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Graciela Rodriguez

"Hola, how are you? I'm Graciela Rodríguez Villasana. I was born in the capital but we moved to the provinces when I was nine. Back then my grandfather, who was excellent at drawing, would take me by the hand. We'd go for long walks and together we'd knock on doors and ask if we could see the inside of houses to see the interiors and how the people lived. I was always passionate about drawing and painting. I remember as a child in catechism class that while the teacher recited Bible passages and my companions took notes, I interpreted the verses as drawings. So my notebooks were illustrated Bible stories.

"When I was 17, I began studying painting with artist Jorge Martínez, who had been a disciple of the muralist José Clemente Orozco. He was the teacher who opened my eyes to everything beautiful. From that moment, art and its manifestations became a part of my life through painting. I continued studying engraving and serigraphy at the Instituto Cultural Cabañas in Guadalajara, and later, watercolors and estofado, a wood working technique.

"When I paint, I am transformed… the challenge of depicting a face, a feeling or an instant takes over me and in that moment I let the painting take me where it will.

"In each finished work, I try to confer a bit of the essence of my people, accompanied always by the daily activities of a simple life."