An Inspired Chat with Mauricio Torrescano of Mexico City

Mauricio Torrescano shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Mauricio, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Nowadays we have many distractions that make us lose track of time, procrastinate and let the day pass, for example social networks, you can spend hours and without realizing it you did not do something productive. In my case, the best way to lose track of time, to reach a deep part of me, is to create art either by painting, sculpting, this interaction with shapes, textures, colors, transports me to another place, it is something that fills me and I find meaning.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a visual artist who since 1993 developed an artistic technique that fuses the disciplines of painting and sculpture in a single material which is plasticine, this material that we know since childhood to play, but that has volume and color, which allows us to create totally two-dimensional works or with textures or reliefs, without limitations of visual effects. It is thought that it is a disposable or fragile material, but the reality is that being composed of waxes, oils and pigments it is a material that does not change over time, it does not crack, it melts beyond 149 degrees Fahrenheit, and I coat it with a lacquer to protect the dust from adhering, so if it´s treated with respect as any work of art can even last longer than oil paintings.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents, very hardworking people, my mother taught me to be courteous, to have patience and to be professional with people, she has an exceptional character and I try to learn from her, because I am still far from it, but I do my best, as for my father he taught me very valuable lessons and put me in the reality of how things work in life, one of the phrases that I carry with me the most and is part of my way of being is “If you want something to go well, do it yourself, don’t wait for others to do it for you” and today I understand it after many stumbles, wasted time, disappointments, many times we are waiting for others to solve things for us, that everything happens when someone else decides it and the reality is that if you don’t push things to happen, they usually don’t happen by magic, if something matters to you, make an effort, make it happen and taking the reins of your life, working, is how you achieve what you have in mind.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering is something that no one likes to feel, we want to feel success, satisfaction, pure happiness, but the reality is that life has many moments of suffering and it is an important part of it, and it depends on how you react to it if your life is defined by always suffering and living miserable or you take it as a great motivator to achieve your goals and move forward, That’s where the magic or the important thing comes in, because as complicated as it is, when you get up, you overcome it and leave it behind, over time you realize that it wasn’t as big as you thought or it simply makes you enjoy or value more what you achieve, the good you have in your life, if everything always went well for us and we had everything we wanted effortlessly, It would be very difficult to find meaning in life, it is like being born in a very rich family, you have the best in the world, but it was not difficult for you to achieve it, you do not know if someone really loves you for who you are or is the money you have, what can give you joy or motivation if you do not have goals to achieve? Because you have everything at your fingertips, that’s when you can understand that not everything is about money, success is just fragments of your life, it gives you mental and physical strength, suffering teaches you the value of things when you don’t have them and forges your character, what doesn’t kill you, It makes you stronger as they say.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Well, in reality it has taken a large part of my life and it has been to publicize the technique that I developed of painting with plasticine, for a long time people did not give it importance because it was something unknown, I could not participate in art competitions because it was not a painting in itself or a sculpture, it is the link between both, so it was very complicated to move forward and make it known, since I started having exhibitions, interviews in the media and when I launched my book “The Art of Painting with Plastilin/Plasticine” people began to create works and today you can find on the internet many people who make works with this technique worldwide, It gives me great satisfaction when they write to me from different countries asking me questions and if I can give them some advice, I am committed to making it something as common as painting in watercolor, oil, acrylic. This technique has many advantages because you have the visual sensory aspect of color and the tactile, muscular, mental agility and fine movement of the sculpture, it is the most complete technique in the visual art world since with a single material you have color, volume, textures or you can create two-dimensional works as in traditional techniques, the possibilities open up to your imagination.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What will you regret not doing? 
I was developing a project called Masterpieces from another Perspective which is the reinterpretation of works from the art history, from the Renaissance to Modernism, between 30-40 of the most iconic works in the art history, but made with plasticine, with the intention of making an exhibition where attendees can learn more about the art history in a dynamic way, visually enriching because of the volumes and textures that are achieved with this material but I had to stop it because of the pandemic since the cultural events were something that was totally stopped and fortunately today we already live normally I have not been able to fully resume the project, and it is something that I would regret if I do not carry it out, Fortunately, I am very persevering in the ideas I have and I know that it will soon be a reality.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @MauricioTorrescano
• Facebook: @MauricioTorrescano
• Other: https://a.co/d/8OZoNYf