For a quality public education

Hello everybody and forgive my delay in posting. The beginning of this academic course is not being very nice... Politicians are mistreating public education and, on the pretext of the crisis (which has not been caused by education), are reducing the budget for this item. About one thousand supply teachers have not been hired this year and next year they may be four thousand in Castilla-La Mancha, including primary education teachers (and it is the same for Madrid and other autonomous regions). Splitting groups, library, playground and hall duties, remedial/reinforcement programmes, bilingualism programmes... have also been reduced or withdrawn, so we are protesting against it...(last October 22nd, about 75,000 people (teachers, parents and students from Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia, Castilla y León, Cataluña, Extremadura, Navarra, Valencia, Baleares and Asturias) demonstrated against these cuttings. Meanwhile, politicians try to misled public opinion saying that we are protesting because we don´t want to have two additional lessons.
Since the beginning of September we have had, at least, one day of demonstrations and mass meetings in Ciudad Real, Tomelloso, Toledo and Madrid to "organize" ourselves because some trade unions which are in favour of the government don´t support our demands. Disgust and an active attitude in favour of public education don´t allow me to devote the time I´d like to the blog.
At this moment, I "break" my personal ideas which made me think that here I would only include information about my works. I think the situation calls for it.

Besides, all this activity is affecting me... Lots of ideas come to me. I wonder if the paintings I make to be watched are necessary..., if my political ideas should have a more important role in my works... I don´t know... I feel that way now...

Here I show you a work whose preliminary steps I posted before.. I think it reveals the immediacy of this genre, though my processes are a bit slow...

Purple Swamp-hen, Porphyrio sp.
Oil on wood, 42x61'5 cm.

Purple Swamp-hen, Porphyrio sp. (Detail)
Oil on wood, 42x61'5 cm.

If you want to watch the post in which I showed part of the process of creation click here.

Priego 2011 Sculpture

Alba
Bronce, hierro y madera, 180x80x50 cm. medidas aprox.

One year more I´ve spent part of my summer holidays in Priego de Córdoba, sharing them with good friends and new mates, and devoting my time to drawing and sculpture.

Alba (detail - Barn owl, Tyto alba)
Bronze, iron and wood, 180x80x50 cm. aprox. measures

Alba (detail - Common shrew, Crocidura russula)
Bronze, iron and wood, 180x80x50 cm. approx. measures

Previous sketch of the work and studies of common shrew, Crocidura russula
Graphite and watercolour on paper, 25x25 cm.

I have been thinking in this project for two years. It came up from the impression a barn owl flying caused to me while I was driving one night; it was almost still. The image of the bird etched into my memory and I made a sketch as soon as I could. I also made some studies of a barn owl flying and I thought it would be interesting bto complete the work with a common shrew as possible prey of the `hunter´.

Sketch of Barn owl, Tyto alba
Graphito and watercolour on paper, 30x25 cm.

Morphological study of the head and sketch of the body
Graphite on paper, 25x25 cm.

Morphological study of Barn owl
Graphite on paper, 50x25 cm.

In order to mature the idea of the work I made some morphological studies of the main figure.

Image where you can see the comparison between the wax figure and the previous drawings. You can also see the silicone mold Marta (one of the teachers)made. I have a common shrew in process for her...

In this one I compare the wing in wax with the drawing.

Barn owl, molds in wax, Tyto alba
Casting wax, real size

In order to make easier the casting process I made the Barn owl in three parts -body, and two wings- which I weld later.

Next to the work.
I´ve set the pieces (Barn owl and Common shrew)on an iron structure, using the rectangle in my works to which I fit a wooden window frame I had found in a rubble container.

One of the special moments in the workshop. David came almost every day and worked with us.

This is David´s work; it´s in the fridge waiting to be casted.

Priego 2011 Drawing

This year I´ve enjoyed the life drawing lessons with model very much. After three or four disappointing sittings, I decided to use my left hand... I was atonished at the results: I was able to approximately keep the proportions of the model and I think that the irregular, nervous lines give my paintings a plasticity I wasn´t able to achieve using my right hand. Another advantage is that, avoiding details, the time required to make a drawing is less. I´m looking forward to going to the country to draw with my left hand.

Life drawings with model
Graphite, charcoal and coloured pencils on A3 paper.

Life drawings with model

Graphite, charcoal, watercolours and coloured pencils on A4 paper

Life drawings with model
Graphite, charcoal, watercolours and coloured pencils on A5 paper

Life drawing with model
Charcoal on A4 paper

This year we also spent a sitting drawing horses, the passion of the Master-D. Venancio Blanco. This is the best of the works of that sitting.

Opening of "La Muestra Verde"

Mamen Escudero presenting the exhibition

Victor García during the talk: "The Lagoon of Manjavacas"

Visitors at the exhibition

David and me next to the group of works I show at the exhibition
In a few days the exhibition will be moved to Villamayor de Santiago.

La muestra verde

Poster of the exhibition

Card of the exhibition

Next Friday, July 29th , at the Royal Pósito of la Tercia in Mota del Cuervo (Cuenca), 22:30 h, the exhibition `La muestra Verde´ will be opened and it can be visited till August 8th.

I´ve been sharing workshop for some time with a fantastic artist, Sandra Gregorio, who has introduced me to the cultural association “Pequeña Mancha”, organizer of this exhibition, who have welcome me with open arms. I´m sharing room with 23 artists belonging to diverse disciplines; all of us living in this area of our country – bordering the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real and Cuenca. With this exhibition, the group tries to make the population aware of the value of protecting natural environment. Mota del Cuervo has one of the largest lagoons, the Lagoon of Manjavacas, which is part of the biological reserve of La Mancha Húmeda, where Greater Flamingos have bred and, even, some specimens of Lesser Flamingo have been watched.

These are the works I´m participating with:



Eurasian Jackdaw, Corvus monedula
Graphite pencil on wood, 42x30 cm.

This drawing is based on a photograph of Sergio González Martínez, who I´m grateful to for allowing me to exhibit this work. According to my idea of what Wildlife Art is, it couldn´t be considered as such, as the spiritual link which gives sense, soul, to a work doesn´t exist. Every Wildlife Art work must come from a personal experience of the artist, which creates a link between the artist and the motif which generates it.

Common Snipe- Final work

Common Snipe, Gallinago sp
Oil painting on wood, 30x42 cm.

After this forced absence, I´d like to show you the final work after colouring it. Yolanda always told me that she liked it most in graphite and my mate Ojea agreed with her.
I personally like the result; it could be better, of course, but which work of art isn´t?
I´ve been working with new materials and ways of work for some time and I think it is beginning to meet my needs; I´ll show you some other works soon.

Links with the process:
Common Snipe 2
Common Snipe 1