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Gerardo Castaneda

"Though I come from a humble background, I come from a warm and loving family that includes my parents and older brother and sister. My childhood was blessed with many friends and we were rich in playful adventures. Not only did we play street football (soccer), but we also made our own kites and tree branches became slingshots and stilts. We even made a type of bazooka with cans of beer and cloth balls.

"Dad was a barber and his hobby was to paint with oil on canvas. Mom was also very creative, she used to embroider all type of things, such as toy animals, cardigans, scarves, pillowcases and even bedspreads.

"I studied Fine Arts at the University of Guadalajara and I have been exhibiting ever since my student days. I have also received several awards and won first place in different competitions, such as the National Jewelry Competition (1997); first place in silver jewelry and second place in gold jewelry (2001) and second place in jewelry and sculpting (2002).

"My encounter with the world of jewelry-making happened by chance. When I was still a student a friend invited me to work with him and I found this fertile field I had yet to explore as a way of self-expression. Given my flair for miniatures, I found some technical limitations both in materials and tools. This forced me to develop a technique of my own through constant trials, and finding different ways of working with wax as my prime material.

"The first thing I made was a silver pendant shaped like a scroll featuring a fantasy pre-Hispanic island complete with pyramids, a cenote (lagoon), the ball game, a serpent and an enormous iguana. These were flanked by two smaller scrolls, one featuring the famous Olmec head and the other with the Toltec Chac-Mol. This is the piece that won me Absolute First Place, in 1997.

"I've crafted over 50 pieces since then, most of them in jewelry and small sculptures which are more of a personal nature and are not on sale. I also work with other jewelry designers as I specialize in molding techniques.

"I work with the techniques I developed on my own, and it goes beyond the materials I may use, such as wax, pigments, etc. It's a methodology that emphasizes all the miniscule details while modeling so that they don't get lost in the following steps of the process, such as injecting the wax, emptying the lost wax, and then the finishing process of the metal.

"My hobbies include playing chess, designing new pieces, and experimenting new techniques and with new materials.

"To me art is about expressing everything you cannot express with words. It's the medium through which feelings can be communicated between people who are sensitive to this way of expressing feelings and emotions.

"My main source of inspiration are human beings and their interaction with nature. Mexico's rich cultural legacy is also another great source of inspiration, from the pre-Hispanic cultures such as Olmec, Toltec, Maya, Aztec, etc., to new and contemporary artistic manifestations, such as regional music and dance, as well as their religious feasts. I feel so proud about my roots.

"Right now I'm facing the biggest challenge of my life, transitioning from making a living from modeling to living entirely dedicated to my art. When I was young and had just finished middle school, I spent two years going from one thing to another without a clue of what I wanted to do with my life. Now I can't imagine doing anything different.

"I would like to remind Novica clients that there are many beautiful things in life that we must simply appreciate, and that¿s the intention of my work. It is an invitation to reflect upon the simple things in life. If by seeing one of my pieces you feel a certain sense of happiness or nostalgia, then that piece will have accomplished its mission.

"To me Novica represents the greatest opportunity in my life. It's an opportunity to reach different places and people in the world through my art. To me this represents the formal beginning of my life as an artist, for I have been containing so much creativity that I am ready to explode. Muchas gracias!