Open Mind Design Magazine English by Open Mind Design

FIRST ISSUE AUGUST 20, 2013

Intro. O

pen Mind Design was a profound dream integrated by three different visions that had a goal in common. It had always been in our minds to materialize a piece of art full of different shades of colour, shapes and thoughts. We never thought it could end up being so magnificent, so different, it is simply fascinating. And above all, we were impressed at how our dream was shaped overnight, and while we fully acknowledge that

Open Mind Design has the vision to expand this magazine to the rest of the world, without any language or cultural barrier impeding it. The objective of every single issue would be that of promoting art in all of its forms, working under the motto: “Art to Nurture Art”, which basically means, Art from everyone and for everyone erradicating any kind of exclusivity within, always with an Open Mind to any from of creation or ideas that are presented to us, because we believe in everyone’s infinity.

¿What’s OMD?

this project is not a hundred percent perfect and it is still loaded with things that we need to improve upon, one has to admit unarguably that it has the potential of becoming a huge thing. We would like to take the time and thank from the bottom of our hearts to all the people who had the initiative of contacting us and getting involved, as well as to all of the artists for laying your trust

Secondly, this magazine will always be free of any type of publicity or marketing that does not pertain to any artistic field; we wish this magazine to act as a blank canvas, prepped and awaiting to be transformed by each and every artist that desires to contribute in their own exceptional way to this project. The plan is for the magazine to be full with artistic contribution, in which anyone who has something to say can work with us, making this space created by all of us, completely free and completely Open.

and work in us, and we really hope that this, the end result of our hard work, pleases you as you venture with us through it; remember that only with your help, we were able to make this possible. We are eternally grateful to all you! Thank You! Sincerely, -Open Mind Design Team

Lastly, it is also our plan to begin publishing this magazine not just online, but to display its greatness though real paper. We are still in talks about how it should be in print form and frequently discussing the matter, but in the mean time allow us to remind you that we are providing everyone with this space, and shall you have any suggestions that could help this project improve, we are always Open to listen to you all, because after all, we are Open Mind Design.

What You’ll Find: EDITORIAL 22. IRANYELA LÓPEZ photography 5. DANIEL PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ 28. DANIEL PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ illustration illustration HEIDI LEVINE 6. “a photojournalist in 29. LUIS CONTRERAS VILLANUEVA the middle of the war” “always within our hands” (poetry) RAFAEL 8. MAGO VILLAMIZAR visual artist 30. MARIO CONTRERAS VILLANUEVA “pan’s festivities” 10. JAVIER O. CAMARILLO metagraphics (literature) 4.

(surrealism)

14. 16.

17. 20.

32. DAVID TEAPILA Y MAYRA HERRERA DANIEL GURROLA painting and poetry ceramic sculpting DANIEL PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ 38. CARLOS LUNA “the origin of a life illustration in dance” TOQUE PIMIENTA music from colombia 40. A WORD OF GRATITUDE TANIA ESPONDA AJA sculpture 41. ARTIST DIRECTORY

Index.

Editorial. Sleepless nights and unaccountable days of hard work allowed us to deliver this our first issue, which I confidently say it features real artists of great quality, whom we had the pleasure of meeting (online at least), knowing them and admiring their work and the only thing I can say as being part of this project is that I’ve fallen in love with it, because it has opened up a door and allowed me to meet all of you, and I consider that to be a true honour. I would also like to talk a little about the theme of this first issue, where did the inspiration come from, what purpose is behind the cover of this issue and what meaning does it bear exactly. This cover was designed with the purpose of empowering this issue, to give an impacting first impression and to show everyone that we are rising up with a great strength, and that we are dead serious about this project and truly devoted to it. The inspiration for this theme as our cover and as the first impression of this project came thanks to the work of Shepard Fairey, which deeply inspires me and has been an icon and a great inspiration in my art. What I love about his art is his use of soviet propaganda-style graphics, and how in a way he leads a revolution of art. But the way I perceive this ‘revolution’ is not in the sense of suggesting or implying that art needs a revolution, a sort of ‘renaissance’, I believe in the

idea of a ‘revolution’ in our ideas and views about the world of arts, these ideas I talk about may be true mostly in my country of birth (Mexico). I have been an artist ever since I can recall, I love creating and expressing my ideas through the materialization of something new, whatever it may be; I believe art is wherever true passion is present. Growing up in Mexico I came to understand that in general there wasn’t a healthy view about art, few are the ones who decide to pursue an art degree, and when they do they face tremendous obstacles which I believe are mostly cultural, dedicating your life to art is often viewed as “a waste of your life”, and in general artists have a bad an undeserved reputation, at least this is what I faced while growing up. Those stigmas, those wrongful assumptions are exactly what I wish to change. I want to show that art is not a waste of time, that it is a career like any other, as important and as necessary to society as any other. That is the main reason why we chose to embark in this project, this is pure propaganda with the intention of opening the minds of those who need it and nurturing the rest of us artists with works from our brothers all around the globe, uniting us all, seeking to eliminate any exclusivity in the art community and wishing to

deliver everyone an opportunity to redefine what art stands for, changing or adopting multiple ways in which we can all benefit not only by admiring it, but to let them go far beyond so that they can change our life. This is an artistic revolution that I hope is able to get everywhere, it is a change in our perspectives, only this way we could all turn art into a powerful force of information and expression, and all of this energy can be found in each page of this magazine, channeled with the purpose of expanding this project and supporting all of our artists unconditionally. I believe that their art can speak more clearly about what I plan for this project and I want to thank each one of them for their kind attentions, their time and their support and above all, thank you for depositing your trust in OMD. Finally, I reaffirm my wish to have the opportunity to know you and admire your work, and I encourage you to get involved! I can’t stress my gratitude for everyone that has supported our work and I welcome you to Open Mind Design! Sincerely, Krister Reyes Editor in Chief

México

DANIEL PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ illustration

HeidiLevine.

A photojournalist in the middle of the war. USA

By: Miriam A. Carpenter

Photojournalist Heidi Levine offers a direct focus on the different conflicts going on between Middle Eastern countries. Her photographs steal a breath from our bodies and make us reflect about what we are and what we are doing here in this world. Her career began in 1980 as a team member of the “Associated Press” in Israel. At first it was just a one-year experience, but at the end, it was only the beginning of a career of over two decades, documenting the conflict between Palestine and Israel most of these years. Her photographs focus on capturing the real sight along the battle lines, but not only that, her photography captures very profound and intimate moments within the population she is at; this is quite significative because on the regions and countries where she is generally found are Muslim, therefore a woman becoming close to a family is more culturally accepted rather than having a male stranger trying to get close to a family. This becomes a valuable advantage for many of

Levine’s partners because generally the people with this job are males. For this fact, Levine’s photographs are unique; they are not just photographs about warfare, but they are focal points on those moments where sadness is evident but a sense of hope perseveres and also, moments where our hearts are touched by a warm feel of compassion. Although the majority of her photographs are related

to warfare and armed conflicts, they are worthy of analyzing them, comprehend them and ultimately enjoy them because they offer another sight without a planned or hidden message, nothing more than the experience of photography. Even herself talks about how many times she has been living among the families and experiencing the grief and the mourning after losing a loved one in the war, sharing the common feeling wherever she is staying, turning this into an amazing way of sensing a human connection. Heidi Levine represents a bridge between those affected by the armed conflicts and us, and she makes an astonishing job displaying those emotions in each of her images, which can be crude, but they are real, they do not need to be digital fabrications to convey a specific message, on the contrary they just exhibit human reality as it is, a reality that should always be shown.

ings in Gaza and Iraq and more recently, she has taken photographs of the revolutionary movements in Libya, Egypt and other works in Jordan, Sweden, Syria, Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan. For more information and to see more photographs taken by Heidi Levine visit:

www.heidilevine.photoshelter.com

Her reports include articles and photographs about the second war of Lebanon in 2006, Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria and Sweden, feticide in India, bomb-

Venezuela

Rafael Emmanuel Mago Villamizar

Visual Arts By: Miriam A. Carpenter

Born in Mérida, Venezuela and with an impeccable career path, He has stood out in everything he has set himself out to do, academically and especially artistically. Personally, when I saw his work I fell in love by the colors, there is an artistic sensibility that you feel when you look at his artwork. His career began when he attended the University of the Andes, where his understanding of what art is and how it should be for humanity, fleetingly began. “My life has been like a poem out loud” - He shared with us. He defines his life like that, because, as he expressed it to us: “a poem has, just like me, many thoughts, stories and emotions that are locked up and through which we remember and imagine all of this; and that helps me to survive day to day; my art and my creations feel somewhat like holding back but at the same time like a shout out loud, a poem out loud, realistic, that speaks about me.”

“My life has been like a poem out loud”

But when did all of this began? It started when he was a little boy, thanks to constant encouragement of his mother, who supported his curiosity and his love of creating; this is where all of this artistic “addiction” began. Not only his mother has been a big boost of support taking him to where he is now with a distinguished career, his father has also been very supportive of him, despite knowing very little about his artistic career, he supports him unconditionally and deeply believes in his success.

He has achieved a recent success as a graphic designer, producing his very own brand of t-shirts, where illustration is the main focus. We hope to see all the creative project of this new line of clothes soon!

One of his current objectives is to be sponsored by the “Saatchi Gallery” or the “Marlborough”, being that “art now a days, is quite contemporary and I see that in the future, that’s what is going to be remembered, and these galleries focus on contemporary art, therefore if I get to be promoted by these galleries, I will become immortal because I will be remembered “

Javier O. México

By: Miriam A. Carpenter

Metagraphics, A modern vision about life and art.

Javier O. Camarillo, is a remarkable artist he has created his own style of artwork, “Metagraphics”, which is born by the combination of Metaphysics and Graphics; lines so clear like threads of conscience, which create symbols and crystallized messages in each spiritual and psychological piece with an individual study, with us being the witnesses of this self-knowledge and study of humanity, represented by images. How did your career began? I am self-taught; the first painting workshop I took when I was 17 years old. But I believe that my career really began at age 4 when I was asked to colour an image for school; I asked my family for help because I didn’t know how to colour and they pretty much refused to help me and what happened then was that I painted red all over it, even though the picture had trees and little houses. What happens is that society as it is corrupts you from an early age, but even so, I don’t blame my family for not having a taste for art. I believe my first artwork was when I was born, when I coloured the canvas with my own blood; and then it repeated itself when I was 4, like I just told you, and later on again when I was 14 or 15.

Are the majority of your pieces acrylic painting or oils? Well regarding the medium, acrylic has a different power compared to oil, I mean that acrylic feels sort of like a block of iron when you are painting, and oil is like hovering over the skin of a woman. Would you believe your art has been like a cycle? How would you define your progress as an artist? Yes, my art has been like a biological process, I believe every artist has to have that process and well, I don’t think that I was another painter in another life, I consider myself a mutant. We should keep in mind that death is just another door; barely a year ago I begun ‘killing’ Javier, they are states of mind that mutate. Could you go a bit into depth about your creative process and your vision of death and your states of mind? To me death is more than just a process, it is an infinite machinery of conscience, I believe that after we stop having possession of this body, I will own another body according to the state of mind the previous one is working on.

Would you then consider your art a spiritual process? Yes, it is a process of healing, like “Jodorowsky” said, I don’t consider myself to be spiritual, but it is a work that has to be done and the process is unconsciously. Of course… Well until you consider it helps to heal you, it’s not about healing others besides, I don’t meditate nor I would go and see or be around any of these spiritual masters;

“I don’t meditate because I am meditating all the time.”

Perfect! Could we talk about each piece individually? Personally this one caught my attention (Background). Could you talk about it and tell me how you worked on this piece? What did you embody here? Yes, this was something I was asked to do for a collective exhibition regarding rock, in some collective where I used to exhibit, I haven’t done it from a few years back; back then, I had no name for my method, but it’s there in its greatest splendor. I have always loved the impact a face has, like photographic hyperrealists who paint great fragments of a body or object. What I’m doing here is destroying the face, with myself as the model of course, but I’m destroying it from a very graphic way, without much spontaneity, I believe it is a great entrance for what would be to me my pictoric method. I see, for example, in this piece, you say that it is in its full splendor, which I agree I think it is magnificent. When did you come to define your technique, would you define it for me? Of course, I gave it a name in the year 2012:

“Metagraphics: it consists of the use of paint very loudly marking the graphic through metaphysics”. I mean there is some metaphysic and visual work involved with the lines of conscience boldly marked; it’s like there are two subconscious, and of course all of this is infinite.

Between these two unconscious there are the threads of consciousness, and this is what makes the equilibrium among the successive unconscious which I believe we have along the biological and universal.

“We are beings who build our own consciousness infinitely.”

So, do you come up with something first to then make the painting about? How you talked about how you are always meditating, do you come up with something first or does your ideas appear from nowhere? Yes, first I do some metaphysic work, then I paint, well truthfully the metaphysical work is always there during the process, it’s just that I use is to conceive the pictoric idea. I read some symbols that arrive in my mind, in some occasions I define it as spontaneity, just a few lines, simply because I don’t want to be repetitive, I want something new, something no one has ever done before, but sometimes some of the symbols repeat. I was asked one time about a piece that I have that’s called “Constant Equilibrium”, I was asked if it had something to do with the freemasons, it doesn’t but they probably thought so because of the symbols are “finitos”, it’s just that they mutate and acquire a different meaning. This of course without me even knowing about the freemasons in the first place. How do you read these symbols? How do they come to you? Do they get their own meaning? Throughout reading is how I give them a meaning, freemasons make use of a triangle, thing that I use but in a different way, it might mean something to those who know about freemasonry. But to me the triangle is just a social triangle, if you have a conflict with someone and at the same time both of you know a person in common, a social triangle is formed. Does each piece have its own meaning with its symbology? Which is the one that you consider to be the most “ad-

vanced” in your process? Yes, each piece has a different meaning, depending on how and where the symbol is located, that’s the magic! The piece that I consider the most advanced is the one that I paint right know, I call it “The Human Condition”, it is a title that I’ve been thinking about for a couple of years. It’s a subject that has already been done by Rene Magritte, afterwards I came to know that another surrealist painter had already invented that title, well perhaps that’s what made me think about it for so long. As always I have wanted something new, I was very idealistic back then and neurotic so I didn’t want anything that wasn’t completely mine. It also came to my mind that painting of Dali, the Persistence of Memory, the one with the melting clocks, I back then didn’t know about it. I think it was the moment when I began talking to surrealists, they were signaling me. Now I am imprinted in this piece, all that I have learned in this time, with a very descriptive symbology, very well accommodated. Overall I intend to focus on social networks, which is where large social triangles are formed, and well I feel we are in a time of love, a century where love is a very representative symbol. It would appear then that this piece represents love, would you agree? Every time that I make a new piece I open a door, with any symbol specifically, well the door is becoming open along with other before it, but first I open windows, then I open the doors.

This piece is a door; I put a heart on it. I’m quite clear, I don’t think we are in times of puzzles; we are in times of crystallization. Would this piece be crystallization of all the messages you have learned all this time? How long have you been doing these sorts of meditations and

or starting thie process? Yes it is a crystallization of what’s been previously gathered. I believe that from the day I was born, I was born meditation, like the Buddha. It’s just that society and culture, even family, create a mold, or interrupts that meditation, that is the sensibility I’ve always had. How have you managed to avoid society imposing that mold on you; how have you stopped them from in-

terrupting your meditation and your sensibility? I keep constructing my genius; at a stage of my adolescence, I found myself lonely, and I the only thing I kept doing was draw, and I never stopped. Always doubting but at the same time feeling superior and receiving compliments for my creations, which is something that I’ve never been quite interested in really. Finally, for you at least, what value does a painter or an artist have? I’ve met people who don’t paint for fear of expressing some emotional states, which in the end is what a painter ends up doing, a study of oneself, a psychoanalysis. Like Rembrandt who painted a lot of self-portraits, it’s something I do as well, since it can become something gradual like life itself, some people get stuck and always do the same things, which we’ve talked about a lot. This has a los to do with what type of art admirer will pay attention to you. If you paint little angels and horses, you’ll get the attention of many, if you seek a new language it’s clear that not many would understand it, and others who like to make reference to other artists, even more so if said artist was famous or really known. There is something for everybody, but an artist is one step closer to a painter.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The artist becomes a mutant. The painter creates, the artist mutatesâ&#x20AC;?.

BubblEs

Her soul ascending to heaven, saw the loneliness of the seas

Layout by: Lorena Contreras

Just if she had the power to choose, she would have chosen death

She smiled, with her tiny gray eyes and messed up hair

To keep on dying over and over and over again

It was the numbing effect that comes just before death

Just to keep the cold waters of the ocean a little bit warmer

A s the flower seems to shine before turning to ashes

Because even at the end, there is a need for company

And the ocean tide dragged her in, not violently, but with empathy

A need to keep loneliness away, and that is why we choose to stay together, that is why we like to hold a name and a character of our own

For the truth is, everybody knows how it feels to be alone

So we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t die and fade away forever, as bubbles in the sea.

Lonely is the only shared state of the human kind And as the ocean embraced her lifeless body with his powerful hands

Daniel Gurrola El Paso, Texas, USA 14

Cube

Maybe gravity held us together Or somehow our bodies wanted to collide It might as well be fault of the energies That traveled from your heart to mine But a life by your side is only relative As if yesterday was forever and we were Forever trapped in each other’s arms Can we make real all of our fantasies? ... For reality is only ours Yet time tries to consume everything And nothing becomes all A loop of never-ending clashes The footprint of a future memory Stories of an unheard voice It all reminds me of that day The day my past reached to your future And whispered thankfully, and said Maybe this is just a big lie And we were supposed to carry on Believe in gravity and time and space And continue through our paths As if we were free and not condemned But what is love if not a chain? A reaction of the mind or a reflection of the inner self Yet it took me so long to figure it out I was not looking for someone else

Daniel Gurrola

01.

Layout by: Lorena Contreras

The laws and theorems of this world The many diagrams I didn’t quite understand They’re only products of myself These words and the images within them It all came from a void A place where answers were supposed to be Yet only questions grow And grow, and grow until they outgrow my loneliness And it talks to me as an old friend, and never leaves me alone Am I light or am I darkness? Light is the most lonely force Always there yet never true So at the end only light has followed me And I’ve managed to question the only bit of reality that’s left Would I still be here in this void? Would my memories live on? If the last light bulb broke and left darkness alone, What would happen then? And then it all became black And I was able to see clearly When we are all covered in the same exact darkness We all form part of the same image A mirror of truth, a mirror of lies A mirror that reflects whatever you are afraid of That is reality, and reality is relative.

El Paso, Texas, USA 15

México

DANIEL PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ illustration

Toque Pimienta MUSIC

By: Miriam Carpenter & Krister Reyes

Colombia Bogota, Colombia, was fortunate enough to witness the birth of this group with a sound distinguished by its musical quality, their wonderful voices and the use of different Latin-Folk styles. It’s a new twist on traditional music, a fusion of traditional and modern sounds. This project began in 2010, when guitarist David Castelblanco and vocalist Alexandra Chaves Velasco decided to form a band. With just three years of musical career, they have already transformed and created their own style, turning it completely into new music. The band’s lineup has had famous artists like: Peter Jackson, Daniel Chebair, Carlos Cetina and Benjamin Huapaya and not only that,

but it has made several concerts in Colombo-Italian School of Piano, Cafe concert “café y guitarra” (coffee and guitar)” in Tenjo (Cundinamarca, Colombia), the cultural center and restaurant “Manya Sazón Peruana”, Gilberto Alzate Avendaño Foundation, the jazz club and gallery” San Café “, the festival “nos vemos en Usaquén” (See you in Usaquén), and the academy “Luis A. Calvo “.

of urban music groups: “Satellite” (acid jazz), “Afrotumbao” (Pacifico and Colombian timba ) and “Pacífic Soul” with Victor Hugo Rodriguez. He works as an electric guitar teacher at the University “El Bosque” and the Faculty of Arts ASAB of the District University Francisco José de Caldas.

Members:

She studied at the Faculty of Arts ASAB of the District University Francisco José de Caldas, where she studied piano and singing with emphasis on arrangements and composition. She is currently an independent teacher and researcher of music pedagogy of

David Castelblanco

Guitarist, arranger, composer and director of the group. Graduated from the University “El Bosque”, He has been guitarist

The music of: TOQUE

Alexandra Chaves Velasco: Singer, soprano.

PIMIENTA

piano and singing, to children, youth and adults, she has given annual recitals with students for thirteen years in the framework of “Haz Concierto” (Do Concerts).

Fabiola Morales Monje Singer, contralto voice.

From the city of Bucaramanga, Santander. She graduated from the University “El Bosque” as a singer and arranger. Currently she serves as child and youth educator, in music, piano and singing. Also she’s part of the vocal group “Legato”. At the same time, she’s part of the musical business such as promoter of surging bands in the Bogotan local scene (Booking Agent). She has performed with groups such as “Fortuito Dueto” (blues, jazz and bossa nova), “El Corral del Chivo” (jazz fusion), and “AleHa” (Rock Pop). She has participated as a backing vocal-

ist on “The Voice: Colombia”, and she was part of the recording of the latest album of “Vía Rústica” (reggae).

María Fernanda Ramírez Martínez Electric Bass.

Professional bass player, graduated from the University “El Bosque”. She has played with groups of tropical music, reggae, rock, pop and Latin music. She is a teacher in Catherblanc Pedagogical Lyceum and currently directs the rehearsal room “Cuco”.

María Elena Anchico Minor percussion.

From Guapi, Valle del Cauca. She has a degree in music from the “Universidad del Cauca”. “Pacic Soul” group member with Victor Hugo Rodriguez. Her main instrument is the marimba de chonta, but she also knows about the strokes and techniques to play the instruments of the Pacific region. She is dedicated to teaching children.

Benjamín Huapaya Peruvian cajon.

Singer, songwriter, percussionist and chef from Lima (Peru), He is the owner of the cultural center and of the “Manya Sazón Peruana” restaurant, located in La Macarena, Bogota. He took his first musical steps with Peruvian Cajon, thanks to the support and example of his father and brothers, whom also were singers and experts on the Peruvian Creole music.

They hope to expand and share their passion with all of us, if you want to listen to them, or learn more about what they have to offer you can go to: soundcloud.com/david-castelblanco/atardecer-feb1 soundcloud.com/david-castelblanco/peque-a-de-ojosgrandes soundcloud.com/david-castelblanco/no-valentin To be up to date about their presentations and to get in touch with them, you can find them at:

facebook.com/toque.pimienta myspace.com/toquepimienta toquepimienta@gmail.com

TANIA ESPONDA AJA

México

By: Miriam A. Carpenter

ania Esponda Aja, sculptor, photographer, painter and well, a total artist. She displays the elegance of simplicity through her impeccable works of art. Sculpture, where its sophistication and simple beauty is unquestionable. Her sculpture is formed, in her words, by: ”Simple pieces that when combined, they create something very significative”, projecting such a beauty in a very natural manner. Beauty is her main inspiration, her objective is to create things that bear a message and transmit joy to everyone, to share her life and what truly makes her joyous. Using her infinite creativity, she conveys messages full of positivity and tranquility, through her inspiration, she brings life to materials like iron and bronze, covering them in exuberant colours, legacy from her Mexican roots.

“Helix” (Above) Dimensions: 236.22 x 47.22 in Medium: Oil on Steel Steel sculpture, abstract work painted using oil and organic texture. “Desintegrating” (Left) Medium: Steel and automotive finish. Steel sculpture painted using automotive finish.

emotions, but to also evoke emotion and liberation, infecting all of the feeling she sculpts in each of her pieces. Finally, she shared us one of her most memorable experiences: “I think I’ll never forget about my first exhibit, seeing the connection that my piece created with people I’d never seen before, being able to communicate through my piece and making them feel something special; it’s like we were speaking the same language through art.” Tania Esponda Aja, has an incredible voice that speaks through her art pieces, and you can witness their simplicity, but at the same time you find yourself filled with emotions provoked by the power of those colours and the balance of each piece in her sculpture. Visit her website:

www.taniaespondaja.com Or connect with her on facebook: Tania Esponda Aja ART

She spoke about how her career began: “I was always drawn by the fine arts, but it wasn’t until one particular day when I happened to be stuck in traffic, and I began looking around me and I witnessed people becoming more and more stressed and they would start fighting with each other in the middle of such a beautiful day; the sky seemed of the likeness of a painting by Monet. It was that day that I decided I was going to devote my life to something that would make me truly happy, that I’d rather spend my life doing something beautiful and from that day on, I keep seeking that.” The message in her art is to glance beyond the obvious, beyond what’s in front of us, “Maybe to somebody a bunch of cubes might not mean a much, but after arranging them in several ways, they can create an equilibrium that might not only be aesthetic, but rather remind us that if we keep our feet on the ground, we’ll be able to lift much more than we ever thought we could, and that what allows us to place another cube on top of the last one.”

“The Dance” (Above, Left) Medium: Steel Colour: Black “ADAM Orange” (Above, Right) Medium: Steel and automotive finish. Colour: Orange

Her work is pure expression, striving to express its own 21

“Photography: A collection of the museum of Life”

México

By: Lorena Contreras & Krister Reyes

The love that is transmitted though every photograph of Iranyela’s “Life” collection is matchless, taking the time to read every page and observe each photograph was a wondrous experience that I thoroughly enjoyed second by second.

different world, another dimension where those very details become the most important things, where every texture, every line and every shape engage in a conversation between this amazing artist and us, who are simply witnesses of her life through photography.

She took me into her journey, through her perspective, with a restless and contemplative mind, she captures little fragments of a life that is so grand for us to admire every detail, while simultaneously showing you a completely

For Iranyela, photography is like a microscope; it is the window of all that exists, of her personal and secret anthology blended with the immensity of the world.

P h o t o g r a p h y

Iranyela López Valdéz

P h o t o g r a p h y 23

Iranyela L贸pez Vald茅z

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In a few words, I love photography and if to love is just an abstract word that is told in many different ways, It is the closest and least artificial enunciation of what it means to meâ&#x20AC;? 24

México

DANIEL PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ illustration

“Always Within our Hands” LUIS CONTRERAS VILLANUEVA

México

Shuts the silence that conveys To desperation a silly comfort To which dull reminder now delights Before the uncertainty of anew azure. That instant that today tarnishes time Will lay eternal within a dream When the shadows are more than a longing Fantasy gets lost in a sea of uncertains. Perhaps nostalgia invades the space Left by the cold soul and lack of esteem When the mind thought of answers That in the end were not attain. Strange memories binding life In algid breeze or autumns far away The memory motionless with distance today And silence remains always within our hands.

Image: Iranyela López 29

México

Pa n ’ s F e st i v i t i e s

Mario Rodolfo Contreras Villanueva

Seen from a distance, the foliage that cuts on the vicinity of the Stockton forest appears to be a megalithic sculpture; its blunt strokes evoke the grave geological disorders from ancient eras, when the remaining life forms were far from resembling the current, or at least those from our predecessors.

One day of summer, inebriated of such natural manifestations, I lost the of notion of time; the evening fell stealthy and, from one moment to another, the darkness reclaimed said territory, drowning in its bosom the portents until then contemplated, and gave way to dark omens of danger and desperation.

As one approaches its boundaries, the migrating birds abruptly cut their path, stylizing a turn with amazing precision, as if avoiding a real and imminent danger.

Covered in a strange sensation of loneliness I incorporated hastily, and after a brief orientation I initiated the return to the town.

If one is to approach by the valley, that dread starts materializing inexplicably, but then, as if by work of magic it vanishes, giving way to a splendid landscape, to which only the lack of ambience sound from the wild animals could be reproached. The greenness, though of an unsettling and bold tonality. Is projected all around, allowing the grass to mimic a soft natural carpet. As you venture through the thicket, exquisite streams can be discovered, some provided with rich springs, which at its banks the most courageous assure that at different ages strange objects were found, which in the same way they assert, belonged to beautiful nymphs whom during full moon nights straightened their long hairs, in a cadence of obscure melodies, executed by nothing less than ominous characters. Following the abandoned beds of the long gone streams that invaded the surroundings, one can sluggishly ascend, until situated at the feet of the megalithic fortress, which many charms have inclined astonished before. Secured from overhangs of rock, it is possible to advance to a third of its imposing stature, from which its own demarcation can be observed from the town, with its large tongues of white smoke emerging in a monotone symphony. 30

Nurtured from an illusory courage, I crossed the first of three streams that I remembered; meandering through millenary trees I advanced for a few minutes, from which then the courage began to cede, causing my mind to confuse rocks and bushes with animals of nightmare or mysterious beings, misshapen and flawed. The silence, added to the extreme desolation, gave me the sensation of panting, which wasn’t appropriate, in virtue of its descent; said appreciation, came to reinforce the certainty that the walkways did not correspond to the ones I remembered, and soon enough, behind a slight association of ideas, I realized that I had not been orientated properly when my departure began, which meant I’d been ascending ever since. One brief consideration more and I calculated that by then I would be closer to the foliage. Struggling to find the less abrupt side of my slip, I came to the conclusion that, taking the right caution, I could rise through the rock to locate the town and orientate myself; after a few minutes I reached the cold primal wall and aided by a timid moon, I discovered the first points of support. Swaying towards the rock, I began to gain altitude and soon, after a quick inspection, I realized I had escalated a considerable distance, even tough the pretending to look down only was only responded me with the inscrutable obscurity of the forest.

Later, the moon trespassed the visual field of the spike, through which the difficulty of continuing the way seemed only encouraged by my desire to locate weakening lights of my objective. At that height, I couldn’t glimpse even the branches of the nearest trees, which is why I assumed there was still a good stretch left until my perseverance could be seen crowned, and in that affair I didn’t reflect about the invested time. I have mentioned that said activity was facilitated up to a third of the foliage, after which the rocky formation prevented any attempt of ascending, unless one disposes the appropriate equipment; reason why I didn’t stop being surprised when my foot rested on a solid and horizontal surface. Clambering, I conceived I was situated at the highest part of the rocky structure, once I incorporated, I was able to walk a few steps, while I felt a breeze that blissfully lashed my face Without repair on the impossibility of that feat, I concluded that within my desperation I had found a path diverting from the known one, since I could glimpse a diffused shining in the distance, which might as well have been the town. In my manifesting gibberish I conceived the frightening idea of a misstep, which even if the moon offered a bit of luminosity, it became insufficient to clearly determine the contour of things. Such consideration kept me static for a couple of minutes, after which a distant clamour arrived to my ears driven by the wind; which might have been the nocturnal breeze, which after colliding against the surface of the rock, emitted that capricious chord.

onto the light of context it was conceived in. I sharpened by senses, attempting to reveal the cause behind those inappropriate manifestations, and although they delayed for a considerable amount of time, I didn’t gain any major insight. It isn’t crucial to posses an acute mind to create, based on the elements referred, a series of terrifying explanations, so between laughter, sometimes feminine, sometimes masculine, and musical sounds of unknown origin, I quickly took the determination of spending the night in that place and not enter the heaviness, although under the argument that given the slight visibility, I could fall into the void. That way, I gave up to the sleep which, goes without saying, found no resistance on my part. By the morning, I corroborated that effectively, in my desperation I had came up to a route upwards never before explored and, with not a few difficulties, I descended all the way to the forest. It becomes irrelevant now, to describe the perils I faced to exit that place and return home; maybe I never got to know the place of origin of all the nocturnal sound, but what I could locate was the site from which the strange gibberish proceeded; it was the stream I had found the previous night, since the footsteps indicated it that way, although some appeared to belong to animals with helmets, maybe a male goat, or several, judging by the quantity of them. And the coral comb? Oh, that object must have been misplaced by some distracted visitor.

A grotesque laughter in the distance interrupted my reflections, followed by the sharp sound of a flute proceeding, I concluded at that moment, although not with the tranquillity I’m narrating now, from below, coming from somewhere in the forest. To said exclamation of joy more laughter were hastily added, increasing its intensity, while a rumble of drums, or something of the like, joined the shivery concert, which labelling isn’t gratuitous,

México

DAVID TEAPILA & MAYRA HERRERA PAINTING

CERAMIC SCULPTURE

Chimerical Essences of the Earth and Coffee

By Miriam Carpenter & Krister Reyes

Each piece of art bears the essence, the soul of each artist; even so, every piece has its own strength, its own fragrance. They all share the essence of the hands of their creators, and all of this process, this cycle of creation comprises the fantastic, the magical and the mythological; a whole alternate world to whom contemplates and let himself go with its flow. Finally, the elements that make this all possible, the earth, who is our mother, creator and us, her coffee, her fruit. That is how the work from Mayra Herrera and David Teapila is represented with words, bringing to life a project with the purpose of the conservation, the promotion and the creation of art in Mexico: “Herrera & Teapila Mexico is a project of transformation and professional growth with the mission of taking art and culture to as many people as possible, to bring these beings, these worlds and this magic to those who wish to share with us. We are artists taking up this project with our own resources and we open the invitation to all the creators of art to join this organization that is Herrera & Teapila Mexico. And finally we would gladly welcome any kind of sponsorship that wishes to support this cause.”

Mayra Herrera and David Teapila, talked to us about their art, about themselves and specially about their wonderful project: How did this idea started? I understand it is a fusion of both types of art, ceramics and coffee, mother earth, the perfect equilibrium bringing its fruit, coffee; I feel it’s a perfect combination of concepts and ideas. I love to even think what it’s like! (Both Artists) This project starts after a countless amount of values and feelings; first there is the friendship that bonds us together, our passion for art and all the love while creating a piece. Something of huge resonance, which became essential to the materialization of this itinerant exposition, was the concern about the spreading of culture; we have always been full time dreamers and one of our biggest desires is for the people in our country get more involved in art. (Mayra) We work with elements provided by nature and personally, I believe that art can touch people’s heart, the ceramics in “Chimerical Essences of the Earth”, bear the tranquility, serenity and peace

throughout its light, water and shape, our pieces are completely organic and we imprint them with out magic and essence in all of them. (David) And of course, there’s a lot of what you mentioned after you made your question; “Mother Earth gives us soil and soil gives us coffee”, Chimerical Essences of the Earth is the invitation to a magical and alternate world through beings, landscapes and puzzles only visible to whom wishes to see them. Our visual art is excellently complemented; therefore “Itinerant Exposition” and “Chimerical Essences of the Earth and Coffee” will be displayed together. I read about your definition of your work David, it is mixed media, but you call it “Organic Mixed”, I remember you made a reference about you utilizing pigments and acrylic paint; could you explain more in detail what materials you use and how you like to use them? I also have another question, when you use pigments, how do you use them, I mean while you are mixing several mediums?

(David) In the particular case of painting and using a classic example; acrylic-oil breeds a mixed media, from that blend or mixing of mediums, comes my visual art. Allow me to elaborate; within itself, the particular colour in the moment of applying the coffee to my piece it’s incomparable, it has texture, body, hue, tone and of course the fragrance. During the creation of each of my pieces on this series called “Chimerical Essences of Coffee”, the base of my artworks is pigmented by the colour extract of coffee beans; a true delight no question about it! Well now, the materials I used to create were coffee (just plain everyday coffee), food colouring (just the kind we use to pigmentate our food, I remember my mom cooking coloured rice for me and my brother when we were little, green, yellow and blue rice, it was fun!), acrylic, oil and ink. I should remark that the coffee as well as the food colouring must be treated to avoid moulding, since, just like with any other organic matter in the prescence of oxygen, bacteria and the environment there is a process of decomposition, which I am able to counteract through a method of decantation. Going back to the process after applying the base of the coffee pigment, I then start to embody the composition, I can or not do it using coffee, here is when the acrylic, oil or ink intervene; from there it’s where what I call an “Organic mixed piece” arises, a mixture not only of media and technique, but of unconventional material to said techniques. Let’s say I could take a bite of one of my pieces! (Laughs) This question goes to Mayra. How could something like ‘violence’ inspire you to do this type of art that holds a message so full of positivity? I mean how it affected your desire and your creativity, which I find rather magnificent on your part. (Mayra) It truly is a big deal, I have always observed my surroundings and I see the great impact that violence has in everyone’s lives. This is reflected in the eyes and faces of people. In our reality as a country, it is quite alarming the amount of aggression generated by the war against narcotrafficking and organized crime; on the other hand the media and the entertainment that videogames filled with so much blood and death deliver is the reason why I want to give my five cents, evoking through my work some peace and tran-

quility to whomever observes, because to me they are art pieces that should be carefully contemplated for they emanate a harmonious environment with their dim light and fragrance of some of our pieces with incense or copal. David, How would you define your artwork, what message do you want to convey? I would love to know your point of view in general about life. It’s difficult… I really don’t have one, I don’t know why; I feel that by trying to define it I would limit the art piece and myself. I would take that ‘definition’ to a manifestation that will eventually end up with that which I want to let people know, or else “the message I wish to deliver”. I have always enjoyed the thoughts of the people looking at my pieces, I generally try not to influence that opinion with any sort of speech or explanation on the exhibits, I am deeply satisfied by them having their own perspective and viewpoint about my work. And without answering your question (Chuckles), more than just a message it is an invitation to a serene world of lightness, of possibilities, of dreams, of magic. My magic world… but do not be deceived by this answer, each one of my pieces will

Title: “Hadas de las flores” (Fairies of the flowers) Author: David Teapila. Organic mixed media over paper Dimensions: 47.5 cm X 65 cm Año: 2013

speak what it has to speak at the moment it deems convenient. My general viewpoint about life… I will share something quite personal; someone told me once: “When you stop dreaming you start to die”, and I was dying in oblivion, fortunately my family and friends were able to rescue me, especially Mayra. Life, I mean of course it’s cruel, of course is difficult, but you know what… It is equally marvelous and full with gifts that are only in the eyes of those who know where to look… How was your childhood like? How did art act for you as a form of aid? (David) It’s something rather long (laughs) I will try to abridge as much as possible. My childhood as far as I can remember was excellent, joyous and comfy, but kinda uptight at the same time. I would spent the majority of my time with my mother since my father worked long hours to provide and sustain us along with my brother. I was a kid who from an early age had sports imposed by my parents, it was then when I discovered the fine arts, and it wasn’t like I would to go these tennis or karate classes and saw sculptures or paintings on the way to practice, rather I discovered art as a way to release the frustration of not being

able to do what I really liked, I enjoyed the sports but I loved drawing for example. I remember I always asked my mother for colouring books, which she never really denied me, the problem lied in the fact that I would begin “wasting” the pages of my school notebooks with drawings of strange forms and stylized in female shapes. My mother always supported y ideas, but my father didn’t. Since I knew that watching me draw instead of going out and play soccer with the neighbours bothered her, I decided to start hiding to be able to keep doing it, I would let my imagination travel wild in a fairytale. Thanks to my father’s nuisance about drawing, and his constant reprimands whenever he found my sketches or doodles on my notebooks, I decided to leave it for good; from there I began dying little by little. However, it wasn’t until High School that art touched my path in a significant way. By official ordinance one had to select a terminal branch within my school that gave you the option of selecting from a variety of classes to obtain credits… Here I make a parenthesis, I ignore why, from a very young age, the idea of pursuing something related to health emerged in my mind. Therefore, my terminal branch ended up being: Biological Chemistry, but my set of optional classes was focused on arts along with an architectural drawing and construction workshop. I was a great student, it wasn’t hard for me to take so many diverse classes and of course, I enjoyed that workshop more than anything. Another branch of the arts touched my heart as well; you see, to avoid taking a P.E. class (you might wonder if by this point I’d grown sick of sports, well I was, by then I was a member of the swimming team at the Institute of Sports and Recreation of the state of Queretaro), my High School opened various workshops and that’s when I found Folkloric Dance; yes, I was also a dancer. It was time to pursue a bachelor’s degree; I gave up on sports and left dance, devoting myself one hundred percent to my career as a Dental Surgeon; but art was still present within, now with a louder voice inside me and resonating through my family’s environment. I would attend plays, festivals and exhibits and would ventilate my stress on the anatomical drawings that doctors left for us. The last semester of the course arrived and due to financial issues I couldn’t complete the course and fell into a terrible depression. Art helped me overcome that dark abyss; I remember

I would imprint all that solitude and melancholy on drawings, sketches I’ve misplaced, maybe they were meant to abandon my life. Art has always purified my soul. Mayra, what is it that you experience when you are creating your pieces? What does it feel to bring a balance within the elements? It’s something quite interesting to me personally, since I have never worked with ceramics and I would love to know more about the whole process, etcetera. (Mayra) I feel something magical, the realization that I am creating a new being that emerges purely from my soul, since I don’t make sketches for the materialization of the piece. I will share with you an anecdote. I was at a workshop working on ceramics, where suddenly a block of clay began glowing; I quickly grabbed it and began working with it. The being that came from that block was a beautiful firefly, and I would imagine it flying out at any moment, it was fantastic. In each creation it’s different, what always coincides is an immense tranquility and peace blended with adrenaline when working the soil, the contact with this element along with water, air and fire is a truly mystical affair, and even more magical is the use of the fifth element I incorporate to my pieces, this last one is love. You never know what will come out after the fire since baking takes a few hours up to 1300ºC or higher, it is a very emotional experience full with surprises. I feel something magical. I profoundly thank Mayra and David for dedicating some of their time to show us their love, a sincere and almost intangible love towards art. For more information about them and their exhibits, please contact them at: maya.herrera76@hotmail.com facebook.com/mayraherreraartistaplasticas.ceramica davidteapila@hotmail.com facebook.com/arte.david.teapila. Mayra Herrera & David Teapila, Visual Artists. Proudly Mexican.

SCULPTURES BY MAYRA HERRERA

México

The Origin of a Life in

With only sixteen years and no dance experience whatsoever, Carlos

Humberto Luna Jiménez, decided to be part of the folkloric ballet cast of the “Colegio de Bachilleres”, the High School he would attend for the following three years. Slightly after he had begun dancing folk at his school, one of his dance professors Mr. Carlos Guerrero Mercado, invited him and encouraged him to attend a dance rehearsal that was going to be held at the “Municipal Center for the Arts”, a local school of the arts, and so he decided to attend hoping to get acquainted a little more with the world of dance; little did he know he would suddenly become a part of one of the most important and influential dance companies on the entire city. As he arrived at the rehearsal, his teacher asked him to learn a certain dance as quickly as he could because he might have to perform it the very next day during a Sunday performance event that the company was preparing, and so it happened… The rest of his High School education he spent dancing along with the folkloric dance group at his school and performing regularly at the Sunday events. After graduating from the “Colegio de Bachilleres”, he decided he wanted to become a Professional Dance Technician, a career offered

DANCE

By: Lorena Contreras

by the Municipal Center for the Arts. He kept working hard on his career and performing every Sunday, eventually, he completed his dance studies and graduated, but shortly after he felt the need to explore another of his long time passions and pursued a bachelor’s in Graphic Design at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez (UACJ). Although still undecided about a specific field to specialize in, his goal is to be able to fuse both careers and exercise everything he has learned. After his professional career had begun, he was asked to work as a folkloric dance professor at the Municipal Center for the Arts.

Carlos is a professional in the fields of classic and contemporary dance, wittingly applying everything he learned during his career and from all the experience he gained by performing every weekend, he works hard to create more and new passionate dancers with the necessary skills and techniques to get the best out of themselves and fully devote to their passion.

To get in touch with Carlos you can write him an email at: pomeranshobo@hotmail.com

As a long-term goal, at the completion of his bachelor’s in Graphic Design, he wishes to move to the state of “Colima” to study contemporary dance, which he loves, and of course he desires to start his own dance company, where he is able to express himself through contemporary dance. Carlos is currently also part of the cast of the traditional spectacle called “Gran Fiesta Mexicana”, at the “Viva Mexico” restaurant in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

A Word of Gratitude To conclude this our first edition, I would love to grab a moment to sincerely thank you for all the support and for the resonance that has impulsed this project. This began initially as a small idea, like a seed we tossed onto the immensity of the web, and which, with the support of you all, little by little, gained an immense strength. It is almost impossible for me to believe that this started with a simple image recruiting artists who might be interested, a simple image that many people shared and took with them to corners of this world that we never thought about reaching. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all of the artists that reached to us, and who were interested in the project, not only for exhibiting their art, but for collaborating with us to complete this first issue of the magazine, also to all the marvelous people that helped to spread the word, to all of our readers and the people who have dedicated their lives to art, of whatever kind it may be; with the sole fact that you find yourself now reading this paragraph this instant, it means that our mission has been accomplished satisfactorily. But this is still a work in progress, and only with the support of you all, we will reach all of our goals that we have shared with you at the beginning of this issue. My artist brothers, united we can make a difference, we can leave a print in the world the same way it was done by our brothers from past ages. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always felt that art is love in its purest escence, and love is the only cure for our world. I love each and every single one of you, and I am, and always will be infinitely and eternally grateful to you all. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Till the next issue! -Krister A. Reyes

OMD is comprised by: Krister Reyes kristreyes@openminddesign.co Editor in Chief www.tkristreyes.openminddesign.co Lorena Contreras lorena.contreras@openminddesign.co General Editor & Staff Writer Miriam A. Carpenter mcarpenter@openminddesign.co Managing Editor & Second Executive Editor

Directory. On this Issue:

In order of appearance:

HEIDI LEVINE

http://heidilevine.photoshelter.com/

RAFAEL EMMANUEL MAGO VILLAMIZAR www.rafaelmago.see.me magoss_14@hotmail.com

JAVIER O. CAMARILLO Javiero1987@hotmail.com facebook.com/javier.o.camarillo

DANIEL GURROLA wolf-9dga@hotmail.com (915)234-5857 (USA)

DANIEL PÉREZ MARTÍNEZ

danielmtz9092@gmail.com

IRANYELA LÓPEZ

iranyela@hotmail.com www.flickr.com/photos/iranyela/sets/

LUIS CONTRERAS VILLANUEVA zholyn@hotmail.com

MARIO CONTRERAS VILLANUEVA zonamuerta7@yahoo.com.mx

DAVID TEAPILA VALENCIA davidteapila@hotmail.com facebook.com/arte.david.teapila.

MAYRA HERRERA:

maya.herrera76@hotmail.com facebook.com/mayraherreraartistaplasticas. ceramica

TOQUE PIMIENTA

facebook.com/toque.pimienta toquepimienta@gmail.com (301)466-0010 - (300)309-2480 (Colombia)

CARLOS LUNA

pomeranshobo@hotmail.com

TANIA ESPONDA AJA info@taniaespondaaja.com www.taniaespondaaja.com