TERESA BOSKO
ARTIST
Full Belly, Happy Heart. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Paper templates used to mark cut pattern. Design is based on the paper doilies called Papel Picado, a traditional Mexican art form used in many of their celebrations. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Pre-drilling... Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Adjustments to the plan... Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
First-round cuts are generally rough; some re-working and lots of sanding come later. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Underlayment, (luan plywood), keeps the pieces lightweight, as well as being cost-effective. It's also easier & faster when making so many cuts. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
In keeping with the theme of the restaurant, (Mexican, luchadores, surf & sci-fi), these shapes suggest a rocket blasting through space! Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
I sometimes need to walk-away from the saw... just get that weird feeling I may lop-off a digit! Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Like it. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Needs more... Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
There we go. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
One idea I had was to overlay the papel picado-looking base with the ingredients used in the cooking, framed-in by cacti... sorta like a big banquet table at a fiesta. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Decided I didn't want to cover-up all my cuts...! Also, I felt that the remaining wall space needed something light & minimal in color, in contrast to the in-your-face colors and busy-ness of the other pieces and décor. The eyes need a "resting place." Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Perhaps layering the two sections...? Problem was, I had a 20-foot section of wall to fill; the thought of replicating this to make a matching set, or even designing another new piece, was overwhelming... Time to rethink, again! Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Priming. Really, really like the outrageous 16-foot length...Had to go with it. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Righty Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Sweet. I really liked the contrast, but it would be too busy. Onward... Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Laying-out the lettering: "Panza Llena, Corazon Contento" is a Mexican proverb meaning "Full Belly, Happy Heart." Ah, the solution to what to do... Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Still wanting a layered-effect, I used smaller panels for the words. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Word panels in process. Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
Looks great, except for one thing... Copyright 2016 Teresa Bosko. All Rights Reserved. El Gato Taqueria, Akron, Ohio.
EL GATO TAQUERIA
Full Belly, Happy Heart
Delicious authentic Mexican street food and a great beer selection. Loud, raucous Surf music. Outlandish vintage Sci-Fi movies. Big, bold, color-filled Art. Orange and red walls. Mood lighting. Add to this environment happy people making-merry and the place is busy, not only in function, but visually. I felt it needed a visual anchor, a place to "cleanse the eye-palette," so to speak...
Directly opposite the service line was the remaining 20-ft. section of wall that still needed art. Perfect! By using an all-white piece, not only does it provide a time-out from the surrounding color, but it also reflects light towards the line, brightening the area. The clean white of the art doesn't compete with, but rather, complements the food, keeping the focus where it belongs.
I think of this work as being somewhat like the "fraternal twin" of Speak No Evil, which hangs at the other end of the wall, in that they both share a common vibe, or spirit, as well as visual and symbolic elements. I was especially excited when in my research I discovered that "Panza Llena, Corazon Contento" was indeed an authentic Mexican proverb... sweet!
Making this piece was both meditative, and an exercise in self-discipline: I had to measure and figure and measure again; cut, cut, cut, sand, sand, sand... again and again; stay away from color! As difficult as this sometimes could be, it really provided a nice opportunity for me to relax into a more structured way of working, inspiring some new ideas for the future.
SALUD!