A few months ago I decided to take a big step and make a lifelong dream come true, moving to the beach. This meant a whole lot of new things in my life, starting by the colors, textures and the ways of life of the tropics. I moved to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, where everything seems to be so much more simple, natural and authentic, compared to the hectic and restless Mexico City.
At the same time, I started a collaboration with Dionisio Arras García, an architect, carpenter and artist based in Mexico City. We started experimenting and producing here, influenced by nature, calmness and the endless horizon. Our goal is to invite people to have a different approach to our pieces, including the backround in the installation and making it all become one.
Here some pictures of the process:
INTRO took place at Guadua, a beautiful bamboo palapa right at the beach. A very interesting crowd of people gathered during the afternoon to have some drinks, watch the sunset and talk.
This is only the beginning, we will keep you posted with what will come next….
*Pictures by: Estelí García, Pamela Macko, Dionisio Arras and myself.
On the 22-24th of june, the III Illustration, Painting and Photography Workshop took place in Mexico City. Alvaro Nates and Miguel Angel Cordera where the invited artists. Alvaro is a very talented photographer and Miguel is an abstract painter. Both work and live in DF.
We experimented taking photographs at Alvaro´s studio in collaboration with Revês, a mexican dance-performance agency, and then worked on that images in both Abstract and Figurative ways during the weekend.
Priscilla Hernández, our model, made an impressive performance spending 7 minutes with each participant modeling, dancing, acting and feeling what each person had in mind. Alvaro guided us through the technical process of taking pictures with high quality equipment. But first, he gave us a lecture about photography showing us his favorite artists and explaining their technique and concept.
Before the shooting Alvaro explained to us some basic techniques about photography and the gadgets we had and how to play with them, and after each session (7 minutes each participant) he took a portrait of each one of us. One shot.
Here some results of the shooting:
By Vane
By Arturo
By Pame
By me
And here the portraits by Alvaro of each one of us:
Martin
Paola
Arturo
Pame
Vane
Gabriella
Poncho
Lian
Danae
and me.
After a very intense first day we all went home with our heads full of ideas.
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Saturday
Miguel Ángel Cordera is a mexican abstract painter, and we started fresh in the morning with a lesson in abstract art, analizing different artists and his own work. He explained his creative process and we chose some of the pictures taken the day before, and started to work on them.
Coffee Break
The catering was in charge of Pamela Macko, a nutritionist who made us very happy during the whole weekend with healthy and delicious munchies.
VERY happy!
After having lunch, we started painting. Each one chose between the pictures taken of Priscilla, or the portrait Alvaro Nates made of each participant after their 7 minutes with the model. So you could do a portrait or a self-portrait. Interesting things came out….
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Sunday
During the first and second workshop we started painting a huge mural, so it was time to finish it. It was sunny and it was my birthday as well, lucky me
Happy birthday to me
As some amazing paintings came out on saturday, some of us finished them after lunch, and others continued painting the mural. We decided to do a little show with the paintings and celebrate my birthday, so some friends came over to celebrate with us. Thank you so much to all the people involved, it was for sure the best birthday of my life
Thank you Pame!!!!
Self-portrait by Poncho
Self-portrait by Vane
Me by Paola
Priscilla (our model) by Artruro, and Pame´s self portrait
Como parte de la serie de talleres de Ilustración, Pintura y a partir de ahora, Fotografía, arranca éste III Módulo en el cual, 2 artistas visuales invitados guiarán las disciplinas que serán abordadas, en éste caso, Alvaro Nates (Fotógrafo) y Miguel Ángel Cordera (Pintor).
Este taller está pensado para personas con interés en desarrollar su técnica pictórica y fotográfica, o iniciarse en ella. Experimentando con la abstracción y la figuración, descubriendo así un abanico de posibilidades y técnicas para desarrollar sin guía.
Buscamos despertar en cada uno la forma de canalizar y descubrir nuevos medios de expresión.
*El catering estará a cargo de Flor de Río florderio.com
Horarios y Temario:
VIERNES 22
De 6 a 7 pm- Introducción al taller, y plática con Alvaro Nates sobre su proceso creativo e incursión en la fotografía de autor, algunas referencias de fotógrafos contemporáneos.
7.30 pm Coffee break
Shooting en su estudio (Condesa) en colaboración con la agencia de danza Rêves Agency y edición de las fotos.
SÁBADO 23
11 am a 3 pm- Introducción a la Pintura por Miguel Ángel Cordera.Teoría del color y blanco y negro, ejercicios con carboncillo y tinta china.
1 pm Coffee break
Miguel Ángel Cordera http://cordera.com.mx/
3-4 pm- Break de Comida
4-9 pm- Introducción a la Pintura Figurativa. Análisis de artistas contemporáneos y sus técnicas y métodos pictóricos.
Paola Beck http://paolabeck.com/
Análisis de las fotos seleccionadas y editadas en el shooting por Alvaro Nates y realización de un lienzo en acrílico o óleo.
7 pm Coffee break
DOMINGO 24
11-2 pm- Pintura Mural (Conclusión del mural iniciado en el I Taller) por Paola Beck.
12.30 Coffee break
2-3 pm- Break de comida
3-6 pm- Introducción a la pintura abstracta por Miguel Ángel Cordera.Pintura de acrílico sobre lienzo.
6.30 pm Cierre del taller.
*Todos los coffe breaks estarán a cargo de Flor de Río.
Cuota del taller: $2,500.00 *Incluye: material para el mural y los acrílicos para la pintura abstracta, coffee breaks, un juego de textos referentes a los temas del taller, una constancia del taller y la impresión de las fotografías del shooting.
No incluye: materiales específicos como lienzos, pinceles, óleos, etc.*Se enviará la lista completa de materiales a las personas inscritas.
Se requiere cámara fotográfica (si no se cuenta con ella, funcionan smartphones).
Información adicional: paolabeck@hotmail.com5522716084
Inscritos antes del 15 de Junio: $2,200.00Aparta tu lugar!!
Cupo máximo: 12 personas
Last february we had the second Illustration and Painting Workshop here, in Mexico City.
I invited two visual artists Vena2 and Diana Quintero that gave very interesting lectures and practical lessons. After a long and intense weekend, where the theme was to focus on creating a collective thought and to develop this thought into reality, the magic happened.
The teachers
The object of the workshop was to open up our creative side, with a concept to stand on. It was very interesting to see how each different personality ends up merging with the whole group, creating an original and intelectual vibe that can only push you to surpass your creative limits.
Part of ”Entre perros y carreteras” (between dogs and highways). In progress.
The bird sculpture was made by a friend of my adolescence and my very first love, Philipp Reichardt.
Steel and glass, 2000.
“Let the devil in o el fantasma tropical” This drawing was made after someone came into my room while I was sleeping alone in Puerto Escondido, took all my money and left in silence.
This was the wrapping paper of a gift.
Alvaro Nates, my official photographer did a shooting for Spot Magazine in Mexico City,
and I asked him for one picture to paint on. this is what came out. I love it! Its called Tiger.
My dear photographer friend Ximena Romero took these pictures at the Illustration and Painting Workshop we did in November of last year. As she said “I have never painted in my life” some very interesting and creative drawings and paintings came out during the weekend, which is a proof that we all have plenty of artistic blessings, its just about bringing them out!
You should have a look at her blog, peti-rojo.tumblr.com. It has beautiful inspirational things and photographs.
Enjoy!
DAY 1
Neto is an audio engineer, and he was our official camera man during the weekend! Guerrilla Recording. Frida is his loooovely chihuahua.
Contemporary Art (Theory)
Drawing exercises
Ximena´s first drawing!
DAY 2
Painting and Illustration Lesson 1
Lunchbreak!
Our first guest, mexican painter Rafael Uriegas. He teached theory of Modern Painting.
Lian is a psychologist and cultural promoter, she is part of Cultura Colectiva, a mexican collective that promotes emerging artists of all disciplines. She has invited me to do lots of collaborations!
Abraham is a graphic designer and illustrator, and Martin is an economist and artist.
René de la Rosa is a director, filmmaker, designer and drawer.
Wallpainting Lesson
Our second guest, Cocolvú, is a graphic designer, illustrator, painter, and prolific visual artist.
Paola Pineda (3rd on top) is an architect, painter, and artistic project director.
These are the T-shirts, bags, stickers and pins I did for Atto & The Majestics, for the Vive Latino Music Festival, 2011, in Mexico City. Thanks to the models from Rêves Agency, the styling from mexican fashion designer Roberto Sanchez and my official photographer, Alvaro Nates.
In November musician and visual artist Natalia Lafourcade invited me to do an illustration and painting workshop at her house in Mexico City, and we organized an intensive weekend of different lessons, with two visual artists as guests. Rafael Uriegas and Cocolvú .
We had lots of fun, and we did illustration, painting, collage, wallpainting, life model draw, modern painting and contemporary art (theory), proportion and shadows.
Here a few pictures of the 1st workshop, the next one will be early next year! ill keep you posted!
I was invited by an artist I admire a lot, Jorge Alderete, to be part of a group exhibition held in Vértigo, his gallery in Mexico City, for their 2nd Aniversary.
We where more than 50 artists, from Mexico and other countries, mainly illustrators and designers.
The show was about Death. And the feeling every artist had about it, making a tribute to prehispanic Tzompantlis, walls of skulls of all the sacrificed people as a tribute to the gods. Or at least thats what I did.
My piece was called “And the joker laughs at you ha ha ha”. Its acrylic on wood.
Cultura Colectiva is a group of young people in Mexico City, who´s idea is to support emerging artists, combining every discipline, organizing events and life acts. At the 1st Collective Act, held at Foro Hilvana in Mexico City, several artists co-worked at a party that was a blast! I painted with two mexican visual artists, Rafael Uriegas and Emilio Cantón, and the result was completely unplanned and spontaneous.
