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ORESTES SANCHEZ CERAMIC SCULPTOR OF GUATEMALA
BY PATRICIA AINSLIE
I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING ORESTES SANCHEZ ON MY RECENT VISIT TO ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA. I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE ORIGINALITY OF HIS WORK WHICH I SAW IN CASA DE LOS MILAGROS ON 1A. AVENIDA NORTE, #12 AND THE OWNER VERA DUVA KINDLY INTRODUCED US. ORESTES DROVE ME TO HIS STUDIO IN THE VILLAGE OF SAN LUIS PUEBLO NUEVO ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF ANTIGUA, WHERE HE SHOWED ME HIS WORK AND WE TALKED ABOUT HIS PROCESS.
Orestes’ most interesting work is in clay - sculpture, wall- mounted objects and bowls which he fashions by hand without using a wheel. One method he uses is to make a large flat sheet of clay which he rolls by hand to a thickness of less than half a centimetre. This is then cut into various geometric shapes. For his hanging sculptures these are cut in a trapezoid shape in a regular size. After firing and applying colour, a few hundred of these pieces are hung on long nylon threads from a metal frame. They hang free and make what he calls “wind chimes” as they move in the breeze. The final surface is not completely smooth; it is slightly rough and uneven and thus reflects the light in a lively way. The sculpture occupies an area of about 3 x 2 x 6 feet.
Smaller square and rectangular tiles of about an inch are cut from sheets of clay for wall sculptures. These are stuck down onto a rigid fibreglass base - a concave circle, a flat rectangular base or a series of concave-shaped rectangular bases. These bases are completely covered with the clay tiles
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