2006 Silleteros, sculptures

The Spaniards had the idea back in 1500: They tied a chair to the back of an Indian, to sit on. To travel. They became the "silleteros" or chair carriers. About 50 years ago, the tradition of silleteros was transformed into an artistic, beautiful flower parade, "el Desfile de los Silleteros" in Medellin, Colombia. Farmers or "campesinos" carry on chairs tied to their backs their beautiful, tropical flowers to the city. Here is an archive photo from the Newspaper El Colombiano, in Medellin. I also found a Blog with a visit to Medellin, during el Festival de los Silleteros These are the real silleteros; I borrowed their dresses to make my sculptures mixing the tropical flowers with Ottawa's tulips during the Spring. I exhibited two of these sculptures during the 2006 Tulip Festival at the Ottawa Guild of Potters Juried Exhibition.

These are the Sculptures I made inspired on the flower parade and Ottawa's Tulip Festival: Silletera. After two or three firings at different temperatures, joining and adding fused glass, copper wire (to hold some of the flowers, others are glued) here she is: a silletera. Ready to be out, in public! High fired Porcelain, glazes, underglazes, oxides, fused glass, copper wire. 28cm x18cm These two "silleteros" made it to the Tulip Festival in Ottawa thanks to the Ottawa Guild of Potters 2006 Spring Juried Exhibition