The LUIS sculpture

Hello.

So I needed some good Christmas presents and what better way to gift someone than to make it with your own hands. That's just what I did with this LUIS sculpture. The sculpture was named so for the person it was for, I wanted to depict a strong male figure, confident and outgoing! These are the qualities I see in the real Luis. So I made a rather muscular male, and positioned him in what I consider a pose that exudes confidence in himself without being too arrogant. It began as a fleshy-colored beige and then i painted it GOLD for a more classical touch and shine. I didn't have all of my tools when making this piece so it is rather rough but that adds to the character of the piece and also to its testament of being hand made.

Mirror Slumber girl (old but new)

Hi, this latest piece is actually VERY OLD, I made this a while back when we still had the butterfly gallery, but nonetheless, she survived the move and still hadn't been baked so I baked her today. I knew she had to be made with a mirror and now that I have a mirror to set into her case she is all done. The mirror was integral due to her being very flat/low to the ground and actually very hard to see, the mirror opens up the entire composition allowing you to actually see her face clearly. I love it.
I have also included a real butterfly (farm-raised of course) on her back, this time to symbolize beauty. She is tired and fell asleep in the woods, the butterfly accentuates her beauty, no deathly themes this time :)

Impending Maternity

Hey. This latest piece I have been dreaming about making for sometime. No really, I have been wanting to make a blue figure because I wondered what it would look like if I made one NOT painted, but out of blue clay while also keeping up with my latest trend of keeping them rather sculptural. The result is a piece I absolutely love. She is a heavy set pregnant woman who holds three seeds on her hands. The three is archaic, holding allusions to the holy trinity in early Christian art. The figure being blue represents water, water is life and the seeds themselves represent the life she has sewn inside of herself which she has yet to reap the rewards of. Having children is a life changing move and this was her decision. The woman’s face is stoic, she is certain this is her uncertain future. I will likely boil the figure to give it a more rustic and less finished look, the rougher the better.
P.S. The white balance of the photos is off, she really is BLUE, not turquoise.

Representation - B&Z

Hi everyone.
Here is a blog letting all of you know that you can purchase The Butterfly People in a decent retail-gallery setting at B&Z Silk Gallery which is located in lower Manhattan inside of the Pier 17 pavilion of the South Street Seaport. You can easily get there by train using the A,C, J, M, Z, 2, 3, 4, 5, to Broadway-Nassau or Fulton Street station, walk east towards the east river and you cant miss Pier 17 with the boats. B&Z is located on the second floor near the back end of the mall (towards the east river). See the business card above for numbers if you want to call and for their website visit www.bzartinternational.com, my work is not on their online store, but feel free to ask about the work of Pedro Ramirez before you visit you may have to describe them as the clay ladies with butterfly wings. Currently, the works below are inside of the gallery for sale.

Vluchtig

Greetings.
I would like to introduce you to Vluchtig, she is the latest and greatest of my polymer people. Vluchtig means fleeting in Dutch which is an allusion to some of the symbolism of the piece. I must apologize in advance for in re-reading this post, I sound a bit ranty and preachy, Its only because I have regained passion for my work, thats all. With more time on my hands lately to actually make art rather than novelty items, I was able to sculpt this piece carefully. Using some actual observation of the human figure also lended a hand in creating what is one of my most anatomically correct sculptures and definitely one with the most muscle tone. When sculpting I usually expedite the process to move as quickly as possible, but now I see what ive been missing which is a figure I actually like. Its not really about the money anymore, so with this piece I worked slowly and deliberately. There are not only finger prints on the piece, but also nicks and cuts, small gashes, I did not smooth them over, she is human, humans are imperfect beings. read more below.

So I started out as usual with the nude figure, this time opting to sculpt nipples and some muscle tone, this is a strong fit female figure. I worked on the hair for quite a long time as well because I wanted to make a style that fell over her face instead of my usual part down the middle type of hair. I was able to achieve this through layers, her hair has three different lengths of hair for a layered look that goes from short to very long in the back. Believe it or not, the hair mimics her personality which is not static, it is constantly changing, she is a work in progress forever for she has a mind of her own. Those who think for themselves are constantly reinventing the way they see the world.

The figure is about three inches tall and although I say im “shopping” for wings in the video, I would rather the butterfly be simply on or next to her. The butterfly in the actual composition of this figure and her immediate surroundings when she is encased will be pivotal. The butterfly represents death. The figure is almost the epitome of female perfection, yet the butterfly is there to remind us that life is short and that our living condition is a temporary one. A representation of fleeting life. Depressing? No, but for those who never read this, they may just think the butterfly is “cute”, if they only knew that art is not arbitrary, even when we don’t know the meaning of a work of art, it has meaning. This sculpture was created to invoke in you something, I want you to react to it, you don’t have to enjoy it, but as long as it had an effect on you, that is all that I ask for.

It was pointed out to me that the figures legs looked strange, I noticed it was because her thighs tapered down to her huge calf muscles, so with the finished product the legs are drown up closer to the body like below.

Het vluchtige leven

Thoughts

the stuff below is in not taken form, or ramble, but the thoughts are good platforms on which to create the next set of sculptures... I cant wait, right now im at a point where I cant force myself, I have to actually think about why im making stuff at all.

Change the world view that people are sinners and that god is going to save them. Quest for knowledge. Empiricism, look at something and examine it. Looking to know (learn) is empiricism. The visual element volume and also line in certain instances. The renaissance is the beginning of the modern world, and a way of thinking outside of the middle ages. Secular art, away from religious. To be a humanist is to be interested in humanity, what it is to be human. Joy in knowing. Make an enclosed garden which symbolizes the unbroken womb of the virgin. Like Titian's "Pastoral Concert" ideas that nature gives us life. Those restorative things that bring us back to where we came from. Water = life refreshment. Figures being a poetic allusion, muse, inspiration of music. Allusion = allegory, roses represent beauty, sensualness. How can secular art have depth, seriousness? Introspection, we are not just intellectual, but thoughtful. part of what makes our identity is our inner life which is hard to capture. A secularization and individual thinking. Art is a product of an individual, not a society and reflect that artists life and world view. Virgin Mary? NO, celebrate the grandeur in individuals.

Where the hell have I been?

Where the hell have I been?
Hi guys, I know I have been missing in action, but its because I have laryngitis and final exams coming up in school. I know its Christmas and the time to make money on the streets of NYC, but really I think health and peace of mind is more important, I should be back out soon.