Page 20 – The Art Avenue

December 3, 2013

By Melissa Castro

Native El Pasoan Jorge Aguero brings the beauty of the outdoors inside with his dainty terrarium creations. These miniature glass-enclosed gardens have made a comeback since they were last big in the 70s. The Art Avenue sat down with Aguero to learn more about his green thumb.

What inspired you to make terrariums?

While living in Philadelphia I came across a man outside a coffee shop selling terrariums. I was fascinated and bought a couple from him. I befriended him and after he stopped selling them I started making them myself.

Is there a plant of preference to use in the terrariums?

Succulents, ferns and moss only because they don’t require much maintenance. Those types of plants also thrive in El Paso’s climate.

Tell me about the containers you use?

All the glass containers are recycled. I find them at thrift shops around El Paso.

What is the maintenance like for a terrarium?

Making sure you have the right plants for the right climate. Above all it really is just making sure you don’t over water the plants because they survive on condensation like all outdoor plants. Also, because of the condensation cleaning the glass can be a hassle.

Aguero’s recycled glass terrariums can be found adorning the tables at the Downtown El Paso restaurant Tabla and at OM Boutique and Hair Salon.

Photographed by Alejandro Cardona

Illustration

You Think It’s Warm Now?

Kimberly Rene' Vanecek

November 25, 2013

By Nestor Valencia

Global warming is real and it is going to get warmer-alot warmer in the next decades. It is a serious problem that many people are talking about and the facts are staggering.

There are 1.1 billion cars, trucks, and buses operating on the planet today according to Wikipedia. Every year vehicles emit 1.73 billion metric tons (equivalent to 304 trillion pounds) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

That’s equal to burning all the coal in a fully loaded coal train that stretches 304,000 miles, long enough to wrap 12 times around the world. And that’s just the pollution from the 1.1 billion automobiles in just one year, not including pollution from other sources such as airplanes and factories.

And the heat is going to go up. Just eight years ago, in 2004, earth had only 700 million cars. Today’s 1.1 billion vehicles represent an increase of 57 percent.

Compared to other countries, the U.S. has the most number of vehicles, over 250,000,000, with a ratio of about 769 cars per 1,000 people. But China, the fastest growing large economy, is expected to overtake the USA as the largest automobile market on the planet within the next decade. In 2011, a total of 80 million cars were built worldwide, led by China with 18.4 million, the US built 8.6 million, and Japan 8.3 million units.

And something has to move these vehicles. According to the International Energy Agency, today the world produces approximately 90 million barrels of oil per day to keep up the present demand. Multiply the daily barrel needs by 365 days. The total is 32,850,000,000 billion barrels per year. Each barrel contains about 42 gallons of fuel.

Investor Center states that by 2035, it is estimated that the world will need 390 million barrels of oil, per day.

To add to the world pollution problem, the vehicles now on the road discard 2.2 billion tires each year. Tires consume over half of the earth’s rubber production, which, of course, burns more fuel.

In the next five years, almost half of the global oil demand will come from China. China and India will team up to soak up most of the world’s oil production until 2035. But the year 2035 is simply a benchmark. Demand will continue for many years beyond.

Global warming is a reality. Today the world population stands at about 7.2 billion people. It is time for every person to take responsibility and begin to reverse the death of our planet and our existence.

Design

The Art Whisper

Kimberly Rene' Vanecek

November 22, 2013

By Laura Pinson

By recycling and repositioning what you already have in your home, Robin Ramsey Fox, El Paso’s very own Art Whisper, says you can establish an environment conducive for the energy flow you need to bring you what you are looking for out of life. A large part of her job is helping her clients explore their motivations behind purchasing a painting or piece of art. “The question many people fail to ask themselves Fox says is “Why did I put this piece here? Do I really want my family’s photo in this spot, or did I just copy and paste it from Pinterest?”

Often times, Fox is called into professional office spaces to rearrange furniture or artwork. She uses a Bagwa map as her guide to getting the correct flow of energy in a space. She claims to even be able to rearrange a desk to make you more productive or prosperous. According to one of her clients, a proper energy flow can be used to bring happiness into your life, and *gasp*… even spark things up in the bedroom!

So what is the energy that is flowing through your space? Are you setting yourself up to receive all that you want out of life? Fox suggests that if your curious how to DIY and create a better energy flow in your space there is an App for that. Search for your own Bagwa map and start letting wealth, health, love, and prosperity into your universe.

Illustrations by Brian Rutter

Design

Bloomsday

The Art Avenue

November 20, 2013

By Victoria G. Molinar

Nearly 75% of the cut flowers we see in floral shops and grocery stores in the U.S. come from South America, according to local flower grower Emily Calhoun. Considering the environmental and monetary expenses, she decided to offer a more personal, cost-efficient alternative to the way people beautify an occasion.

Thus her business, Floriography, blossomed.

There’s something magical about a bouquet that comes from her flower farm in La Mesa (located off the beaten path between El Paso and Las Cruces, NM). The only known specialty cut flower farm within about 450 miles of this area, the work that goes into the flowers alone makes their existence special.

Calhoun starts her days at 6 a.m. tending to the native plants (like gaillardia, penstemons and a variety of sages) she grows on the farm. She also grows many common favorites, such as tulips, peonies and roses.

Calhoun’s environmental consciousness also adds a moral charm to her business.

“We have people who love and support the fact that we recycle our vessels, use tin cans from the soup kitchen and have pick-up locations,” said Calhoun, “One of the reasons we deliver our subscriptions on specific days is so that we can cut the amount of trips down between our farm and the delivery spots, which minimizes our carbon footprint.”

For more information on Floriography, visit FloriographyNM.com and Facebook.com/FloriographyNM or call 575-932-8853.

Photographed by Victoria G. Molinar

Visual Arts

Expansive Regard: Selected Works from the Collection of Juan Sandoval

Kimberly Rene' Vanecek

November 20, 2013

By Maggie Asfahani Hajj

Librarians are known to surround themselves with books, but a local bibliophile has found another driving passion as well.

Juan Sandoval, reference librarian and subject specialist for art and Chicano studies at UTEP, has amassed an eclectic art collection from around the world, featuring works by such noted artists as Manuel Acosta, Marta Arat, Francisco Delgado, Gaspar Enriquez, and Luis Jiménez. A small selection of these works is on display at the El Paso Museum of Art in the free exhibition An Expansive Regard: Selected Works from the Collection of Juan Sandoval, running through February 16, 2014.

“Juan Sandoval is an active patron of the museum and visitor to the museum and an El Paso fixture,” said Patrick Cable, senior curator at the El Paso Museum of Art. “He has, over the last several decades, collected probably a couple thousand different works–paintings, sculptures, prints and some ceramics too. He has a really interesting range of works in his collection, so we thought it would be interesting to highlight a selection of those works.”

The exhibition features 25 pieces that represent the unifying theme of the collection, Cable said.

“[The exhibition] sort of does speak to his personality, and his collection does as well,” he said. “Also the idea of the human element in his work is there. It’s not necessarily the heroic figure, but the ordinary figure, which has a unique quality about them within the picture. I think that’s part of what [Sandoval] is about.”

Maggie: When looking for art to add to your collection, do you gravitate toward certain themes or styles?

Juan: My art collection is extremely diverse and is a reflection of my eclectic reading habits. I didn’t start out to become an art collector. Since I always had to work, I could afford to purchase books. Since so many of my friends were impecunious, in an effort to assist them, I purchased their art for very little. Once I realized that you didn’t have to be rich to buy original works of art, there was no stopping. Rather than buy fancy clothing and cars, I continued to buy art and as the years passed, my collecting became a little more sophisticated. I never bought art as an investment, and was surprised when my dear friend Mart Arat told me that she felt that by being represented in his collection, her memory and work as an artist would be preserved for future generations.

Photographed by Julio Cesar Chavez

Design

Sky’s the Limit

Kimberly Rene' Vanecek

November 20, 2013

by Hope Ishear

Celebrating its 7^th year paying homage to famed artist Tom Lea, 50 events were held in nine cities sponsored by the Tom Lea Institute. Adair Margo, President and founder of the Tom Lea Institute organized the local celebrations that included lectures, art and memorabilia exhibits, movies, tours of Lea’s downtown murals, a play and fashion show all exploring the history of Lea.

Sky’s the Limit fashion show was held at Loft Lights in downtown El Paso where local fashion designers Zayra Estrada and Jose D’Saenz collaborated for the second annual Tom Lea fashion show.

Estrada and D’Saenz created a collection inspired by notable works of Lea, inclusive of paintings, pen and ink pieces and illustrations.

Photographed by Laura Bustillos and Alejandro Cardona

Photography

“Going Green” Photography Contest Winners

Kimberly Rene' Vanecek

November 19, 2013

The Art Avenue’s first place photograph by 16-year old Nicholas Arias is often referred to as “The Bee”. Arias captured the bee in-flight on a recent nature hike in the Franklin Mountains. The Coronado High School Sophomore feels we should be doing more to care of our environment.

A close second, Julio Cesar Chavez, a 18-year old student at El Paso Community College used a technique called double exposure to achieve his nature image. Chavez prefers to work with a Nikon D7100 and in his free time he captures images for wedding, quinceaneras and other events. You can view more of his work at novaromaproductions.com

Read more on these two photographers in the November/December issue of The Art Avenue.

Illustration

Catrina by Maria Picazo

The Art Avenue

October 25, 2013

As afraid of death as I am for its uncertainty, I always saw La Catrina as what it simply was, the end of a life. As much as it was dressed up all fancy, with that remarkable hat of hers, the somber thought of what laid under it was horrifying. Even the way it was artistically protrayed by adding layers of white powder and even blushed cheeks was absurd.

An elegant woman with no hat but still rocking that red lipstick. This is my depiction of a modern day Catrina. Even though time passes, as many other things do, the symbolism stays the same. She is making an effort to still look alive, this time by pouting. Now, look at her eyes and immerse yourself in the hollow that is inside of her. As hard as she tries, don’t let her trick you into believing that her heart is still pumping.

Maria Picazo

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