Roland’s Friends: Aztec Deities

The 2002 works-on-paper are all figurative abstract. While individually titled they were not conceived of as specific representations of Aztec Deities. I didn’t research the God Tonatiuh, for example, which translates as “ He Who Makes the Day” in English, to determine how Tonatiuh should be shown in the drawing. In other words there is no relationship, other than accidental, between the named God and the representation of that God. I did not seek out the Gods; the Gods came to me. What I was doing was using the Deities as a free association tool, enabling me to concentrate on the abstract elements in each figure that developed as I did each piece.

I used chapapote as the controlling color and medium. This is quite unique, as I used my Sal-Zar Medium in the chapapote mixture to make it possible for the blending of the chapapote, since tar tends to leave lumps on the surface unless totally mixed with a suitable resin. With the Sal-Zar it creates a remarkable attribute that is enhanced by oil pastels for line and emphasis. The vertical images, all of the same size, are not varnished as sometimes a flat finish worked better visually. It is not necessary to cover the work with Plexiglas, as the Sal-Zar Medium protects the work completely.