Saturnino Portuonda “Pucho” Odio

1928 - 1997

Saturnino Portuondo “Pucho” Odio was born 1928 in Santiago de Cuba.  He attended school through the 6th grade in Cuba.  Odio was a talented wood carver known especially for his lively caricatures of his fellow Cuban Americans.  He lived in Cuba working as a carpenter, a barber, and a member of the merchant marine till he was 35 years old, then moved to New York City by way of Canada in 1963.  He returned to barbering after he settled in New York but by 1974 was able to give it up in favor of full time work as a carver. Odio carved caricatures of member of the Cuban community in New York and was well known for his depictions of dancers, street people, and everyday folk.  He used “downed” wood he found in the public parks or pieces of wood that he found in the streets for his carvings.  He was not fussy about the kind of wood as long as it fits his purpose.  He carved with hand tools and used latex house paint on the finished pieces. Odio was one of the few Cuban American folk artists who worked in this country. ²