Juan Velasco – Artist’s Statement
My artistic self was nurtured during my childhood years in my native Bolivia, where I was constantly pruning trees, building rock walls, and spending summers on family farms in the Altiplano and the tropics. This interest in natural elements flourished when I purchased an heirloom orchard in the Mimbres Valley of New Mexico, which for 12 years supplied me with the ingredients of my art …. wood and roots from Cottonwood and fruit trees, and a diversity of incredible rocks.
“A Revolution in Wood” is an assemblage of my emerging exploratory endeavors. Previously, I worked mainly with found wood, to which I added nor subtracted little. Now, I have ventured into more revolutionary work, wherein I make substantive changes. Drilling, turning, cutting, sanding, and polishing, … each piece begins to take shape and ultimately materializes as a new creation that reflects the uniqueness of the wood and reveals the inner hues and granular patterns contained therein.
“A Revolution in Wood” reflects my ever-changing relationship to the artistic process, as informed by my exposure to the gifts of Nature.
¡Viva la Revolución!
