Slow Baja - Sculptor Benito Ortega Vargas The Most Interesting Man In Todos Santos B.C.S.

Episode Date: February 11, 2022

Benito Ortega Vargas was born in Mexico City in 1951. At an early age, he displayed a penchant for making art. He felt that art was his calling and eventually chose sculpture as his method of expression. He studied at the San Carlos Academy, the National Institute of Fine Arts, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the Casa de Cultura de Oaxaca. He began showing his work in 1979. In 1981, with other artists, he founded the Taller de Grafica Libre Oaxaca. In 1983, he co-founded the Institute of Visual Arts of Taxco and began teaching. In 2008 he moved to Todos Santos, in Baja California Sur, where his beautiful studio and gallery showcases his work. "Inside the depths of human unconsciousness, there is a call of harmony." He says his work is an exploration of that theme. Learn more about Benito Ortega Vargas here Follow Benito Ortega Vargas on Instagram Follow Benito Ortega Vargas on Facebook

Hello, slow Baja listeners. Today shows with the most interesting man in Toto Santos. Benito Ortega Vargas is a sculptor. He's got a beautiful gallery right downtown that he works in, a gallery and a workshop next door. I stopped by, I was at the Waikura talking to Yolanda, and she walked me down and made the introduction. And it's really a very cool space, and he's a beautiful spirit. So I hope you enjoy our conversation about his life and his work. I do want to say thanks to all the folks who've dropped a taco in the tank.

You know, it's February now, and I am on to the prep for the Nora 1000 at the end of April. So lots of tacos going out the door. I appreciate the folks who've sent some over that ask your doctor if Baja is right for you. Bumper sticker is only available through making a donation, dropping a taco in the tank. So if you wanted to get one of those on your rig, like you saw Tim and Kelsey, they had the walk around with Tonto on you. YouTube, if you've seen that video, I was thrilled to see that there's just one sticker on the truck, and it was Ask Your Doctor if Baja is right for you. So if you want to get one of those, you can ping me on Instagram, Facebook, Slowbaha.com, what have you,

and I'll get one out to you. So, hey, thanks for that. Enjoy the show. And without further ado, Benito, Ortega, Bargis, the most interesting man in Toto Santos. Hey, this is Michael Emery. Thanks for tuning into the Slow Baja. This podcast is powered by Tequila Fortaleza, handmade in small batches, and hands down, my favorite tequila. Hey, I want to tell you about your new must-have accessory for your next Baja trip. Benchmark Maps has released a beautiful, beautiful Baja California Road and Recreation Atlas. It's a 72-page large format book of detailed maps and recreation guides that makes the perfect planning tool for exploring Baja. Pick yours up at Benchmarkmaps.com.

One of my face. My name is Benito Ortega Vargas. And you're a sculptor. Well, yes. It's my passion and my game. And we're here in your studio in beautiful downtown Toto Santos. And Yolanda from the Huayura Hotel was kind enough to walk me over and introduce me to the most interesting man in town.

Ha, well. So tell me about your work. Well, I do my work with the feeling for to have a, like, a response of the people. for like in the in the harmony of the human communication I do elements and I try to have enough emotion into the work for

for to have that feeling and I hope people see my work and to have a same or similar feeling in the same way that's what I hope I'm not sure that happened but I try and I put my best and the work

that you're working on now I see your assistant is putting together it looks like a boy you're creating here is it all figurative you're working? We are making a will be an sculptor in

bronze but the first step is to make an armature after to with cheese cloth and plaster to do the model. And when we'll be a good piece, we travel to the foundry. There we retouched the wax, and in the end, to have the bronze.

And where do you have to go for a foundry here? Well, the foundry so far, you know, Quernabaca, is two hours more to the south of Mexico City. Okay. So are you putting your car, driving to La Paz car on the ferry? No, I used it ship. You're shipping.

See. See, because here in the area, there is no foundries. And the place where I go is, I know the results, and I feel fine there because the owner of the foundry is my very good friend. And I can do it almost everything. And in some moment he stopped me and he said, no, no. Stop and it's my time. Because, you know, in some moment you want to do everything.

And he's not the best way in the foundry. You have to know when to stop. Exactly. And he's not easy sometimes. Well, when you're passionate and you want to keep making better, better, better, better, but sometimes you must just stop. Yes, exactly, exactly. Tell me about your art journey.

Tell me about your journey as an artist. Where did you start? Well, before I find I was an sculptor, I was thinking, I was a painter. And I did it by some years, but something happened, and I was, I don't know then, but when I find the sculptor is my way, I know in that moment what I don't have it before in the pain. Now, well, I feel the, I need to learn, and I went to some schools of fine arts in Mexico City,

and after in Waxaca State, in the free workshop of sculpture. And I developed myself, but at the same time, I learned many, many things from another people, from academic and artisanal people. And I find if you have the feeling, you can develop yourself, but it's very good somebody who practice alone.

time and the discipline can teach you can to give you the word of them no in in a very easy way and in a short time is what I learn can you tell me a little bit about the history of art and sculpture in Mexico who do you look towards as as your light and your leader or your mentor well I I don't know if I understand very good the question, but I learned looking books and sculptor work from another people from America Central. Arenas Betancur is his name of one of them. Another is Francisco Zuniga.

And another is August Rodan. Well, I feel the torch, no, when I saw the work, and I say, okay, I'm going to practice looking at their work and trying to do my work every day better, no? Practice, practice, practice. But I have that feeling from them. It's like to pass the Este effect, you know? Pass the torch.

Exactly. Pass the torch, as we say. Yes. Well, I'm only a beginner, a beginner, but I feel the torch of them very strong. And how did you find yourself in Toto Santos? Where are you from originally in Mexico, and how did you come here? Well, I was living in Mexico City when I find an sculpture. I was about 26 years old.

My daughter had five years age. And I went to Waxaca State. There I went to the workshop of the sculpture in the Casa de la Coutura. And after about 10 years, I went to Tasco Guerrero. in 1983 and I started to practice the sculptor in the side of another sculptors from the academic and now after 25 years living in TASCO now here I am with 13 years and I came here I say when people asked me

me that. I say, it's the wing who bring me here. The wind. See, the wind. Yeah. Like a leaf tree. Because when I was here the first time, I feel I have to be here. And I did it in that way, many things of my life.

And I followed that feeling, and it's very good for me that. And tell me you have a gallery here, so where can people find your work? Yes. Yes. Yes, I have a little gallery in the side of this place where I'm working, where we are working. We're in your workshop right now. And I show my work, and I'm very happy because in that way, I come to see how people feel my work.

No? And many different reactions, no? It's nice to me to see people see the work, feel the work. in a little similar way how I did it, no? In the same vibration, I say, same frequency. I say that. I don't know what people can say. Well, I want to say thank you for making a few minutes

to tell me about your work and tell me about this beautiful place that you work in, and I'm looking forward to seeing your gallery right now. Haiti, wish you had joined us on the Nora 500. Well, here is your chance. It's double the mileage, double the fun, double the parties, double the dirt. It is the Nora Mexican 1000. We're going to drive by day.

We're going to party by night. I'm pouring Fortalese at tequila. April 30th through May 6th, 2020. We're driving the entire peninsula. You don't want to miss out on this one. Again, if I can do it in my 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser, totally stocked. You can do it in any modern 4x4. The Nora Mexican 1000 is the happy.

race on earth, check it out at nora.com, n-r-r-r-r-a-com, or on slowbaha. Here at slowbaha, we can't wait to drive our old land cruisers south of the border. When we go, we'll be going with Baja Bound Insurance. Their website's fast and easy to use. Check them out at Bajaubound.com. That's Bajabound.com, serving Mexico travelers since 1994. Well, we're here in your gallery, which is right next to your workshop. And tell me, Benito, about some of the work that I'm looking at.

looking at. Describe a couple of pieces to me that I'll photograph and put on the website. Uh-huh. Well, by example, this is the newest here. I finished about two months ago. The name in English is catching the wind. And it's a journey of some beings for bring to this side of the Universal Sea. Universal Sea, the hope this kind of eggs, seeds, or cocoons, the new life, they bring the new life here to this side. For me is that. And I hope people come to feel something in the same way. Usually I follow the nature shape, like this one.

But how I do is to cease, to take some times looking, the piece and in some moment I find some element in the medium and later I start to carve it but something happened inside maybe the heart or the mind the Brian and other elements come how the information is inside I and only open the door for they they came this is a local tree, very nice medium.

I love to carve it this kind of tree. And you're carving with chisel, hand tools? Chisels, hand tools, chainsaw. And in the end, sometimes, a dentist tool, like motor tool? Yes. Very little points. See, very fine things.

I love to use any kind of tools. It's like toys for children. And just one more. Pick another case and we'll talk about one more. Do you, what, for bronze or? Yeah, I don't think we've discussed one of your bronzes yet. Pick something out. Okay, oh, with this one, is good, the light for you.

This is a bronze. The way how I did the process is to do. do it first in a plaster, I did an armature with cheese cloth and plaster to have the volume in general. And after only plaster with glue to build the shape, when I feel fine about the result, then I did the molds to having wax, retouched wax in the foundry. and in the end to have the bronze. The name of this piece is sea dreams. If you see here, it's the old sea,

the face of an old man sleeping, and for me, his dream is going up, and like many old men want to be a child, no? He wants to touch that child, who want to touch the moon in the rob of the night, Angel. Angel, the union of the sky and sea. And...

Bonitos, thank you so much. No, thank you. Thank you. It's nice for me to do it. Perfect, Omego. Grazie. De nada. You want to, I have a...

No, no, but I want you to tell me one more time how people can find you. Do you have a website, Facebook, how shall people find you on the Internet? Well, if some people, Some people want to find me. The gallery and workshop is in Centenario number 33, excuse me, in Tos Santos.

And with my name Benito Ortega Vargas, you can find me in Instagram or in the Facebook or Benito Ortega. That MX in my website. Fantastic. All those will be in the show notes. Benito Ortega Vargas, thank you so much for making some time for me. And really it warms my heart in a slow Baja way to have met you. So thank you.

Thank you. Bye, bye, bye. Well, that was fun. Benito Ortega Vargas really is the most interesting man in Toto Santos. And if you're kicking around there, his studio and gallery are on Avenue Topete and Caescentenario. So that's right down the street from the Guayakura, the beautiful Guaycura Hotel. peer in say hello tell him slow baha sent you check out the art gallery he's really got sparkling his eye

and he's a beautiful human being um if you're enjoying listening to slow bahaha please send it to a bahaw friend i know you have a friend that digs bahas as much as you maybe they don't know podcast or they don't know about slow bahia yet so please find somebody send him the show say hello um share the work i appreciate that and uh just to give an update on slowbaha dot com and the slowbaha shop baseball hats are trickling back in. We've got a bumper crop of knit caps. If you live in someplace cold and you want to get your Slow Baja escape while you're digging out the driveway, we've got knit caps for you there. Also, the yellow sticker is back in stock. So if you're waiting on those, they are on the way. And if you want to get one and get it back onto your truck before you head down for your next Baja trip, there or there. You can get them at Slowbaha.com. So thanks. Be back with the new show soon. Cheers. Have I told you about my friend True Miller? You've probably heard the podcast, but let me tell you, her vineyard, Adobe Guadalupe Winery is spectacular.

From the breakfast at her communal table, bookended to an intimate dinner at night. Their house bred Azteca horses, Solomon, the horseman will get you on a ride that'll just change your life. The food, the setting, the pool, it's all spectacular. AdobeGuadalupe.com. For appearing on Slow Baja today, our guest, will receive the beautiful benchmark map 72 page Baja Road and Recreation Atlas. Do not go to Baja without this, folks. You never know when your GPS is going to crap out, and you're going to want a

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