Art

Artist of the Week:  Rigoberto Navaro

Rigoberto can be found on most Sunday mornings in the Ajijic plaza  with his sculptures for sale.

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Patrick O’Heffernan (Ajijic).- Rigoberto is a young sculptor from Ajijic who works mostly in volcanic stone from local quarries and with the cantera stone from other parts of Latin America.  He likes volcanic and cantera stone because it is ideal for the highly detailed  carving and cutting that characterizes his work and the fact that it lasts for centuries. It also exhibits different colors which he considers in his work.  “Almost all of my rocks are volcanic and the minerals in them can change the color so I am always looking at the color of the rock” he says of his process.

His carvings focus on mythical animals and human-animal forms as well as abstract shapes that often incorporate Aztec and other indigenous designs.  “Animals are part of my imagination as are the traditions of Mexico.  I think about the history of Mexico when I work, and about the gods of the early people.  I am still learning about the many Aztec gods,” he says of his fantasy shapes.

His family is one of the Charro/Charrería leaders in Ajijic, as his grandfather founded the Ajijic Bullring and his sister, Erika Robledo, trains future female riders at the Escaramuza Pedigogica Las Portranquita Ajijic. But he decided to take another path. “ I like art.  I like the charro and charrería of my grandfather and father and family but I just liked different things,”  he says.  But he actually trained as an engineer before turning to sculpture.

He sometimes sees the final sculpture in the rock, but usually it reveals itself as he cleans and examines the stone.  He often sketches out what he is planning and explores photographs of animals and gods and designs  first. “I draw a picture of what I am going to do to get the proportions right.  Unlike clay or painting, you cannot add back in when you do sculpture,” he explains.

Rigoberto can be found on most Sunday mornings in the Ajijic plaza  with his sculptures for sale.  He will take commissions, but he won’t accept payment in advance – if you like what he does, you can pay for it, if not you don’t have to buy it.  He also sells his sculptures in local galleries and as part of art collective shows at La Cocherrá Cultúra in Ajijic, including the Sangre Viva art festival Jan 31, and at events like the Mexican National Chili Cookoff this year at the Tobolandia Water Park.  He can be reached through his Facebook page or at rignavrob@gmail.com.