OUR COLLECTION — LATIN AMERICA — MEXICO 221. METAL AUTO PARTS NATIVITY
Armando Ramírez’s artistic vision permits him to see a different reality in discarded automotive parts and scrap metal. Transforming them into sculptures, he creates a wonderfully original Nativity scene. Mary, Joseph and the angel are fashioned of metal plate and spark plugs. Baby Jesus is also a spark plug, resting in a manger of connecting rods from a car motor lined with galvanized wire. Balance beams, washers and wire become two cows that kneel before the Christ child. Melchior rides a horse, both figures made from a transmission chain, wire, metal sheets, a spring and a spark plug. Riding a camel, Balthazar and his mount use a balance beam, a rocker arm, spark plug, washers, cogs and wire. Caspar and his elephant are made from tubes, a half sphere, spark plug, balance beam, metal bits left from a die cutter and wire. The Caspar piece measures 9 inches high by 11 inches long (to the tip of the elephant’s trunk). Depicting the wise men as riding a horse, camel, and elephant is a common portrayal in Mexican Nativity scenes.
The artist writes: “Hi, I’m Armando Ramírez. All my life, I’ve lived in a town of artisans, and this has motivated me to create new art. As a child I enjoyed inventing toys, and soon yearned to create a unique style of art. Environmentally enamored, I now transform recycled goods.
“At first, little by little, I began to craft figures from scraps and discarded mechanical parts – mostly from cars and bicycles. And so I began to create sculptures, soldering the pieces together and giving them shape as I imagined they should look.
“The process involves selecting recycled items that can be used. I separate them and soak them in a cleaning solution to remove any impurities. I solder them together until I achieve my design, then I give it a protective coat of glossy varnish.
“My sculptures are so successful that today I sell only my own works. They are rustic in nature, designed to recycle discarded objects by converting them into art. Thanks to the creativity that God gave me, today I have an enjoyable and better way of life.”
The artist writes: “Hi, I’m Armando Ramírez. All my life, I’ve lived in a town of artisans, and this has motivated me to create new art. As a child I enjoyed inventing toys, and soon yearned to create a unique style of art. Environmentally enamored, I now transform recycled goods.
“At first, little by little, I began to craft figures from scraps and discarded mechanical parts – mostly from cars and bicycles. And so I began to create sculptures, soldering the pieces together and giving them shape as I imagined they should look.
“The process involves selecting recycled items that can be used. I separate them and soak them in a cleaning solution to remove any impurities. I solder them together until I achieve my design, then I give it a protective coat of glossy varnish.
“My sculptures are so successful that today I sell only my own works. They are rustic in nature, designed to recycle discarded objects by converting them into art. Thanks to the creativity that God gave me, today I have an enjoyable and better way of life.”