Juan Pablo makes puppets. Most of them have strings, some of them are mechanical and one is so big that it fills a whole room. But there is something that makes them all very special. They are made of undecorated wood, with very simple shapes and they are full of life. 

It's not a matter of control, but of a dialogue between you and your ideas, tools, materials, skills and time. In the process you win and lose. Wood is especially generous. I work everyday making book covers mostly with software. The computer is great, but it hardly gives anything back to you. Wood is completely opposite – it´s always giving you something back. Most analogue techniques and materials are like this. 

 

I do get this comment a lot and I find it priceless because they are just blocks of wood but everyone sees so much expression! Most of the time it is more about what isn´t there than what is. I never do a complete face. I only add a nose, or just the mouth, or perhaps one eye. So people have to complete it in their minds. In my experience, if you give enough space to the reader he constructs his own rich message. It's like when you do psychotherapy: the therapist is always silent, talking as little as possible and that way he gives you the space to talk and even listen to your own words.
 

I have never done a smiling puppet…or angry eyes or any kind of traditional expressive faces like they teach in a "how to draw expressions" book. But still, people always see a lot of expressions. I believe this is also because the wood is such an organic material. It doesn't make perfect cuts or forms. So the imperfect cut in a square mouth might slide to make a bit of a smile. 

Add comment

Name Required

E-mail Required
(not displayed)

Website

Send

Notify me of follow-up comments

Send

Cancel