Artist Jose Luis
Gonzalez returned for the third time to San Pedro this Easter weekend to
create a sculpture of Jesus Christ at The Last Supper with his 12
disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine. "La Isla Bonita" was
privileged, once again, to welcome the 26 year-old artist from Mexico who
was most recently in San Pedro last January where he displayed other
magnificent sand sculptures at Central Park. His most famous creations at
that time were of "La Piedad" and Jesus Christ on Mount Sinai.
Although this master has traveled throughout South and
Central America sculpting sand for the last eight years, he has been a
sculptor for a total of 14 years, fashioning wonderful pieces of art
using marble, cement and other solid materials for the enjoyment of
tourists and residents. Jose Luis finances his visits with the tips that
he receives from those who view his brilliant creations.
According to Jose Luis, his artwork
uplifts the spirits of residents and tourists and is the result of hours
of labor. He quite enjoys making art for the viewing pleasure of all, for
"San Pedro is very beautiful. I am very pleased to be here." Preparing
the material for the sculpture is a long process. He must first map out
and mark off the area where he will work. Secondly, Jose Luis wets the
sand, applies another layer of sand, and compacts this material. He
repeats this process until the amount of sand he will be sculpting is
adequate (six hours for his current project!). He places an individual
block of sand for the bodies and for the heads, and begins to sculpt.
Jose Luis then adds the final touches to his masterpiece - acrylic paint
- that, if left untouched and the weather cooperates, could last up to a
month. The magnificent work of art that presently graces this island,
took the artist a total of six days to complete!
Jose Luis departed for Playa del Carmen on
Tuesday, but plans to return in the near future to create more art. "I
have made too many friends in San Pedro to leave the island for long. I
would love to someday create a sculpture for the town council." He plans
to request permission from the San Pedro Town Council to dedicate a
sculpture to the town, if he is provided with the materials to carry out
his project. So, perhaps when Jose Luis Gonzalez returns, tourists and
residents will be privileged to have another glimpse of this artist's
inspirational works.
|