We are thrilled to introduce Milagro patrons to three new visual artists on display in the lobby of El Centro Milagro during our Day of the Dead celebration through Nov. 11:
JOSE CARLOS
Jose Carlos was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, but immigrated to Oregon at the young age of 16. Upon arriving to the U.S., fate threw him into a whirlwind of cultural and spiritual traditions including Aztec Dancing, temezcal (sweat lodge), Native American Church (tipi ceremony) and Sun Dance. A respected Lakota shaman gave Jose his indigenous name, Yayauki Tlakaocelotl (Black Jaguar Man), during his fourth year as a Sun Dancer.
Today, Jose is proud to be an educator in the bilingual and multi-cultural community of Woodburn. As captain of the Aztec Dance group, Huitzilopochtli, he aspires to teach Mexican families about their indigenous heritage. After 13 years of research and friendship with Native American elders, Jose was inspired to write his first bilingual book: The Corn People: An Indigenous American Creation Story/ La Raza del Maiz . Working through dreams and reflections on the ancient Aztec codices, Jose painted for two years in order to illustrate this great oral-story legend passed on by his ancestors. These paintings are on display in our lobby and the book will be available for purchase.
MARIA LUISA BARAGLI
“I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and came to Oregon as a teenager. I began to draw when I was 28 years old. My tools were ink pens and watercolors. As I drew, my friends and strangers encouraged me to do more. My people and figures were from my imagination, appearing as I drew. They often have stories to tell and I would give them titles according to these. I hope to write these stories someday soon.
“I was so fortunate to join the Costa Rican/Oregon Partners of the Americas’ Art Exchange in March, 2012. Although I have spent several months in Costa Rica during the last few years, my experience with the Costa Rican/Oregon Art Exchange made me freer in experimenting with a variety of techniques on the same piece while continuing to use recycled materials. The panels that are shown here were painted on marine plywood. “I scratched, sanded, painted with house paints, art acrylics, oil sticks, chalk pastels, encaustics/pigments, using fingers, brushes, and sticks. As I did this, I allowed whatever wanted to manifest itself come through. The people on these boards are different from my other figures but they are still coming out of my unconsciousness with the Costa Rican influence. Each one of the characters is unique. I cannot duplicate it. And, once again, they each have a story to tell. Do you have your own story to go with one of them? That is what I aim to do, provoke your imagination and create.
B. ROBERTO HERRERA
Roberto Herrera is an international painter and sculptor who focuses primarily on surrealist and cubist perspectives in his work. Originally trained as an industrial engineer, Herrera was drawn into thevisual arts when he found it to be his true vehicle of expression. He studied under the Argentine surrealist DiBruno, whose theories of balance, harmony and proportion are reflected in Herrera’s own artistic interpretations.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1956, Herrera now lives and works in Portland. His original paintings and sculptures are regularly featured in local and international art shows and his commission murals and portraits are on permanent display.