By Nicholas Biria
Claudio Jimenez Quispe is a name you should remember after hearing about his work. Quispe has been an artist since he was a boy, and seeing beauty in simple things has inspired some of his work.
With the help of translator Angelica Fuentes, Quispe is able to express his love and passion for what he does.
He uses simple things to create his incredible pieces of art, making pieces out of clay, wires, plaster, glue, crème wax, acrylic, paints and even potatoes. These simple ingredients have really helped bring his art to life. An average piece of his work takes three to six months to make.
“I’m a perfectionist, I like to perfect what I am making so I can be proud of what I have created,” he said.
Many of his intricate pieces incorporate religion, and he talked about how he was Christian and why his pieces relate to Christianity, including “retablos ayacuchanos.” “Retablos” is Andean folk art in the form of portable boxes that depict religious, historical, or everyday events that are important to the indigenous people of the highlands of Peru and Bolivia.
Claudio Jimenez Quispe (Peru), c.2009. Painted plaster sculpture
in painted wood box (`10″ h. x 11 3/4″ w. x 3″ d.)
Translator Angelica Fuentes said she was completely drawn in by Quispe’s art.
“I want to buy everything,” Fuentes said. “I love everything he has created. He has really created something beautiful here. I feel like a little girl in a candy store right now.”
Quispe feels his latest work has taken on a creative, intriguing and fresh feel. He said his work is never repetitive, it’s always new and different every time.
He grew up knowing that he always wanted to be a professional artist.
“If I wasn’t an artist I would want to be a math teacher, I love learning and teaching people,” Quispe said. As he grew older he felt he got wiser, growing to perfect what he does and create things that were “peculiar” to him.
Quispe said he’s not motivated by money.
“I don’t make much doing this at all, and any profit that I make goes toward paying for the materials that I have borrowed,” he said.
With the help of Fuentes’ translation, Quispe borrows all of his materials that he uses from canvas to paint brushes.
Some LPC students who visited the gallery were impressed by the culture captured by Quispe.
He has passion for what he does and loves it unconditionally.
“I want to invite people to visit and I hope their perspectives on the world and culture are furthered for the better,” Quispe said.
