ARTIST BIO
Where Words Fail, an Image Speaks
I remember as a child looking at the beautiful, rich red color of mud, like the one you see on the sides of the countryside roads, and thinking about how it could be shaped. I would have to wait almost 40 years to find out and experience the pleasure of working with clay, feeling its texture and malleability.
Being a hyperactive child, I remember always coming up with projects and ideas, finding creative ways to repair or use daily objects. In school, I always looked forward to the few art-handcraft activities we had, and I enjoyed seeing the artist supplies; colored pencils, pastels, creamy tempera, and water-color spreading on paper…
Family and work expectations directed my education towards a professional, practical career in business-accounting but I continued to appreciate the many expressions of art, and felt its relevance and the impact that it has on us as individuals, and as a society.
Before my son was 1 year old, I was already thinking about how he could be exposed to any creative activities. Together with other moms we assigned a weekly space of creative activities for our children under the supervision of a very talented teacher, an artist with a background in education, who was able to channel and nurture their creativity. I enjoyed every single activity the children did and was very impressed by every project they completed. But what I enjoyed the most was the excitement of the children every time they met to create.
The teacher encouraged me to attend the adult classes, and I still remember my first class, when she asked me to have a conversation with the clay, which I found very amusing. When I put my hands into the clay and felt its humid, soft texture, and changing shape, my child’s memory of the red mud came back. This class was the beginning of a new course of experiences, learning to work with clay and discovering the great individual capacity to create that each one of us has.
The last 13 years have been a learning experience and a creative exploration, a joyful time while working on projects at the studio and outside, while thinking constantly about new ideas to materialize in 3-dimensional pieces.
I love to know about people’s stories, their human experience, and their relationship with nature. I like to explore what transforms us through life, and the connections between our minds, dreams, and desires.
Creating is a most rewarding experience.
Thank you Laura Tobi!
Miami, November 2019
WHY ART?
It is a unique and individual expression of creativity It enriches our human experience
It creates reactions It manifests the human diversity and promotes tolerance
It is an expression of our emotions and experiences and helps us understand others
It promotes dialogues It is a universal language and connects cultures
It tells stories and we learn about others It gives us skills It is a way of sharing
It makes us think It changes peoples’ views and makes us more compassionate It is part of our human experience It connects the past with the present and the future It manifests all around us It educates people of all ages It cultivates sensibility
Human creativity is infinite and beautiful as long as it enriches us all…
ARTIST STATEMENT
Yolanda R. Torres
Clay is my favorite material. Feeling its texture in my hands and creating shapes is a very rewarding experience, and it is part of the creative process that transforms an idea into a 3-dimensional piece.
In my sculptures, I like to explore the human beauty and its relationship with nature. I love to learn how the connections between our minds, dreams, and desires shape our perception of reality.
When people look at my pieces, I would like them to read into their own life episodes, and question their own perceptions of beauty and how they change through life experiences.
My work starts with an idea that originates from a particular experience, or something I see or read, or a particular issue I want to learn more about. Sometimes I like to upcycle objects into my pieces. I collect pictures, do drawings, read about the idea I want to work on, and I often do small samples in clay to learn about the challenges I may encounter.
Based on what I learn, the idea evolves alongside the construction of the piece, it is always a process of exploration. I like to work with human experiences that transform us.
Once I model the piece in clay, I hollow it and let it dry before it goes into the kiln. I like to use acrylics and underglazes for the surface treatment, which I find very easy to use and provide a wide variety of colors and applications.
I am currently working on a piece about human migration, climate change, and our search for fulfillment. These issues transform personal lives and communities and question our personal views.
Art provides the most rewarding way to create and express my ideas about our human experiences of transformation.
