Handicrafts Hecho A Mano
I remember going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and seeing The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, by Edgar Degas and connecting to her. Her little perfect bronze body so still, even as a child I felt awed by the sculpture. Olga Ayala is an artist who also sculpts dancers that I connect with on a different level. Olga doesn't just create the art, she gives a history lesson, an insight into a culture that I LOVE and am so proud to be a part of. If you've had the great fortune of stopping by myspace page shortly after Olga's been there, you might learn about "Vejigantes" or "mayohuacans." Hopefully after reading this article you'll go to her page and soak up some more...culture.
Angel M
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BFC: You currently live in New York. Were you born there as well?
I grew up in El Barrio in NYC. My parents moved from Puerto Rico and met there when they were teenagers. My father was a factory worker who moonlighted as a timbalero. This paid for the catholic school tuition for my older brothers and me. My mom was a homemaker and full time mom.
Our house was done up in typical Puerto Rican decor.... vinyl furniture cushions that stuck to you like nobody's business in summer and were cold as hell in winter and plastic covering the lampshades. It was amazing to see what the actual color of the upholstery was when it was time to change the covers to new shiny ones! LOL!
There was always music playing in the house and the smell of mom's cooking. Aaaaaah!
The neighborhood was predominately Puerto Rican and I was immersed in the sounds, sights and aromas of my culture. The language at home was Spanish until we became school age. My mother insisted that we learn English in order to "defend" ourselves. She then spoke to us primarily in English and my father stuck with the Spanish with an occasional "Ricky Ricardo" thrown if for good measure. We were definitely rocking the Spanglish in our house!
My daughter's experience was quite different. I moved to a predominately Italian section of Staten Island before she was born. One day while she was in pre-K, I found out that she thought she was Italian. At first I was upset, but then I realized that she wasn't immersed in her culture the way I was. That's how my art went from being generic to cultural. I used it as a tool to teach her about our culture. Now... 17 years later she's got the cultural thing down... just gotta get her to speak Spanish!
BFC: Who influenced you to pursue art and how did you find sculpture?
My mom. She's my muse. As a very young child I realized she could draw better than anyone I knew and I begged her to teach me. When I was a little older she told how she gave up pursuing art in order to be a homemaker and mom. She saw my interest and fed it, taking me to museums, art shows and keeping me supplied with art materials. Later on in life she started to paint again and then discovered ceramics. This got me interested too. Although I'd been an artist all my life and had worked in various mediums, I hadn't given sculpture much thought until then, but I wasn't pleased with it, with the process. Then I discovered polymer clay.
I work with a modeling compound called Polymer Clay (Polyvinyl Chloride). It is composed of microscopic particles of polyvinyl chloride in suspension with a plasticizer that allows it to be molded like traditional clay. When heat is applied, the particles fuse together into a hardened product. It is generally sold under the brand names; Sculpey, Cernit and Fimo, and was originally developed by a woman in Germany as a doll making material. It "fires" at a very low temperature unlike ceramics. You "cook" it in a regular home oven. It's much quicker than ceramics.
BFC: I particularly love the fact that you educate your audience. Elaborate on how you do your research and where you get your inspiration.
The educating is a by-product of teaching my daughter about her culture. As I began to create more cultural pieces, people, including many Puerto Ricans, would ask me about their background and significance. Much of it I knew from oral history being handed down. What I didn't know I asked people about or research via the internet, books, film, museums.... whatever I could get my hands on. I began to realize people were always going to ask me questions and that I needed to be prepared to share my history and traditions and not spread ignorance. Now... I offer to share this info to whoever will listen! You can't shut me up!
My other passion is music. Especially any Latin music with heavy percussion (thanks dad)!
So a common theme you'll see in my work has to do with music. Kinda explains all that dancing clay!
BFC: Any final words about art in general.
Yes!... love.... Love.... LOVE what you do and do it with passion! Learn as much as you can about your craft and strive to be an expert at it. Be inspired by other people's work but find your own niche, because there's a void out there with your name on it!
05/07 am