CONTENTS
Page One:
Adriano Colangelo: Fantasy Themes
Page Two:
José Pelegrina-Vissepo: Indigenous Peoples of
the Americas
Diógenes Giorlandino Turns His Talents to
Pyrography on Gourds
Page Three:
Vadim Grozavu: Photorealism
Book Review: Gourd Pyrography by Jim
Widess
Mystery Corner: Another Ball Hughes Pyrograph?
Mark Hale: From His Workshop
|
Zuni Woman with
Jug |
Puerto Rican José Pelegrina-Vissepo has been working in pyrography for fifteen years. For even longer, he has held a fascination for the peoples who populated the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. He said that when as a boy he would see films about cowboys and Indians on TV, he always identified with the Indians and wanted to learn more about them. He felt the same about the Taíno Indians who once inhabited Puerto Rico but who had long ago disappeared altogether.
The inspiration for José's stunning rendering of the Zuni Woman with Jug shown in the image above and in the detail below came from an 1896 photograph by Edward S. Curtis, who persevered relentlessly through a remarkable 30-year project that began in 1900 to photograph the indigenous peoples of the 48 United States, Alaska, and Canada. The Zuni link is to a website with some Curtis photographs and his own writings about the Zuni. An excellent article about E. S. Curtis is linked to his name above.
|
Zuni Woman with Jug,
detail |
José talked about how he achieved such dramatic
results. First of all, he emphasized that the work
was done totally with pyrography alone. The reddish
tones, he explained came from the Puerto Rican
mahogany that he used. The pyrographic tool he used
and has been using for ten years is a Detail Master,
Sabre model. For the black background he used a
butane gas blowtorch.
José's use of the two different methods in this
masterpiece of his produced another interesting effect
that added to the drama. When he sealed the piece
with his customary polyurethane spray, the
background, which had been done with a blowtorch,
absorbed the sealer and remained matte, while the
figure took on a subtle shine.
| Working as a Couple
José and his wife Enith work as partners |
Don Quixote |
His interest in Indian themes motivated José
to participate in 1991 in the Powhatan Renape Nation's
8th Juried Indian Art Festival, which took place in
Rancocas, New Jersey (U.S.A.). José's
pyrograph of a mother and child of the Yanomami
Indians of Venezuela won him a second prize and the
opportunity for his work to be displayed in a
traveling exhibit.
Last year José was chosen as one of 45 Master
Craftsmen representing the 45th anniversary of the
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. And in March of
this year, he received a letter telling him that he
was one of the Master Craftsmen chosen for this year's
poster series, sponsored by one of the government's
agencies that relates to the island's craftsmen.
Although he doesn't as yet have a website, José
has more works exhibited in the José
Pelegrina-Vissepo Salon in the E-Museum of
Pyrographic Art.
|
Preparing Lunch |
In his 15 years working in pyrography, José has
come to be considered the best pyrographic artist in
Puerto Rico. He is gratified to know that those who
are following in his footsteps will understand
pyrography as an art form as he does. Until he found
the E-Museum of Pyrographic Art on the internet,
José said that he had never known other pyro
artists working in this medium at the art level.
One of his goals is to become known outside of Puerto
Rico, then be able to exchange ideas and expertise
with other pyro artists and be able to introduce other
Puerto Rican artists to what there is outside of
Puerto Rico.
"My work," José says, "has
always been mostly portraits. I'm very into the human
expression and feelings."
|
Lighted Gourd |
Despite some difficult times in recent months in his native Argentina, decorative artist Diógenes Giorlandino has been diligently working away. He has put aside for the time being his extraordinary work in pyrography on wood, which we saw in an earlier Pyrograffiti in WOM. Instead he has been experimenting--and evidently mastering--his latest undertaking, which is working in pyrography on gourds. Obviously delighted with this new material, he has many fine examples in various styles to show for his efforts, three of which are here for you to enjoy.
|
Untitled |
"Diógenes reaparece" was the subject line on his email to me after some months without news. They were months during which Argentina was embroiled in political and economic turmoil, so those words brought even more delight than usual and the attached pictures of his latest works still more. Although discouraged, Diógenes has not only 'weathered the storm' so far but is starting to get enthused about a new project proposed by some good friends in Spain, who have offered to show his work there in Barcelona.
|
Untitled |
|
Click here to go back to page one
2002, Kathleen M. Garvey Menéndez, all rights reserved.
