Drawing inspiration from the landscapes he inhabits and the emotions they evoke, New Mexico-based artist, José C. Sierra transmutes the memory, emotion, and physicality of his environments into hybrid ceramic forms, whose rich surfaces are complemented by his vibrant details. Born on a coffee farm in the Venezuelan Andes, Sierra’s memories of intensely colored mountains, exuberant tropical flora and the objects in his surroundings, from coffee mills to pre-hispanic art and architecture are intertwined with inspiration from the prickly geometry of cacti and granite mountains of the Southwestern deserts.
Sierra states – “As I gathered the pieces for this show, I found myself immersed in a jungle of gold. A few years back, when working in Versailles, I was similarly surrounded by an abundance of gold surfaces and royal blue. At the Chateau and beyond, I was struck by the quantity of gold adorning the finest structures and objects, and the use of color and luster to signify wealth. As a Venezuelan, I was reminded of my lush homeland, and our coveted gold, which remains under our feet, as well as our own exuberant tropical greens and floral adornments. This body of work contemplates these riches and their relationships. In my creative dialog with the pieces and their surfaces, each with its own personality and structure, the exuberant and voluminous forms called for tropical opulence.”
