La Musica & Reflection: Final thoughts

Wow I cant believe how fast time flies! In the last two weeks of class we discussed, "La Musica" &  were given a few words to create work on. I selected "China Poblana & Cosechador" I created simple sketches of exactly what I thought about when I heard the words above. I drew simple water colored sketches of an early China Poblana with a simple umilde dress posing with a traditional mariachi sombrero. This image reminded me of the simplicity of the music and of the time when it was composed. My second image was one of a simple traditional Cosechador . The Cosechador was a simple man who worked and harvested the gifts of the land. He worked hard for himself, his family and for what he believed in. Never wanting anything handed to him and always proud of the little he and his family had. I feel that the Cosechador ties to the music because he is part of the land just like the maize and the people of the land. I feel all of this influenced music and its lyrics. These pieces were critiques well overall even though they were very simple. The following week I decided to expand of my original pieces and I created a woodedn interpretation of a Mexican paper China Poblana doll. These dolls were popular during music festivals in mexico. They originally were made of paper. They were handed to the children and they were cone folded to create a playful mona of a China Poblana that the children could play with or save as a celebration keepsake. My wooden rendition was a bit more structured and sculptural. I wanted to create a strong piece that reflected the music of the week. I feel as though I was successful. The wooden piece helped tie all three pieces together.
Reflection & Final Thoughts:  I can believe that the class is over and there will be no more Thursday nights of singing laughing and celebration. It makes me sad to think that its finally over, yet a small part of me is thankful and happy that we at least get to take away all the great music we heard learned and sang in class. The gift of music and sound given to us by Tony, that will be with us forever and can never be taken away!. I loved all the songs we sang and all the singers, composers, and authors we learned about . I feel this course really helped me learn about my culture heritage and traditions that I had maybe forgotten, never learned or heard about. The Music was life changing and the art inspiring. I feel this course helped me push myself to a place I had never explored while creating art. I feel that before the course I thought all art as created a certain way and that it had to have some sort of structure. I leaned that this is not the case and that its ok to think outside the box. I learned to use found materials and learned that it is ok to think outside the box. I learned that sometimes less is more and sometimes it is not. I really enjoyed listening to Tony. I feel his passion for the Mexican culture to be very inspiring to myself and others and he really helped me understand things I had never given the time to understood before. I rate this course and instructor overall a 10 out of 10. I hope Tony continues to teach this course as I feel it is an important one here at UC Berkeley and an important course for Tony to have in his life. He and only he can teach this course with the time energy and passion that he has for what he teaches. I am super grateful to have been a part of his course and I was honored to have meet all the great people I meet in class. Thank you all for the love, motivation and support. Without the course, you all and Tony I would not be the person I am today! I will see you all again soon !! God Bless and Take care!! Have a great summer!

Distant love

This week I created a piece with the word "Love and Amor" in mind. I feel that a lot of the music we listed to is Love music. Some of it is happy and some not so much. I feel that the music sometimes speaks of a forbidden love that will never be. So much to say but never being able to say it to that one special person that matters. I feel the music to contain love mixed in with pain sorrow and sadness. I created an organic piece using natural wood and paper board. I created an image of a man and woman with that forbidden love, reaching out with so much to say yet unable to connect to express what they feel. I feel this piece was successful over all. Critique went well and I received great feedback from my peers. I really enjoyed this week in music and hope to continue to grow within my work.

Agustin Lara

This week I decided to create a piece based on the person behind some of the music we listen to and sing in class. This person would be none other than Agustin Lara. I decided to try something new but feel as though I failed. I yet again I wanted to think outside the box and try working with collage. I used a found cardboard and magazine cutouts. I created an image of Lara creating and playing an abstract piano. I incorporated the work "Extraordinary" because I feel that it described to the t who Lara was, an extraordinary individual and a legend in the music world. I wanted to try collage because its a medium that I had never tried before and I made it simple because I feel less to be more. in this case I do not feel that my piece was successful nor do I feel it to be stron. I feel like it lacked personality and I guess I learned hat sometimes change is not a good thing. It was something I really wanted to try but I guess I just personally was not happy with the outcome. Critique went well overall but feel as though my thoughts regarding the work were confirmed by my peers and Tony as well. I will continue to try different mediums but will put a bit more thought into what I create.

La Musica

This week I was really inspired by the musica and songs we sing in class, as well as by the DL that Tony provides for us. I listen carefully and get lost in the instrumental sounds especially the guitar. I love how such a simple instrument can create such beautiful sounds and how it brings the word of our songs alive! I enjoy coming to class every week because I realize how much I enjoy singing and listening to Tony and GiGi play the guitar. I decided to dedicate this weeks piece to Tony by creating an abstract musical instrument. It is a piece that is symbolic of the beautiful music we sing crated by great and infamous artist and song writers. I really enjoyed handcrafting this piece and I although not functional I wanted it to have that hint of the human hand, thought and ideas that we also hear and sometimes see in the music we listen to and sing every week. This was one of my favorite weeks in music and I cant wait to see what else is in store for us! I hope you all enjoyed viewing this piece as much as I enjoyed crafting and creating it! I loved all the great feedback and really love that Tony saw what I saw in this piece! Thanks so much guys ! Until next time!

Culture Reflections

Culture Reflections:

As the weeks move along and I listen to the critiques from my peers and our Instructor Tony, I realize that I want to continue expanding on the materials I use to create my art. I love how the class and critiques have taught me how to think outside the box when creating my pieces. This week we read and learned a lot about the land and the traditions in cultivating and producing from what mother nature and the land offers us. In Mexican culture we grow and use maize to create food and even drinks. Maize is a gift from nature & gods, some even have rituals where they ask the gods & land for permission when cultivating and harvesting the maize. The maize is only harvested at specific times of the day as is viewed as being part of the soul of the land. It is respected and honored because it is  the part of nature that keeps us healthy, fed and nurtured. If we respect the land and grow the maize then the land will care and respect us by providing substance and nutrition. Another gift from the land is Maguey. Maguey is a type of cactus that at a specific time of its development creates a type of liques that is harvested to create an alcoholic drink named, "Pulque." Pulque was very popular and was heavily consumed in the last century. As the reading and videos we viewed have showed us it has become a tradition that has lost interests from newer generations and is very sad to think that it could be a tradition that could eventually be lost. Pulque and Maize are very much a part of ourselves, our traditions heritage and our culture. The piece I created this week is a landscape watercolor painting. A scene of a Maize and Maguey field. I added a reflective metalic border so that the viewer could see him or herself reflected back as a reminder of our background, culture and traditions. Our ancestors worked the land to survive and we are here because of there struggles and hardships. We must learn to reflect and acknowledge their struggles as well as who they were in order to understand who we are, where we came from and how we got to where we are, I love learning about my culture and traditions that I know little to nothing about. This weeks reading, songs and videos really helped and inspired me to create the piece you see above. I see myself reflected in my work and I hope you see yourself as well. :) Until next time!

Cultures Collide

The week always seems to go by so fast and I realize that I always seem to overthink the readings and what I will be creating! This week I decided to let my imagination run loose and create a piece that was based on what I understood from reading the chapter in the Octavio Paz reader. The reading was long and complex as usual but what I loved from Don Octavio is that he always seems to write about culture and how the Mexican and American culture collide with one another, never being exactly from one or the other and simply feeling rejected and ostracised. This rejection comes for us not feeling like we meeting the standards that each culture sets. Even though we are all human and so alike in everyway we are still yet so different. The Mexican culture had its ideals and standards and I know how harsh the members of its communities can be if you can not conform to specific expectations. The America culture is not so different in its way of thinking with its own set of ideals and standards. If you are to much like both then you are rejected and called a "Pocho" and basically looked down upon. Not Mexican yet not American so it becomes problematic for many of us, including myself. This is why I decided to create the piece you see pictured above. It is symbolic of two cultures colliding and merging or intertwining as one. I know that although I was raised with Mexican traditions, learned from my parents I also have a set of American traditions that I learned growing up and I feel to be very proud of both. They make me who I am and what I represent. People can call me "Pocho" if they want and can think I'm not American nor Mexican enough, but at the end of the day I know who I am and what I believe in. I see myself in my sculpture and it is beautiful in my eyes regardless of what others may think. Instead of complaining like I feel Don Octavio does in the reader I accept who and what I am and I play with the cards I was dealt. I am very proud of my traditions, culture and heritage both Mexican and American. I hope that this piece helps others see the beauty in our culture and traditions both Mexican and American! Enjoy!!!