Soldered Wire and Autobody Paint Michoacán
by Oscar Hernández
Tin and Metal
Ht. 16" x W. 8" x D. 15
Óscar Hernández apprenticed with and worked for ten years with the famous wire artist, Saulo Moreno, who died in 2018. Moreno pioneered this style of folk art and worked in it for more than fifty years: figures crafted from wire, soldered together, and painted.
Óscar Hernández learned the craft from Moreno in the town where thy both lived, Tlalpujahua, Michoacán, and has gone on to create his own style and his own subject matter including animals, birds, vendors, skeletons, alebrijes, and more. This type of sculpture requires a great deal of skill and experience.
Some of Moreno’s older pieces are deteriorating, because he filled in certain areas in the sculptures with paper. Oscar Hernandez fills the voids in his sculptures with solder so they will not deteriorate. He uses auto body paint, which is bright and extremely durable. His works are filled with gesture, movement, humor, and his distinctive brilliant colors. The works are exuberant, lively, and imaginative works of art that will brighten any environment and are sure to be conversation pieces.