Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Clay helped mold man's life as a sculptor

Guillermo Nunez's body of work includes more than 400 pieces of art that capture Florida's tropical aquatic life.

By LATEEFA MOREHEAD
Published August 31, 2005

TREASURE ISLAND - Guillermo Nunez feels a special connection with clay.

"I saw people support their families from clay," Nunez said. "It's a simple material."

Nunez admires clay for its different textures and flexibility. "There's no limit to its movement," he said. "It can go anywhere."

Galvanized in his mind are memories of growing up in Masaya, Nicaragua, and the distinct smell of clay after it absorbed water from rain showers.

For Nunez, clay has been the sustenance that has supported the growth of his career. It was the first material he used to learn his craft as a sculptor.

Nunez has run his own sculpting business in St. Petersburg for the past 10 years. Although his path to becoming a full-time artist has been arduous and at times compromising, Nunez considers himself lucky to be able to do what he feels he was born to do.

His work can be found at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market in Pinellas Park, Clearwater's Pier 60 and Clay Company in St. Petersburg. He sells lamp bases of life-like sculptures of dolphins riding waves, lighthouses, fishermen, palm trees, manatees and alligators.

Nunez has created more than 400 pieces, including glitter pastel colored wall plaques, statues and candleholders - all of which capture tropical Florida aquatic life. Some of his customers buy his work wholesale while others hire Nunez for customized work.

What stands out the most about Nunez's work is the intricate detail. Each piece is etched with such preciseness and texture it seems comes to life. He can make a clay manatee appear as if it's looking at you.

That's what Nunez hopes his work does. He prides himself for creating pieces that customers can interact with. For example, the belly-up manatee, Nunez says catches everybody's attention.

"This is my most fun piece. Everybody touches it - everybody reacts to it," he says "When they look - oh, they smile. They like it and don't know why."

From cumulus clouds to the way children speak, Nunez, explains, he is inspired by just about anything. Ideas are constantly flooding his mind but he's patient in manifesting them. "I learned the discipline to follow the process," he says. "You can free-hand, but with discipline."

For Nunez, sculpting is a special process in which he says the clay and time must be respected. Before sculpting a piece, Nunez, says you must interact with it to learn its texture and squeeze out the air. "Each clay is different you need to play with it before you start molding," he says. Three times a week he spends sculpting different pieces. Each piece he spends no more than two hours working on. It is this type of work ethic that has allowed him to become successful in maintaining a career.

Nunez says he has been a sculptor for just as long as he's been living - 41 years. "I was born a sculptor, and I will die a sculptor," he says, explaining that he attributes his natural talent to his bloodline.

Honorato Caldera, his grandfather and also a sculptor, influenced Nunez. He grew up seeing his grandfather's work displayed in churches in Nicaragua.

Despite growing up in an environment heavily influenced by clay art, Nunez did not realize he wanted a career in sculpting until he sold his first piece at 20 years old.

But trying to make it as an artist and support a family in Nicaragua, Nunez says, was virtually impossible. Nicaraguan city government could not afford to put money into schools and in the community to nurture blossoming artists.

Nunez began to train to be a spray pilot, but was unable to complete training. During that time Nicaragua was experiencing a communist regime change and he did not want to be forced to work in the Communist army.

Nunez moved to California with his wife, Juliea, and two sons William and Carlos. Living in California was difficult because he did not speak English or have too many skills to make a living, so he decided to go to school in Monterrey, Mexico.

He enrolled in art classes for four years, and worked under the famous Mexican sculptor Noe Alvares. There, Nunez says, he learned techniques and skills that enabled him to work with more materials.

After attending school in Mexico, Nunez returned to California and supported his family by working as a commercial sculptor for different companies.

Sculpting had become Nunez's livelihood and his sanity. He says his problems disappear when he's sculpting.

Spending so much time being a commercial sculptor became difficult for Nunez. Commercial sculpting paid the bills and put food on the table, but it did not fulfill his hunger to do more personally expressive work.

"When you want to express something - the art business is difficult because you don't have a name and nobody knows about you," Nunez says. "My wife supported me to help control that situation. It's hard, but I understand it and tried to stay happy. I only have one life."

The love and support he receives from his wife and sons, cultivate a continuous renewal of inspiration. "They give me the spark," he says, "When I do this all my life - my family and sons give me a chance to recognize how important my job is."

Nunez says he is lucky to be able to work and do what he loves to do. Nunez hopes he maintains good health to continue to work for the rest of his life and put more time into his self-expression. Looking back at 21 years of hard work he considers himself an artist and laborer. Nunez says you need to be both to be successful.

"When you work hard to create - it's satisfaction to you," he says. "When you are clear with satisfaction - that is it."

[Last modified August 31, 2005, 01:22:13]