While working in my studio one day, our friends, Igo and Isa Toledo from Guatemala, called me to tell me that they had finally bought the house of their dreams and wanted to commission me a piece for which they already had the perfect wall. They told me they wanted this piece to remind them every morning of turning on the good vibes towards the day ahead, so I called it "Turn the Good Vibes On!". After a couple of months, they invited us to the opening day of their beautiful and unique new home, and I felt great to see how, despite the fantastic environment and the extraordinary art they have in their house, my piece was one of the most liked amongst all the attendees. And let me tell you, great vibes surround their home!

"Mission accomplished!"

I take a commissioned request as a real challenge whenever I receive it. Can I fulfill my friend's expectations? Are they going to like it? Will it be what they were expecting in the end? It's sometimes a bit stressful. But when I see the piece hanging on that wall and a happy family around it, it's refreshing and motivating. It's the feeling of "Yes! I did it!" 

"I always try to have everything under control!"

Being an artist, at least for me, goes way beyond creating a piece. Many of my clients live abroad, and sending my pieces involves many aspects crucial to having my piece hanging in my client's place. One of them is the shipping. My pieces are heavy and fragile, so I don't take chances and supervise every part of the process, such as how to pack it, how they handle it, and who will transport it. I prefer to pay more, but I don't take chances!

My good friend Rodrigo Toledo knows, loves, and works with leather. He is also a big fan of Ferrari cars, especially the F1 team. What better opportunity to mix some of his passions in one piece? Shinny Ferrari Red Color in the background, Ferrari upholstery and carbon fiber texture were mixed in this piece. I called it "Let's Turn Production On!" since it will be displayed at his office, where industrial magic happens daily. It is a great way to remind him and his crew that production should always be On!

"The Leather Experts!"

I want to give special thanks to the leather experts Alejandro and Roy at @miaatapiceria for their time, patience, and dedication and for accepting the challenge of working on this unusual project, which helped me realize this idea.

"The Importance of the References!"

It's great to count on Google! Nevertheless, it was quite a struggle to get this right, from finding the exact Ferrari Red color to finding the Italian leather that matched my reference for the Ferrari upholstery. Even the kind of stitches had to be like the ones in the reference photo. In the end, I feel we were very accurate.

Sometimes, the best way to display my pieces is outside an art gallery or a photography studio. Such is the case of "Turn Industrial Power On!" which was a gift for my son, following his idea of an "industrial" kind of piece, but then ended up for some time in the perfect environment for this piece, the Italian Restaurant La Fabbrica in Bogotá, which unfortunately closed due to the pandemic. The name of the restaurant, as well as the industrial look of its construction and decoration, was a perfect match for this piece.

"Hands-on Executive Chef"

The Executive Chef participated in all the arrangements to bring this piece to Bogotá. He collaborated on everything, from deciding where to hang it to re-directing the spotlight to illuminate it.

"Up the stairs."

You couldn’t miss it. Regardless of where you were seated, the piece was noticeable from either one of the three stories of the restaurant. Although we had to display it as "accessible" as possible, we didn't want people to try manipulating it. One of the funny effects my work causes on people is that they try to move the switch. It happens everywhere my giant switches are exhibited, so it's better not to take chances and avoid any damage to my artwork. I'm glad people enjoy them without touching them.

I have to give credit to the person who, without his knowledge, suggested that I pursue my art career in this direction.

I was retiring after 35 years in advertising and knew I wanted to dedicate more time to becoming an artist. I've always painted, and I had a good reputation as a painter while we lived in Guatemala for several years of my advertising career, but I felt that to be successful, I needed to differentiate myself if I wanted to become a serious artist from that moment on.

I loved painting. Many people loved my artwork. I sold many pieces in the past. However, I needed to create something out of the ordinary and a powerful concept to base my future work. At that moment, I didn't know what direction to take or what path to follow.

One afternoon, while living in Bogotá, I was painting in my apartment and shared my progress on social media.

Since I had no space to paint with the big canvases I used, I had to build a "temporary studio," un-hanging some of my art, to open space for the new canvas. One of the pieces of art I had to move off to open space was my first switch, which I created in 1998 and hung on top of my chimney, which coincidentally was the best spot to hang my canvas.

So, while painting and sharing on my social media, I received a message from Manuel Madrid, a long-time friend and colleague, saying he wanted me to sell him "one of those”. I thought he wanted one of my pictures, but then I understood that by "one of those," he meant the giant switch I had on the floor beside the canvas I was painting.

I agreed to create a giant switch for him, and this is where it all began.

Now Manuel has his switch, which I called "Power On!" hanging on his new beautiful apartment, and I have subject as an artist. So it is never too late to say: "Thank you, Manuel!" 

"I want one of those!"

This is one of the photos I shared in my social media while painting in my apartment in Bogotá. It was the switch what Manuel wanted. This is is where it all begun!

"You've got it, Manuel!"

New apartment, new artwork—and, for me, a new art subject! As the popular phrase goes, "Nobody really knows who they work for!"

"Introducing Manuel Madrid"

Good Friend, colleague and entrepeneur. President of DDB Centro, who oversees the operations from DDB Worldwide in Central America. 

Three days before leaving for Guatemala to attend the inauguration of a friend's house (see "Turn Good Vibes On!" below on this page), I received an invitation to participate in the Wynwood Life Festival in Miami mentioned above. I had this piece in mind several months ago after the tragic shootings in a Parkland school. I thought the Wynwood scenario would be a great place to display it, so I took advantage of some material already finished and worked the whole piece in less than two days, shipped it along with two other pieces to Miami, and was able to have it as part of my exhibition at Wynwood Life. What a race! But it was worthwhile. Anything one can do to create awareness about the dangers of guns is worth the effort. I feel I have to give credit to a great supporter in Miami, @cdiez, who made our participation at Wynwood Life possible. I couldn't be there on time without her help, support, and constant advice.

In addition to the previous two pieces, "Turn Lies Off!" was selected to be shown at the Wynwood Life Festival in Miami. As an artist, one always wonders if the crowd will understand my ideas, but after the three days at Wynwood, I knew that people get the message behind each piece and like them very much. It's rewarding to see how they enjoyed interacting with my art and how many photos and selfies were taken during the festival. 

This was my first attempt to work with this kind of material. I've never worked with Porcelanicron (Porcelain modeling clay) before, and obviously, the first steps of the project didn't look nice at all, but I had a very good idea of how it would look at the end. The Porcelanicron has to rest untouched after being modeled for some days, so it cures and dries before implanting the artificial leaves and getting the realistic look. When I posted photos of the early process on my social media, I received hilarious comments, such as "Are you in the Morcilla business now?". Morcilla is a kind of long sausage with a very dark color. Well, it's just what it looked like, indeed!

"One leave at a time!"

Building the vegetation was a painstaking labor. After the Porcelanicron was hard and cured, I had to secure it to the switch with screws placed in a way that was not visible, drill each hole for each leave with a fine drilling tool, pick the correct size and kind of leave, insert it in the hole and finish it with clear glue to set it in place permanently. Hours and hours of detailed work were accompanied by great music and the ever-patient support from my family, who were always there with me.

It was a huge switch, a huge bill, and a massive help from my brother, who has always supported me and helped me accomplish things I wouldn't have achieved without his ideas and drive.

Since my work is to set all the elements to the same proportions as my switches, the 20-dollar bill hidden underneath the switch, meaning the "under the table" transaction, typical of corrupt people, had to be in size according to the switch. I printed each side of the bill separately in adhesive vinyl. Putting the two pieces together was challenging, but help was appreciated.

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