Guatemala English language Magazine
URBAN PORTRAITS “San Francisco 70s: Urban Portraits” will open on Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. at Galería Panza Verde, 5a avenida sur #19, Antigua. The artist will attend the opening. Carlotta Boettcher’s book of the same title, featuring 103 digitally repaired images, will be available in Antigua in the early spring. Carlotta Boettcher’s photo exhibition, “San Francisco 70s: Urban Portraits,” […]
Read moreSan Juan La Laguna by Francisco Sandoval. The Tz’tujil town of San Juan La Laguna is located on the southwest bay of Lake Atitlán. It sits against the foothills of the Rostro Maya, a sacred mountain summit that is reminiscent of a Mayan face gazing skyward. Known for its authenticity and tranquility, now there is something else that sets […]
Read moreVisualizing a Digital Future for Latin America PROFILE by Linda Conard. Carlos Argüello—the Oscar-nominated mastermind behind unforgettable visual effects in Hollywood blockbusters like “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Batman and Robin,” “The Devil’s Advocate,” “The Mummy” and “Armageddon,” and groundbreaking music videos for artists like Michael Jackson and David Byrne—has created never-imagined new worlds on the silver screen. Now he’s using […]
Read moreARTIST PROFILE by Linda Conard photos: Murphy Byrne. When you step into an exhibit of Ramón Ávila’s paintings, you are surrounded by color, emotion and intensity. Many of his oils suggest organic elements, such as earthy roots, plant fibers and even internal organs, in forms that are progressive and reaching, complex and tangled. In other works, distinct lines and robust […]
Read moreby Linda Conard As you approach the landscapes of Hugo González Ayala, you may feel enveloped by the streets of La Antigua Guatemala or the Highland countryside, but it is more of a gentle embrace than entrapment. Hard lines in street scenes curve inward yet remain in perfect perspective, so the viewer almost feels more balanced within the painting than […]
Read moreby Benjamin Reeves The white walls of El Calvario church in La Antigua are almost bare; virtually their only ornamentation is the skeletons of picture frames, appropriate, perhaps for the biblical Calvary but now only a stark reminder of the church’s former artistic glory. Unknown hoodlums absconded from El Calvario with six paintings by the 18th century colonial artist Tomás […]
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Mayan Weavers is a group of four hardworking women from the Highlands of Guatemala who have over 100 years of combined experience. They work using both the back-strap loom and the foot pedal loom, depending on what they are weaving.
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“I hope to use my craft to improve the lives of my family and my village and give my children a chance to get ahead,” explains potter Felipe Peréz.
Read moreRecycled Roots is a small wood workshop in the western highlands run by three brothers who use tropical wood and coffee root to create a variety of pieces, including puzzles, animal napkin rings, jewelry boxes, coasters and spoons.
Read moreJesús Manuel García and the art of the box Text/Photos by Hilary Kilpatric “My favorite part of my work is shaping the pinewood into boxes. I love the feeling of starting out with a simple piece of wood and finishing with a finely crafted box,” explains Jesús Manuel García, leader of the artisan group Cajetería Ajpop. García was born in […]
Read more“This museum represents one part of the country,” says Director Daniel Aquino Lara. “Guatemala has a distinctive past with distinctive identities. But years ago, this is what people identified with.”
Read moreArt Exposition at Museo Ixchel showcases Guatemalan artist’s book illustrations When Leslie Nanne first decided back in high school that she wanted to be an illustrator, she admits having a few concerns: “I was afraid of becoming a starving artist,” she says. “But I was even more afraid of choosing a ‘safer’ profession and always wondering whether I could have […]
Read moreby Hilary Kilpatric “I enjoy working with palm because it is found locally and it is the traditional material used by the people here. Plus using palm for artisan goods does not damage the environment,” said Catarina Tamup de Leon, leader of the Palm Weavers, when asked about why she loves her work. The Palm Weavers group is located in […]
Read moreby Karin Bergstresser When you live in paradise, you have a responsibility to maintain a healthy ecosystem. U.S -born Kenneth Wood, who has lived in Guatemala for over two decades, makes his contribution to the environment by turning old newsprint into art. He collaborates with ADISA, an organization in Santiago Atitlán that offers employment to young adults with physical and/or […]
Read moreby Hilary Kilpatric “I love what I do. I have acquired considerable experience, and it is rewarding to see people appreciate my work. We work with sustainable woods, and everything we do is entirely done by hand. It is our way of preserving the environment,” explains lead carpenter Teo Hernández. The carpentry team consists of five, who work just outside […]
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The creative craft of stained glass is alive and well For over 50 years, Lyn Hovey has been working with stained glass, using 13th and 14th century painting techniques to create complex and authentic works of art. From a 30-foot-tall window in a school chapel in the U.S., to a spherical steel and stained glass awning in Taiwan, his designs […]
Read moreby Jack and Joy Houston “My name is Thompson because da Vinci was already taken,” Al quips in his typical, quick humor. In fact, there are similarities between the 15th century artist and Al Thompson, born in 1928. Both justly claim a diversity of talents: painting, sculpting, inventing, writing, to name a few. An exhibition of Al’s most recent creations […]
Read more8 Thurs. through the end of the month — Art Exhibit Rabinal Achi by Harry Danvers at Casa N’oj in Quetzaltenango. A visual representation in miniature paintings of the ancient Maya dance-play Rabinal Achi. HARRY THOMAS DANVERS did not begin his artistic career until he arrived in Guatemala in the early 70s. There he began to study drawing in the […]
Read moreCelebrating its 15th year anniversary, La Antigua Galería de Arte invites you to come and view an amazing collection of artworks by established artists from Latin and Central America, the U.S. and the Caribbean. La Antigua Galería de Arte (tel: 7832-2124), 4a calle oriente #15, La Antigua.
Read more“My name is Thompson because da Vinci was already taken,” Al quips in his typical, quick humor. In fact, there are similarities between the 15th century artist and Al Thompson, born in 1928. Both justly claim a diversity of talents: painting, sculpting, inventing, writing, to name a few. An exhibition of Al’s most recent creations opens December 3 at el […]
Read moreThe Caribbean Cultural Festival was held in Quintana Roo, Mexico this year. One of Guatemala’s foremost photographers, Harry E. Díaz of Quetzaltenango, was invited to present his impressive exhibit Luces de Xelajú. “Because of its magnitude and relevance, this festival could be called the Pan American Games of Art & Culture, to give a comparison,” said Díaz. At the […]
Read moreEste creador nació en un momento estratégico para el desarrollo de las artes visuales de Guatemala. Tanto en lo político como en lo práctico se estaban gestando las condiciones para una estética que terminaría abriendo las puertas al modernismo nacional. Durante la gestión de José María Reyna Barrios (1892-1898), un presidente atípico por su sensibilidad, se fortaleció la cultura creativa […]
Read moreby Erol Reyal In the first few week of October 2005, the Pacific Coast of Central America was affected by severe winds and rains of Hurricane Stan. The heavy rains took the communities of Guatemala completely by surprise and created massive landslides and floods. This catastrophe not only caused material damage but it also took the lives of hundreds of […]
Read moreDozens of civic leaders, arts aficionados and business executives helped launch the XI annual Paiz International Festival of Art and Culture at a reception Thursday night, Feb. 10, at the Casa Santo Domingo in La Antigua. Guests mingled and listened a series of speakers at the hotel’s Galería Quiroa, where a retrospective of works by Guatemalan artist Carlos Mérida (1891-1984) […]
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The recent Primer Festival Gastronómico in La Antigua Guatemala centered on the uses of chocolate, primarily cooking with cacao. The highlight of the event however was created by Alex Farrar, owner of a local bistro/art gallery and an excellent artist in his own right (he won first prize at the Venetian Masked Ball in February). Farrar appeared with his easel, […]
Read moreRae Frese Leeth; Una norteamericana con corazón chapín por Guillermo Monsanto photos by Ange Bourda Al escribir una nota sobre Rae Leeth se hace difícil separar lo emotivo de lo profesional. Por un lado cuenta el desfile de amigos que conforman el rico universo que la rodea y por el otro el enjambre de artistas que tiene o ha tenido […]
Read moreThe making of the mural was inspired by the Popol Vuh. The Popol Vuh is a sacred book of the K’iche’ Maya and narrates the creation of vegetation, animals, the first man made from corn, and, afterwards, the origin of the K’iche’ Maya.
Read more“The indigenous seem to understand instinctively what I want from them; we communicate with looks and gestures. The most important thing is empathy and mutual trust. This is a formula that has never failed me.”
—Los Todos Santeros, Hans Namuth,
Briefly describe your art. My art is to represent everything as much as I can in high texture. What is your favorite art medium? Clay. Then once I fire it, it becomes ceramic. When did you learn how to work with clay and ceramic? I was going to take a class in English literature, but the class was canceled. Then […]
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