Elsa Mora

Mute.

I'm doing a deep organization in my studio (again) and in my excavations I found these porcelains that I made in 2001 for some art show in Cincinnati. I created them for an installation titled MUTE. As you can see in one of the pictures below they were displayed on top of a long and narrow table and then close to the table there was a series of photographs of these little shapes and myself in some kind of visual dialogue.

And here is the idea behind the installation:
I think that by hiding or ignoring those things that have been traumatic to us we’re not going to make them desapair. In my imagination I wanted to think of those sad memories as little interesting shapes accumulating quietly in my mind. Over the years they take such a large amount of territory in our lives. But he funny thing is that we don’t even realize about it. Then one day we finally accept that they are real and that we need to take them out of our system so we make an appointment with the Therapist or we talk with our best friend or we write a book or...etc. In my case when I felt this need I decided to make good use my art so I designed a personalized healing artwork and that’s how this installation came out. These porcelains symbolize little pieces of accumulated silence and by taking them out of my mind I was able to think about how they formed over the years. The whole experience was so liberating. And today I was thinking that in the end it doesn’t matter how we take those little pieces of silence out of our bodies, the most important thing is not to underestimate their influence in the steps that we take and the decisions we make and in the way we see the world. A lot of what we are starts with what we have inside that’s why I needed to “visualize” these things in order to find out how they were affecting me.

Birdwatching :o

I just finished this little painting on paper and the title is Birdwatching. The painting features four handsome friends: the tallest one is Florindo and the three little ones from left to right are Esmeraldo, Confucio and Eslomardo. During their spring brake they went birdwatching for the first time ever. But in the end they couldn't see any birdies. Little Esmeraldo was kind of sad, he thought that the birdies were scared of them. But Florindo thought that the birdies were just too shy and then he said: don't worry guys, next year we will bring some binoculars so we can watch them from far away.
The End

I hope that you liked this silly story:)
This weekend Bill and I will be sooo busy! We have a lot to do Diego-related and Bill's work-related. I will tell you more about this later. I also have a little surprise for you and this is a picture of two celebrities, one is worldwide famous and the other one you have to see... Also I have been meaning to write a special post about The Golden Globes since there is a lot to say about it...but as an introduction I can say right now that for the first time in the history of these awards they have been canceled. It's sad but there are strong reasons behind it, I will also tell you about this later. Have a wonderful weekend and see you soon!!!
Elsita :)

note: THANK YOU SOOOOOO much my friends for your help with the set up of my Blogger Frieds List!!!!!! Now I look at my right side and I can see all of you right there, what a luxury! Now I can visit you with a simple click!!! I am sooo excited about this!!! If you weren't around here yesterday you can check out this post if you would like to join the list. See you later!!!!!
Elsita :)

Casa del Corazon.

This is a musical box that I made in 2005 for a show in Puerto Rico and the title is: Casa del Corazon. Imagine that your heart is a house where you can go in and look. How many things would you see? That was the idea behind this piece.

The Longest Road.

This is a painting that I made some years ago and the title is: The Longest Road. The text says: El camino mas largo es aquel que te lleva al punto de partida. I wish that I could translate this phrase correctly. The idea behind this painting is that sometimes it takes us a lifetime to see that the most important things are so close to us that in fact they are within us. In my case when I was a teenager I started an imaginary journey outside myself in order to explore the world and find that "something" that I needed so much. Now many years later I arrived at the same place where I started this journey: myself. I would like my children to find themselves sooner than I did but I realize that in the end we all need our own journeys. The best thing that I can do as a Mother is to be close to them while they go through all those new places that they still have to go through.

Elsita in ARTFORUM!

Yey!!!!
Let's celebrate amigos!
I just got an e-mail from Couturier Gallery saying that my show is currently featured in ARTFORUM.com on the Critics Picks section. The Art Critics from ARTFORUM select a group of shows worldwide to review them and Elsita has been picked from Los Angeles, California. What an honor! Thank you ARTFORUM!!!!

And here is a link to the review written by Matthew Wilder.
He made me smile when I read: (I could live without Barbra Streisand’s and Liz Taylor’s heads appended to butterfly bodies.) here he is talking about Specimens, the pieces with the butterflies. Thank you Mattew for the review!

Hello 2008!

In my personal calendar today is January 1st of 2008.
Happy New Year!
I think that if I start 2008 today by January (in the real world) I will have a lot more done. My Mother-in-Law just went back to Chicago so the party is over; we did so many things with her!
2008 will be challenging for me but I am not scared at all, I am excited. It will be intense for Diego. He will start a series of new therapies plus I am going to sign in for some especial Mommy and me classes with him. Then there is Natalie who needs a lot of my attention. I promised to make her many new dresses but her only condition is that they must be pink. I gave up trying to introduce any other color into her spectrum. There is also my stepson who like every teenager needs support and understanding and last but not list there is my husband who needs my love and support. And then there is Etsy, which will be my personal treat and my little paradise. No solo shows or anything like that this year. All I will need in 2008 is my two hands and an alert mind.
I found the perfect picture to start 2008. This is a large painting that I made in 2005 for a show in NY and the name is River. This painting-collage is about making things happen. I know someone who always said: If you need a river but cannot find one around just make your own (that’s more or less the translation) the whole idea is that no matter how hard things might look as long as you really want them to happen somehow you will make them happen.
So my first thing today is: Start cleaning up the studio.
I am more than ready for it! See you later!
Elsita :)

Just Waiting.

This is a sculpture that I made some years ago for another solo show. The title is: Just Waiting. When I was growing up I was so curious about horses, about the real life horses that I grew up with. These ones weren't good-looking at all and they used to carry heavy things around, they were hard workers and they always looked tired. This guy who sold water to my Mom came often with his horse and stayed in front of our house for a few minutes. I saw this horse just waiting patiently until his owner said let's go. I always thought that this horse was a slave and I wanted to free him. It was hard for me to understand why these horses never did anything to escape. In my young mind I couldn't still understand how deep was the whole dynamic of being a slave. Can you believe that at some point in human history it was completely OK to have slaves? And can you believe that even today in some parts of the world there are human beings (and animals) treated like slaves? This piece is about the lack of freedom for being who you are. I think that growing up in Cuba where I didn't feel completely free made me more aware of how precious freedom is.

Noises.

Have you ever been in the middle of a situation where there is so much "noise" around you that it becomes hard to hear your own voice? This painting is about that. Listening to your own voice is very important because if you don't do it you cannot find out what you really want to do. We need to lower the volume of the noises out there in the world in order to listen carefully to our own "radio station". And I am going to practice this idea next year. It terms of my creative life I want to dedicate 2008 to Etsy. That's what I really want to do and I just wanted to share this resolution with you. In 2008 you will see so many new things that I am going to make. I can't wait to start my one-year-long-Etsy-journey! I know that it will be so much fun. The other part of my life will be all for my family. I am so excited about 2008!

About the pictures: This is a large canvas that I made for a solo show in 2005. The materials used: acrylic paint, small black flowers made out of polymer clay and small pieces of paper with printed pictures of ears and text. The text is all about different kinds of noises and it is written in Spanish.

Notice how there are so many birds on the background. The black bird had to step far from the group in order to listen to his own voice.

Photographs from the show.

Title: Gemini

Title: Facial Map.

Title: Vicious Circle.

Title: Birth.

These photographs are large Imbue prints on acid-free hanmade paper.

Things That Cannot Be Named.

This is a series of six ink on paper drawings with some organic elements added like petals, feathers, thorns etc. I applied a patina in the end that makes them look old. I made these drawings when I was pregnant with my first baby.
As women we tend to be protective with people around us. I always say that we don't only carry babies in our tummies but we also carry a lot of responsibilities in our brains. We always try to be careful not to hurt other people. If we have to finish a relationship we have a hard time because we don't want to hurt our partner. We carry a lot with us all the time and this is part of our nature. This series is about that. It is about being pregnant with ideas that grow in our minds and make us feel responsible for other people’s feelings.