Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gustavo Ramirez Cruz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gustavo, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

The most predominant material in my sculptures is paper pulp and I started experimenting with this technique more than 20 years ago. I did illustrations for children’s books and wanted to move from creating two-dimensional art on paper to creating sculptures that are three-dimensional. I think that the time when I started experimenting with this technique was the perfect time because I had to first go through another type of artistic experience that made me decide to start a new stage in my artistic career. The skills that I have I developed before because I studied graphic design but all my life I remember myself drawing and painting

Gustavo, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Colombian visual artist who has lived in Europe for several years. I make sculptures in paper pulp and I mix different materials such as wood, glass and metal in my pieces. I also paint on canvas and take photographs. Due to my affinity with art and creativity, I studied graphic design, painting, illustration, photography and more than 23 years ago I made the decision to dedicate myself completely to art. I love using acrylic paint in my sculptures and paintings as they give off bright, vivid color. The papier-mache technique is very popular because many of us learned to make an object at school, but I think it has not been exploited as much as it should be. It seems to me that this technique is very interesting and very flexible because I can combine many materials and achieve pieces with great detail. Something that I find interesting is that many people who observe my pieces say that it conveys a feeling of joy and positivity.
I want with my pieces to show how wonderful nature is and how interesting it is when different species are mixed. I also make a comparison with the mixture of cultures sharing the same space and as a result are new beings that can exist in a real world or imaginary where everyone lives in perfect harmony.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As an artist, the best reward is inspiring people to create. I have some followers on my social networks who write to me and ask me about the technique or simply tell me that they love my work and are taking steps to do their own work. This is very important to me.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think that the best way to support artists is to go see their work in different spaces or platforms such as exhibitions, fairs, events and online so that they can then share, promote, disseminate and, of course, something very important is to buy. For us it is very important to listen to the opinion of people and to know what kind of connection or reaction our work generates. art is an important part of a society.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gustavoramirezcruz.com
• Instagram: gustavoramirezcruzartist
• Facebook: Gustavo Ramirez Cruz – Visual artist
• Twitter: GustavoVisual
• Youtube: Gustavo Ramirez Cruz

Image Credits
Photos by Gustavo Ramirez Cruz