asking me if I was Puerto Rican, have I been there, they were just like, ‘man we got a piece of home, right here!’

I hope you get to make it to Puerto Rico.

Yeah, I definitely want to go. I mean, everybody has been motivating me to go. A couple customers would say I need to get out there ‘cuz it looks just like it!’ So, it's very, very motivating. I'm very motivated.

The owner, the staff, and everybody a part of 787, man, they are some blessed individuals. They showed me nothing but love through the entirety. The mural isn’t the only thing I've worked on. I’ve worked on most of the art pieces between both shops, the cafe and then the market. And it's been nothing but a true, true blessing. To work with them, to get to know them, and to like, to love, and have more of an appreciation of Latin culture.

How did you meet your mentee Cayden?

I've known his mother since we were kids and she's been watching me become who I am today, from drawing on paper to painting murals. She said her son is an inspiring artist too, and he's a fan of my work. So, I got the pleasure of meeting him for the first time, there at 787. He was a professional in my eyes because he bought his portfolio.

I love the photo of him and his portfolio! The expression on his face, he just seemed so happy. What first got you inspired to be an artist?

When I got into art, I was intrigued to draw a lot of cartoon characters that I watched. I would crack open those 90s tapes and you know, the Disney characters or the Rugrats, I was very intrigued by the pop art and the style of the animation. I just wanted to give it a try myself and I dove into it, man. Of course it was my beginning stages, but I grabbed my crayons, man, and I was drawing away, like from the start, I would say, like the age of 5.

Wow, that's early. I do miss those days, back when you’d buy a cassette or CD and could have all the artwork that came with it. You don't get that experience anymore.

Yeah, everything is so digital. So, you can't have anything tangible anymore. I'm sure they spent a grip messing with those plastic cases for those 90s VHS tapes, it was like, amazing.

Was there anyone when you first started drawing, that encouraged you to pursue art?

It started with my mom and then the rest of my family, that was around me. My brothers and sisters and my cousins, they were like, you know, just whispering in my ear. Like, I think you might be on to something, dude. It started with that, everybody would just watch me do it, and I got better as time proceeded. I challenged myself to get better.

I would say that I am my ultimate worst critic because I judge myself quite often. I spent a good deal practicing, seeing where I could go next. My brothers and cousins and stuff would be like, you can do this better, or you can try this. I have a core family system, so like, everybody was major key when they were pointing me in this direction. It's like they knew something I didn't, you know?

I noticed your shoes. Can you tell me a little bit about the shoes?

Ohh shoes, man. Painting sneakers came about in my adult years. I've had a love for sneakers ever since I tied my first shoelaces. That’s been something that's always been a part of me. I was online one day, and I went on YouTube and I started seeing a couple of guys painting shoes. I looked, and I said, well, I paint. I could do this. I think I could do this. Lo and behold, I got into it.

My first few pairs were a little rocky, you know, because I was learning by experience. After that, I got good at it! Then a couple of my buddies and people that I knew, I would just do their shoes. My younger God brother’s, maybe an uncle or aunt in the family, I would just do their shoes and I built some traction. It just blossomed.

Custom Nike Air Force Ones adorned with vivid portraits of Roberto Clemente and Héctor Lavoe.

It seems like you were influenced a lot by the world around you and the people in your life.

Yeah, ironically so. A lot of things come from, you know, me. How I grew up, the music, the cultures that I have experienced along the way. I love Latino culture. I love Japanese culture. I love African culture. The music culture of course, like late 80s, early 90s music. A lot of stuff influenced me. Movies, TV, man, I used to have like a collection of Kung Fu movies and stuff like that. It’s me, you know.

Can you tell me about your favorite project?

Aldonte the Artist stands next to his award-winning sneakers from the Martk'd competition, showcased at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Oh man, yes, when I was a part of a sneaker competition with Martk’d. That was an amazing experience. I won the competition, and my shoes made it to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. To be on display, in a building full of legends, like that was just amazing. I had the pleasure of working with Reebok on a design concept, the Phoenix Suns, the Fanatics and Walmart. It’s been an amazing journey. I also did some work for Mountain Dew, painting basketballs for the NBA All Star Weekend in 2022. Sneakers are my favorite, considering how much they can tell a story.

Where else can we see more of your work? Did I see you at Deep Roots?

Yes, yes, Deep Roots! I can say it's the same experience as 787, they treated me like family ever since I’ve met them. Deep Roots is an amazing space that gives artists an outlet, not only to display their artwork, but to work with other companies, instilling partnerships, and all that good stuff, that can get us jobs, get eyes on us, and all types of good stuff. Deep Roots is an amazing space that gives artists an outlet to showcase their pieces. They do so much for artists. The owner, David Ramsey, is a really, really, good person, good curator, and yeah, it’s a really, really, great space.

Are there any people out there that you look up to or draw inspiration from? Who are you a fan of?

Right now, I would say I'm a fan of Mr. Soul. He's one of the most legendary, prolific graffiti artists in Cleveland. Dayzwhun. Sano. These are all legendary guys that's been painting and doing things in the city before I could even, you know, get to painting on something. I definitely draw inspiration from these guys. They really took me under their wing. They inspired me. They motivated me. They taught me some things. Seeing them do murals, and seeing them do other things, kinda sparked the challenge in me to be more versatile with my craft. Like I never thought to this day I would do a mural, but to watch them work the way they do, I was like, I think I could do it too!

What advice would you give Cayden?

Trust yourself. Try to trust other people too. I mean, sometimes along this journey there might be people that don’t appreciate you as an artist, or some people that might take advantage of you. In the midst of that, there are some good people. People that have the best intentions for you. They might see something in you that you don’t yet. Also, just be active. There are moments when, like, we don’t want to get up. Sometimes we can be very introverted.

How do you define success?

Achieving your goals. Outside of the goals, who were you able to touch along the way? It’s not all about financials, it’s about your work ethic, the people that you’ve touched, taught, or motivated along the way, leaving an impact.

I think some people might be afraid to put themselves out there, afraid of rejection or what other people might think of their art. What would you say to them?

Yeah, it's like we're afraid of rejection because we're opening ourselves up to say, ‘here I am,’ and that’s a state of vulnerability. ‘Here's my work, and I want you to see it!’

Sometimes people can make us feel like, ‘oh, man, I don't think I ever want to do this again.’ But there's another moment, where it's like, part of that is motivation. I can say, ‘OK, this might not have been my best one, but let me keep working, to show and prove that I can do my best.

Do you have plans for any other murals?

I would love to do more. I see myself doing heroes. You know, I had a blast! I actually enjoyed it a lot.

This interview has been edited for brevity.