June 25, 2006

We are pleased to present the 2nd edition of SCIART's eArtColumn, featuring interviews with

our resident artists as well as our member artists.

"Sanctuary"

This month, we present: SYLVIA TORRES.

Q. When did you fall in love with the arts?
S.T.: My grandfather was an artist, so I was more or less born into it.

He was a huge influence on me and I always knew I would be an artist. Even as a very young child

I knew my vision was far different than my grandfather's realism At 8 years old I was already painting

pink tractors in purple fields. My lack of realism drove my grandfather to distraction, but I loved his

drive and passion.

Q. Who and What inspires you?
S.T.: Rule breakers. I am an experimenter, so I love other experimenters and innovators.

Other artists inspire me, well known or not. The well known ones are: Richard Diebenkorn,

Nathan Oliveira, Milton Avery, Robert Rauschenberg, Elmer Bischoff, Theophilius Brown,

Egon Schiele. Beautiful art inspires me, stunning art, rather that shocker-art, but that's just me.

I love it when people interpret art and make it their own. When it touches them. I've heard that

the artist brings only 50% of the experience, the other 50% is supplied by the viewer. I love that.

"A Time for..."

Q. What is your definition of art?
S.T.: Art is the creative expression of what you see, what you feel. It is the very best one can give,

by a visual means, by performance, by music. Art is always wanting to create itself. New visions.

New expressions. New voices. But it must have passion. That's what you can see in great art.

You can learn technique but you cannot learn passion. I love a quote I once heard about the

difference between art and craft: There are many craftspeople that are true artists. There are many

painters that never will be.

"Journey"

Q. You work in encaustic, a challenging medium as it involves the use of melted wax. Why encaustic?
S.T.: Over a long period of time, every artwork I saw that I loved, was encaustic and had an

ethereal mood or feeling. I researched it's history and learned it is an ancient medium.

I came across a recipe for it and learned that you cant trust everything you read, the ingredients

could have blown me to Kingdom Come. It contained regular turpentine and required the use of a

blow torch! More research led me to a company that makes the paint and I was off to New York

to study. It changed my life. My encaustic work is more authentically me. Sometimes when I am

struggling with an artwork, I remind myself that this is the piece that has lesions to teach me.

I love what you can do with it that no other medium can do. All this and the heavenly fragrance of

beeswax wafting through my studio.

"Coastal Fugue"

Q. What has been your favorite museum exhibition?
S.T.: That would be my first Van Gogh exhibit. I thought I didn't really like him, but as an

artist I felt I needed to see his work. When I walked in and stood in front of the first painting - I cried.

"Sojourne"

Q. If you were to commission a self-portrait, who would you want to paint or sculpt it?
S.T.: There are two artists that I admire so much for capturing more that physical features

in a portrait. The first is Hiroko Yoshimoto, my former instructor, and my friend - she would put in

paint what is in my soul. The other is Paul Benevidez whose work is so emotional it makes me weep.

Q. What, if anything, are you currently obsessed with?
S.T.: Besides painting, I still love mixed media/collage and journaling. Handmade books.

Jewelry. I am obsessed with giving my grandchildren exposure to art. I want them to have the

tools and means to express their own vision. And then theres my ShiTzu puppy - Muffin

(I call her Chairman of the Board) and she comes to the studio everyday with me. She is now

Queen of the Studios and thinks everyone in the world is there to love her. As it should be.

Q. Where were you born?
S.T.: I was born in Glendale, California. And, other than a 20-year "visit" to Texas and Oregon,

I have remained here.

Q. What are you currently reading?
S.T.: I just finished The Book Thief. It's about an impoverished German girl during Nazi Germany.

It's told in the voice of Death, who is a kind and compassionate spirit. It's an inspiring story from

an unfamiliar perspective. I just started Marley and Me, about a man and the world's worst dog.

I have my Kleenex ready, as warned.

Q. What exhibitions do you have coming up?
S.T.: I have work in the Putting On Airs show at SCIART, opening on July 1st. I am fortunate to

have several great galleries representing me in Santa Fe, NM; Laguna Beach, CA; Los Olivos and

La Jolla, CA. I work hard to keep them supplied with paintings.

Thank you Sylvia, we look forward to seeing your work (and Muffin) soon!