Interview with stonecarver Jesus Morales

[fused]

Art Interview online magazine talks with Jesus Morales.


Photo by Ann Sherman © All rights reserved.

[ironman]

Hi, I met Jesus in Cerrillos N.M. at the old school property he owns there. He has a great space there, and we just drove through the gate and parked like some nervy tourist. We were strangers, he was busy unloading a truck, yet he took the time to talk to us and sent us through his house and other buildings to look at his sculpture. This had been a public school and there is a gymnasium there with his pieces all around and some of his discs hanging from the rafters. There's also a small stone amphitheater there with his works on various levels.
We talked sculpture for a little while and I found him to be a really nice guy and would have liked to have gotten to know him better.
Have a great day,
Jeff

[jOe~]

Thank you so much Fused. I think Morales is the greatest.

jOe~

[Thatch]

If I am not mistaken he has or had some installations at the Latino Cultural Center here in Dallas. I only saw them once when my wife and I went to listen to some classical music being performed on the stage. There is a very nice gallery for temporary shows but the granite installations looked permanent (though they were made from pieces most if not all movable by a single person). I was very impressed as the pieces all were very low tech and high thought. Very architectural in feel, I think the feelings I got were like how I might feel walking next to one of those great walls of giant stones that were perfectly dressed and set by the Incas that I have seen pictures of. The reddish brown of the granite has a rich earthiness and the monumental scale together create a very rich emotional experience. The simplicity allows one's self to say "I could do that." and the underlying complexity makes you admit, "But I can't.".

Admitting here that I really don't know the name of the artist that created the work at the Latino Cultural Center chances are if I had met the artist himself I might have forgotten his name since I am bad with remembering them. The important thing is that I remember the work and how I felt viewing it. Talking about artists is fine for educational purposes for other artists and for investment purposes among those who make a living off of artists, but for the world in general the art has to speak for itself and what I saw definatly had a voice.

Thatch

[marblecutter]

While carving the Mother & Son sculpture at the World Sculpture Park in Changchun China, I made it a point to visit as often the sculptures of Jesus Bautista Moroles. I was fortunate to have met him in October 2005 at the Adair Margo Gallery, in El Paso Texas where he had a one-man show. I was also fortunate to have met his mentor Luis Jimenez, for the last time that October day. I was very sad to learn of his premature death. That same day I met Mr. Raymond Nasher, the art collector of Dallas.
One of the Chinese interpreters in Changchun told me that Spirit Fountain was her favorite sculpture in the whole park. When I told her that I knew the sculptor, she felt reassured and confident of her choice.
Mr. Moroles invited me to carve a step in the mountain formations that were given to him in Oklahoma. This offer will remain on my list of future conquests.
The pictures below are partial views of Spirit Fountain.

[Merlion]

A new news story about Jesus Moroles. A good write-up, well written.

Rockport sculptor finds inspiration in granite

March 24, 2007, SAN ANGELO, Texas — Something about a particular piece of quarried granite attracts him, inspires him.

Rock speaks. Artist answers.

The sculptor reads the slab. Spends time looking. Studies the veins, the texture, the colors.

He waits. Listens. Finally, knows. He and the rock are ready.



Jesus Moroles, a featured artist at “Shaping San Angelo: A Celebration of Sculpture and Public Art,” needs no plans, no drawings, no schematics for his work.

He simply starts. Cuts here. Carves there. Rounds the rock. Runs his hands over its cool, smooth skin. Looks. Waits. Flips it over. Tears it down the middle. Listens. Smooths some more. Runs his hands over the scars.....

The artist, 56, has worked with granite almost half his life — grinding, cutting, lifting, shaping.

“There is not an arm or hand or a part of me that doesn’t have a scar or dent on it,” he says.

“But it’s hard to keep your hands off the rock.”

Nowadays, Moroles directs a small army of assistants in his three-block art-making complex in Rockport, about 400 miles southeast of San Angelo on the Gulf Coast.

With his assistants to help him, he can work on different projects at the same time. At any given time, 25 or 30 pieces of art are being born in his sprawling art factory. Bigger pieces can take up to five years to complete.

“I need a lot of help,” he said. He gets it from his brother, sister, brother-in-law, father, uncles, friends “and anybody I could talk into helping.”.....

From Rockport, he travels the world — to his openings, to potential sites for his work, to study the work of others.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from my travel. I come back with new ideas.”

Over the years, his work has evolved, taking many forms: tall columns, undulating totems, spiky fingers, complex layers of interlocking stones, sensual curves.

Just the names of his pieces evoke powerful images: “Granite Sun.” “Moonscape.” “Altar Column.” “Spirit Tree.” “Vanishing Edge.”

His sculpture ranges from delicate-as-a-spine spires to huge, hulking archways of stone......

Rocks evolve into zigzags and weavings and air-blown curtains.

Messages sent from the earth, distilled from boulders.

Ideas received by the artist, poured back into living stone.

[marblecutter]

Mr. Moroles had a one man show at the Adair Margo Gallery in El Paso, Texas back in October 2005 as mentioned in my previous entry. Mr. Raymond Nasher flew from Dallas to attend the opening and the after party. His plane was late so the person assigned to pick him up returned to the gallery and then to the private party. I was outside talking with Luis Jimenez while the gallery shut the doors behind us when a taxi pulled in with Mr. Nasher. My best friend Michael Alford who is also a sculptor, calls Adair's house on his cell phone in order to get the directions to the house for the taxi driver.
The talk given by Mr. Moroles about his work was very inspiring. I felt very proud one year later to have my work in the same sculpture park in Changchun, China where Moroles' work is also on view at the World Sculpture Park.
Mr. Jiminez and Mr. Nasher have both passed away. I thank the Adair Margo for giving me the brief opportunity to meet them.

claude montes

[Merlion]

I'll put this news under the Jesus Morales thread. A big picture of the artwork is shown in the link below.


San Antonio Museum of Art to Dedicate Jesus Moroles Sculpture on January 13

SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The San Antonio Museum of Art is pleased to announce the completion of Round Ziggurat Fountain Plaza , a commissioned work by the world-renowned sculptor Jesús Moroles. In keeping with the architectural traditions of plazas in Latin American culture, the sculptural fountain is centrally located in the Museum’s Luby Courtyard. Constructed of Texas pink granite, the fountain blends elements of a circle and a stepped pyramid, with water housed in basins at the four corners and flowing through cavities that crisscross at the structure’s center. The acquisition process for this work began in 1992, but installation was delayed until the final determination of the location of SAMA’s River Entrance could be confirmed.

Moroles was born in Corpus Christi , Texas in 1950. He received his BFA degree from the University of North Texas , Denton in 1978. ....

Moroles has installed over 2,000 works across the globe. His art is represented in public and private collections in China , Egypt , France , Italy , Japan , Switzerland , and the United States. ....

[marblecutter]

I can not remember if I mentioned that Jesus Moroles was an apprentice with Luis Jimenez. Jesus is a great person to talk with about art, so was Luis. Neither of them know my work but I can identify their work blindfolded.
I made a video of the inauguration of the El Paso Museum of Art where Luis' Vaquero was unveiled. It is on permanent loan from a collector of Dallas, Texas. That was the first time I met Luis. Most recently I made a video documentary of Jesus' talk at the Adair Margo Gallery. I think it is important to document the work of artists that we admire and appreciate.
Jesus told me that he was given a whole mountain area in Oklahoma, and he was going to invite artists to carve a step or steps that lead to the peak. a sort of a sculptural trail.

[marblecutter]

19 February 2008 photographs taken by Michael Alford:
From left, Kate Bonansinga director of The Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts
University of Texas at El Paso president, Diana Natalicio
Jesus Moroles, sculptor of Zig Zag Diamondback Totem
Adair Margo, owner of the Adair Margo Gallery and Chairwoman of the President's
Committee on the Arts and Humanities