Loup at the studio

Photo of the week - 1

I have decided to add a pic of the week. One photo per week that I want to share. So here is the first one, and is one that shows the mood of the holidays: Loup and me taking a siesta.

So I didn't mention it!

Las year in June I had an exhibition. Scrolling down this blog, I discovered I didn't metion it here. Sorry if I don't do a translation (usually I write in English and then translate it into spanish) but here is the link:

Escribanía

Mirada Contenida - works

Here are some of the works.

70's collection.

Oil pastel and coloured pencil.

17 1/2 x 23 in.

Things from the wind.

Ink

11 1/2 x 8 6/8 in.

From grandma's stuff.

Oil pastel, coloure.d pencil.

17 1/2 x 23 in

From Maruca.

Coloured pencil.

17 1/2 x 23 in.

From the glass I see through.

Pencil

23 x 17 1/2 in.

Another part from the 60.

Ink

23 x 17 1/2 in.

Small obsession.

Ink

23 x 17 1/2 in.

Pipes 2

Ink

8 6/8 x 11 1/2 in.

Mother´s gift.

Coloured pencil

17 1/2 x 23 in.

Mirada Contenida

Last Thursday 3 was the opening of my exhibition by the name "Mirada Contenida" (Restrained Look). There are 13 drawings in oil pastels, pencil, cloured pencils and ink. The subject is about things I have as part of some collection. But they are not collections of precious things - even though, they can be. Rather, they are charged with feelings and memories, nostalgia for dear relatives or friends.

After the last exhibition, in which I used calligraphy and ink drawings depicting ideas and thoughts, this one is about things that can be toched and felt with you fingers. The still life is not something common in my exhibited work. I keep on drawing from life, it is something I like. One teacher once told me that a true artist had to have the hability to draw from life, so I kept on. But to show a group of still lives is something different. So that is the reason for the name, restrained look. The eye is focused in a liitle space that contains some known elements. 

The tecnique is also of some importance. Oil pastels were used by me back in the 70's. I used to do work in coloured pencils during my training years at the university. As for the pencil and ink, they have been a constant in my work. All of them were perfecf to the task, to draw my stuff.

For the time being, I'll keep with the subject. I have to go further, I want to explore much more things I have to try to outcast the spell they have on me.

On teaching

Somehow, I have been influenced by some teachers. I couldn't say that is why I became one, but certainly has been a reason to keep in the trade. There is a chance to make a change in the lives of some of the students, let them discover new things, something in them that pups up after a talk or a class.

    I discovered art by a book given to me at prep school by my ethics teacher. The paintings of Modigliani may have never been so illuminating in my life if Gonzalo Lara didn't give me that book. When living in Washington D. C., the same teacher asked me to write for the paper of the same school, so I started to write. Something that was encouraged by Mr. Harding at St. John's College High School when reading American Authors.

    Alejandro Gonzalez Danieli let me savor the joy of writing short stories at the university. An idea could turn into a story, so I could tell whatever I wanted to say, hidden in the text for others to discover.

    There are some whose names just can't remember, but that made a difference. Like my drawing teacher at The Corcoran School of Art, that let me discover the great beauty of the human body, and the joy of drawing the figure.

    I don't know if my work as a teacher has made a difference, but, sincerely, that's what I hope.

Image: http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/41904/facts.modigliani.htm

Crêpes de huitlacoche

    Today I had for dinner Crêpes de huitlacoche with chipotle sauce, and a little glass of tequila - un caballito. Of course it was delicious, but I wonder, who was the brave who decided this kind of food was right. Huitlacoche, or Cuitlacoche (corn smut), is a fungus that grows into corn - Ustilago maydis. It doesn't look nice, as some people had told me. I just could say it looks kind of strange, maybe because I've seen it since I was a little boy.

    The colour of huitlacoche is between dark purple and black, with some tones of green, and the yellow from the corn. It tastes kind of earthy, and it's prepared fried with onion, some garlic and tomato (at least in my house). Just some huitlacoche in a tortilla is great. Of course, some chile has to go with it. It seems impossible not to have chile with our meal. Now, using a crêpe instead of a tortilla makes it different. I have had it with white sauce, and it's very nice. With the chipotle sauce it's magnificent!

    One time, a frind from my wife from chile, visited us in Mexico City. There were two things that shocked her: The first one was in a short trip to an avocado orchard. After some minutes riding, she said with amazement: "When does the city ends!". The second one, with some distaste, she said that everything we eat was tortilla with wathever in it and chile sauce.

    That second statement may be truth, but Mexican cuisine has much more to offer. But yes, we love to eat tortillas, as well as tamales, sopes, pelliscadas, panuchos, bocolitos, migadas, gorditas, tlacoyos and many  corn based dishes. The chile sauce is, or chiles prepared in many ways, always on our table (and there are many varieties of chile with different grades of "picor" or hotness).

    At the end, every culture favors some food, some ways of cooking. I like many stiles. For instance, I like very much Japanese cuisine, some other times I feel like eating pizza with beer. What I had today for dinner is a mixture: a classic French or Belgium dish with tipical mexican ingredients.

    ¡Salud!

    

IDLENESS

I heard many times that idleness was something bad. You should not be idle at all cost. That kind of personas are bad, idleness brings nothing but bad things. You must be actice, always doing something. In that way you avoid bad thoughts and bad habits.
So I decided to start doing things, like listening to music, sit down and enjoy a beatiful view, I sat quietly to have a hot cup of tea or to watch the stars in a warm night, draw the people at a plaza  full of trees. What was the answer to all my actions?: "Do something, stop waisting your time!"
WOW! I thought I was doing something. Sitting and watching a beatiful view wasn't doing something? Neither enjoying a nice cup of tea in a confortable chair? Drawing people in a quite afternoon under a tree wasn't enough?
No, those weren't the kind of things they wanted me to do. That was waisting the time, my time, That was idleness, and I just discovered I love it. Loosing my time let me think and make up stories. It allowed me to draw soemthing I discovered, something that amazed me. Or I could sit quitely smoking my pipe.
What's wrong with idleness? Well, it is very dangerous. You may become an artist.

Like a string.

Today I read: "To exercise right mindfulness, the mind must be neither too taut, nor to relaxed, like the string of a vina." (Kalu Rinpoche). 

(Respirando. Ink and watercolour on paper)

I wonder, what kind of tune am I playing?

ch ch ch changes

For some time I've been saying that my work should have a change. That drawing and printing is something that I should be doing. It's not that I'm not painting any more. I just have to remember the great experience of painting murals.

Some where I read that Albert Einstein, a fellow pipe smoker, said: 

"If you want different results, do not do the same things"

So what is it tha I have to do different?

I have a beautiful etching press. Small but beautiful. I bought it many years ago, even before I learned etching. At school I did some prints, xilograhies. But they where printed by hand. It was some two years after arriving at San Luis that someone offered me this heavy machine. He needed money and he was asking for not much money. The press was built by one of the best contemporary printers in San Luis, José Faz. It was his first ever made press.

I have used it many times. But some five years ago, after rearrenging the studio, ther press was left unattended. It looked like anothes piece of furniture to keep papers, books and whatever needed a place. 

Well, a week ago my wife and I decided to clean the press and give it a good place. Somewhere that could be right to work at. That meant to change also our working tables, the extra furniture, move the books on the press to another place, decide which papers are ok and place them in the right place and throw to the bin many, many things.

The place is small, but we didn't need to add anything else. Just re-arrange. Today I finished the work. Here are some photos.

In the last one its me, happy after the work done. Next week, there will be some new prints.

Calligraphy

Me?. Ink and watercolour on paper.

As a student od Graphic Design I studied calligraphy. I just loved it. I bought many differents pens, nibs, inks, papers. I was hooked. When my son was born, I used to do some calligraphy work for some universities and a  a theatre critics' association, doing some diplomas. I can say now that sometimes it was the only income, so I was grateful I did my homework.

Now, in doing the new work, my interest for lettering and calligraphy is back. I'm practicing in a daily basis. Hopefully it will pay off. At least in giving me pleasure.

Ruizlimón

Walking at night

Filemon, my lovely schnauzer, is now a grown dog. We keep on walking, something we both enjoy. But even though I like to do it early in the morning, during  the past months has become a night walk.

At morning I like to hear the birds singing, while everything else is so quite. The rising sun shows a soft light, and the wandering gives a fresh start to the day.

At night...well, we walk. No day light, no birds singing. But, sometimes, you may look at a glorious moon. 

New drawings.

I've been working in a series of drawings in watercolour and inks, using some calligraphy. I´m happy with the results. I'll keep on doing some more, although I'm starting to work in some still lives.

Writting

Here I am. Thinking about Käthe Kollwitz. Trying to write something about why some artist end working in graphics instead of painting. Why? Well, because I like printing. Because my mother used to tell me that instead of trying to become a painter, I should keep on drawing and printing.

Reading about Kollwitz in an exhibition catalog, I came to know that she thought that she was good at drawing and graphics. I wonder, why I keep on trying to be a painter? Maybe my mother was right.

Work done.

After some months without painting, it has been difficult for me to start over again. Although I have been doing some drawing, the time left for my personal work has been little. Now, that I'm back at the studio, I don't know what to paint, how to start. So I decided to continue with a little painting left unfinished.

Yesterday I finished it. It's in acrylics, on a small gessoed board (40 x 30 cm). I'm satisfied.

The screen printing workshop.

I'm working to get the workshop ready for next week, so that we may start our production of screen prints. My son helped me today to set up the new shelves for paper, inks and whatever is needed. I´m glad I got them. Right now the place is a mess, but there's nothing compared to the expectation of cleaning and fixing up a place for work.

The place is very little, but I have worked there before, and I know I can do it. For the time being, I can't afford other premises. And working at home has it's own benefits. Anyhow, I'm greatful for having my own working place.

For two months little Loup has been the new home atraction...or headache. For Benito, the fat male, she has become a pain in the....she keeps hunting the big cat with ferocious attitud. For Frijola, the shy black female, she is the enemy. For must of the family she is really a menace: drinking from our cups, biting, chewing the toothbrushes, jumping over the bed while we are asleep...But she is good company, like when I take the morning bath, or when I work in my studio. I'm happy I got her.

First impressions count

This text was written for the Pipe Club of Lebanon in December 2009, and sent to my dear friend Paul Jahshant. Now I want to share it.

For a group of four, that never attended such a contest, the idea was tempting. It was in a near by town, Bernal, just two hours far from home and with the third biggest monolith on earth. So after our monthly meeting, three of us decided to go and see.

I had been reading about the slow smoking contest for years, and the invitation from Mexico City was a chance to give a glance to such a thing. During the meeting, we were discussing about the joy of smoking. After all, how we smoke is not important, just having a good time with friends and savoring our favorite blend is. Anyway, after three years of meetings, the chance to travel with friends was a good idea. Near the town of destination, there are two vineyards, and we could meet smokers from other places. Pedro, the last member of our club, would pick up the other two, Arturo and I. It was Saturday morning, a clear sky, and the three of us where heading to visit to de wine-cellar of the vineyard Freixenet. After the tour, and a few glasses of wine, we arrived at the hotel where the contest would be held. There were people from Mexico City, Queretaro, and the host of the contest, Carlos Camacho, from Ezequiel Montes. We moved to a restaurant, facing the famous “peña de Bernal”, with typical food, beer and wine. Everybody was in a very good mood. I had the chance to see some old friends, like Joaquin, President of El Circulo de la Pipa, and Gustavo, President of the Azteca Pipaclub. But most of the smokers were new acquaintances. During the meal, all the three of us declined the invitation to participate in the contest, arguing that we had never participated in one and were inexperienced smokers, but we were willing to see everything that happened. Joaquín told us that we have to participate, and a “no” was not possible. So we didn’t have any chance but to accept. The time had come. We received our tobacco and matches. Got ready, and at the contest was started. We were kind of shy, trying to follow all the directions given. What we were thinking? No one wanted to be the first to abandon the competition! But there was a moment when we wanted to get to the hour, I was near that time. After all, we were happy to be there, of having participated in the competition. We got third, fourth and fifth place (me being the fifth). The contest was fun, in a beautiful place. But it is the fellowship among pipe smokers what we liked the most. We came back to San Luis with the purpose of organizing our first slow smoking contest for 2010, and we are in it.

The group at Bernal

Guillermo Ruizlimon San Luis Potosi, December 2009

Rediscovering painting.

My work at the university has really taken over my time. For some four years I have had little time for my work as an artist. I have been drawing, but not as much as I would like to. I have done some painting, but not enough. Well, I have decided to change things around here.
First, I have started to walk on a daily basis. How could it be possible that a walker wasn't walking? So I'm enjoying my morning walk again. Being at my studio is another thing that helps me change things. It doesn't matter if I don't have time for painting or drawing. Being at the studio every day is helping me. My studio now looks like a studio again, and work is flowing.
I want a change in my life. I have to make the change. What do I have to change? I'm in the move, I am doing changes to have the life I want, to have more time for my art work and for taking care of myself.

Another year that ends...

For some time I removed from my e-mail signature the links for my blogs (this one and another in spanish - el goce de la vida). I just didn't know if it was worth to have a blog if I wasn't writing at all. But I like blogs. I think that some that I follow are great, others make me laugh, and I learn from others. That is why I've decided to keep on writing.
I'm a native spanish speaker (no one could ever know...lol), but I write this one in English because I happen to spend some of my days thinking in English. So if I want to write something, I do it in English. Well, and I have some friends that only speak English...Not always what is written in one blog is translated to the other, although some times I do.
Does anyone read my blogs? Yes, I know some friends do. and for me that's enough. But I also write for myself, because it seems to be good for me. And, after all, I like to share with others, so I'll keep on wtiting.

Best wishes for 2011!