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Miguel Sifuentes

Miguel Sifuentes was born on January 16, 1950. Even as a child he enjoyed drawing so much that his father hoped he'd become an architect. But young Miguel would go up into the mountains with his friends to search for stones or dig for potshards and archeological remains. He loved it – the earth, the stones, the water – and all this eventually came together. Sifuentes ended up crafting clay castles, pots and figurines.

He continued drawing and painting as a part of his art. But after high school, his father sent him to the capital where Sifuentes graduated with a degree in business administration. He then entered law school, but he realized that art is what he loves best. Returning to his roots, he sought out the childhood friends with whom he'd go up to the hills. Some of them shared the artist's passion for clay. And thus began his first works in ceramics. Over time, they got better and better as Sifuentes constantly sought new designs.

"One day I climbed the nevado [a snowcapped mountain] and found fossil seashells," he recalls. "They were just incredible. I was fascinated. How did they get up there on the mountaintop?" These questions and his adventures reinforced the artist's decision to continue with this art.

"I see my work as a way to carry on this ample and abundant cultural legacy," he confides. "It is filled with mystery and beauty, and this is what I always strive to transmit through my works. I hope you appreciate my work and the civilizations in which it has its origins."