Mother and son power duo artists from Houston, Texas visited San Pedro, Ambergris Caye this past week, leaving something behind they hope will brighten up islander’s spirits and bring a little character to the island community. They completed a mural on the face of a warehouse where they depicted a couple of their most inspirational portraits.
Sylvia completed another tribute to the late Selena, one of her favorite characters to paint. She added a touch of Belize to it by adding a few black orchids to her side of the mural. On the other end of the building, Alex featured one of his signature portraits of Tupac Shakur in the style of Pablo Picasso to make “PACasso”.
“I believe art like this makes people happy,” commented Mukul Kanabar, island businessman, who met the Romans in Houston a while back. He had been wanting to bring them to San Pedro for a while now, but the pandemic delayed his plans.
“I hope their art is uplifting for the community,” he continued. “I hope it inspires people to be more creative, to start something new; to liven up the island.” Mukul says he would like to work with local artists with more projects like this one. Sylvia and Alex say they are more than happy to come back for more; they loved their time in Belize.
Alex Roman and his mother Sylvia Roman, better known publicly as Donkeeboy and Donkeemom, are very well known artist whose work be seen all over Houston and pays tribute to everyone from Selena to astronauts to Houston native George Floyd. They started collaborating out of similar tastes, interests, and experiences. Alex grew up drawing, and saw his mother’s success with her paintings, which depict things like Frida Kahlo’s boot with her prosthetic leg attached.
