Susana Campos

Happy Birthday Susana Campos!

Susana Campos was born in 1942, in Mexico City. She attended Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas, working with Francisco Moreno Capdevilla and Antonio Rodriguez Luna. After marrying artist Carlos Olachea, the two moved to Paris to work under a grant from the French government. Following their divorce in 1974, Campos returned to Mexico, where she lives and works today.

Her work has been displayed in many solo exhibits and many more collectives. Although she does drawing and acrylic painting, the bulk of her work is printmaking: lithography, sgraffito, dry point, etchings, etc. Her work has fluctuated between figurative and abstract and for the past 15 years or so Campos has worked in series, the latest being an exploration of Ciudades Contemporaneas or Modern Cities...a look at globalization and the modern world.

Gustavo Arias Murueta

Happy Birthday Gustavo Arias Murueta!

The Mexican artist Gustavo Arias Murueta was born on May 26, 1923, in Los Angeles, California. He began his art pursuit with architecture at Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, but later turned to painting after meeting several important Mexican painters. He has exhibited his work since 1961 in Mexico and the US and has lived in the US and Europe. Murueta has traveled extensively, studying the work of the Masters.

Murueta participated in a mural collaboration in support of the student uprising of 1968. Each artist involved made their contribution on corrugated metal with no unified theme, creating a collage-like finished piece. His primary media is oil painting, drawing and graphic art.

Roger von Gunten

Happy Birthday Roger von Gunten!

Born in Zurich, Switzerland on March 29, 1933, Roger von Gunten began his art education with Bauhaus color theorist, Johannes Itten, at the School of Arts and Crafts in Zurich. Later he relocated to Mexico to travel and ended up staying. He attended Universidad Iberoamerica and studied etching.

Always interested in nature, von Gunten's work was painterly and impressionistic at the outset, and gradually moved more toward whimsy and fantasy. He was a member of the Generacion de la Ruptura (Break-away Generation), a group who sought to move away from the traditional muralists. There is a touch of Hindu influence in his later work, as he uses yoga for inspiration.

Herlinda Sanchez Laurel

Happy Birthday Herlinda Sanchez Laurel!

This Mexican artist was born in Ensenada, on May 24, 1941. Originally she studied secretarial and banking subjects. When she won first place in an art contest she relocated to Mexico City to go to La Esmeralda in 1965. She is a painter, illustrator and muralist and currently teaches at Universidad Autonoma de Mexico.

Laurel's work has been described as figurative, but she does use symbols to help create a poetry in her visions. She has exhibited all over the world, won numerous awards and is a member of Salon de la Plastica Mexicana. Laurel has also judged several art competitions.

Paul Klee, Rufino Tamayo and Georges Braque have been influences on her work.

Olga Donde

Happy Birthday Olga Donde!

Born on May 23, 1937, in Capeche, Southern Mexico, self taught artist, Olga Donde, was known for her still life. Her family relocated to Mexico City. Since the intense heat of her home town was too much for her. She showed an interest in art and poetry early on and practiced on her own for two years before submitting work and being accepted to exhibit in 1968. Since then her work has been exhibited over one hundred times. Although she is best known for painting she also worked in engraving, lithographs, stained glass and architecture. Her work is included in permanent collections in Mexico as well as other countries.

The paintings of Olga Donde have a Surrealistic tendency. Her favored subjects being fruit, vegetables, flowers and tubers. I love the enlarged, altered fruit such as the one I am including here, today.

Abel Ramirez Aguilar

Hqppy Birthday Abel Ramirez Aguilar!

The Mexican sculptor, Abel Ramirez Aguilar, was born on May 22, 1943, in Mexico City. Developing an interest in art at an early age, Aguilar's teachers encouraged him to pursue his talent. He initially studied architecture, but in the end chose sculpture for his preferred field. He studied sculpture first under Jose Chavez Morado at La Esmeralda, then was granted a scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1962. After winning an award for his underwater photography and exhibiting his work, in 1979 he received another scholarship, this time to the Hague for two years. After the two year scholarship, he was invited to stay on for two more years.

His work is in the traditional metal, stone and wood, but surprisingly Aguilar also became known for his ice and snow sculpture after being introduced to it in the 80's, in Quebec. This was his first time seeing snow! Since he of course could not find this medium in his native Mexico, his sculpting in snow and ice took place in the US, Japan, Europe and Canada. His work has been exhibited all over the world.

In 1992 he won the gold medal for his ice sculpture at the Winter Olympics, in France, after being entered, unbeknownst to him, by his friends. Aguilar's work has Cubism and Impressionism influences but also shows Surrealism elements of magic. Some sculptures, especially the ice and snow, have a Nationalistic theme. Since the first Olympics medal he has won several awards, especially for his snow and ice sculpture.

Carla Rippey

Happy Birthday Carla Rippey!

Born on May 21, 1950, Carla Rippey was originally from Kansas City, Kansas. Her mother was an English Literature scholar, her father a newspaperman and she began her art career a poet. After studying in Paris and then attending college in New York, Rippey moved to a woman's commune in Boston. Later she relocated to Chile and finally to Mexico where she became the first woman director of La Esmeralda.

She began working with printing methods in Boston and then extended that to screen printing and engraving in Chile. Her work evolved to include drawing and photographic collage. Carla Rippey was hired to teach at La Esmeralda and then in 2013 she became the first woman director there. The free government university is focused not only on educating the students to be successful artists, but also to be productive members of society.

Mary Cassatt and Degas have been influences on her work but currently she is most intrigued with William Kentridge not only for his wide range of disciplines but most importantly for the connection to social concerns.