El Taller de Toro

Port A., Tx - New Works on Wood

2012-08-22T18:37:00.002-05:00

Santuario for Angels in Exhibit at Latino Art Museum

2012-08-17T02:38:00.000-05:00

This small sculpture 13" x 6" x 3" made out of wood over Goldleaf , Wax, Rosepetals will be part of the yearbook show 2012. This exhibit is put together by the museum as a way to showcase Latino Artist living in the United States. This exhibit will open September 8th, and will be up for one month.

Also at the Latino Art Museum you will be able to see the permement collection where the drawing, Procession Gril will also be on display.

Drawing in the permanent collection of the Latino Art Museum in California.

2012-08-06T11:15:00.004-05:00

The Latino Art Museum in Pomona, CA. has acquired one of my drawings, titled: Procession Gril on Main Plaza. The drawing is a charcoal on paper created during a procession passing by Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio, Tx. 16" x 20" charcol on paper.

Viva Fiesta 2012

2012-04-14T14:51:00.003-05:00

I've gone public. I was asked to do papel picado for a home in Alamo Heights. Well I went big papel picado on wood. Instillation for celebrating Fiesta in the Alamo City 2012.

Chiles 2011

2011-09-18T06:48:00.000-05:00

Chilles 2011, Mixed Midia on Canvas

AVENA 2010

2011-09-07T07:23:00.004-05:00

AVENA 2010
Mixed Media on Canvas
Aprox: 9.5" x 7.5"

Avena is a small painting that gets the feeling of the earth. Materials gathered for this painting came from my surroundings such as Avena, red dirt, gold leaf and layer process with the sun to be well bind into the canvas.

SU VOZ

2011-08-25T05:15:00.005-05:00

Do you ever wonder when you send a message through someone else how it gets edited for you or they say things that you did not say... Well this painting is about your voice, your visual voice, a voice that can capture all your senses, from your brain, your heart and your soul. This voice is the loudest voice one can have. So this painting was created for those with no voice and unable to speak. I'm glad God gave me a voice that can be used for good.

No Voice is louder than your own- Jesus Toro Martinez

Cartoons to Posada

2011-08-18T14:18:00.006-05:00

Jose Guadalupe Posada became famous by drawing political satires of what was happening at the time during the Mexican revolution. Now this is my interpretation using his work.

Here I have overlapped two pieces of art from Posada - people praying out in the agave plantations and the famous drawing of a ceiling in a ballroom. Which now I have converted into the plantation church.

Migration- 1997

2011-08-18T13:48:00.006-05:00

Migration - well the word is very bold, an action that a group of people or animals that move from one place to another.... That is what this painting is all about.

This landscape was created using materials such as shoe polish, flying mosquitoes and 22k gold leaf torched into the painting with some bee pollen. All of this was to create a statement of MIGRATION. Pollen- it migrates with the wind and settles in other places, flying bugs they migrate where the leftover food is, gold is moved all over the world. This is about how people migrate from one country to another country.

Lupita del El Cenizo, TX

2011-08-17T07:54:00.005-05:00

In El Cenizo, Tx where the official language for doing business is Spanish. This little community has a community center that was created by Texas A&M University Colonias Program which I was very much part of building it and bring it together back in 1995. On the north wall there are a series of murals that where done by local artist some sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and Texas Commission on the Arts. There on the sires of mural is one in particular that the community call it (la lupita del cenizo) it was painted by Juan de Dios, this lupita has been there for over 15 yeas never been tagged by the graffiti bully's. Other murals parts have been tagged and some are nearly destroyed, but this one is still undisturbed or harmed. Residents of the community still show respect to this mural and in any given day you would find offerings left there as a sign of respect to the image.

When first planned to put such image no one would have thought that this respect would happen. Today this mural still stands untagged and demonstrating hope to those who passing by and paying homaged to the Lupita of El Cenizo. Candals, milagros and ofrendas are being left asking for help or just a simple thank you to the Lupita.

Prossesion Girl

2011-08-14T12:43:00.007-05:00

In San Antonio, Texas you have market square, San Fernando Cathedral and Main Plaza all in a 10 block radius. People gather for any occasion in any of these locations, to walk the plaza or to meet someone for fun or to go shopping. Yesterday there was a procession for someone who died long ago. It was the anniversary of their loved one who had passed away.

I was inspired to do a quick drawing on paper with charcoal. The girl was caring a big Mexican flag over her shoulder and was proud of doing it. She had walked from market square to main plaza which is in front of San Fernando Cathedral. This was where they where going to honor their loved one. This was a moving moment for that family and I was moved to do this drawing.

TOMS Event at La Cantera

2011-08-05T13:27:00.006-05:00

Have you ever heard of a company that would sell shoes and for every pair that they sell one goes to someone that has no shoes to wear? Well that is TOMS Shoes. I was part of 5 regional artists that worked on individuals' shoes that where purchased that day. It was wonderful painting on shoes. I kept my unique way of painting with Latino themes and everyone like them. This event was a hit. I had a line customers going out of the department.

Here you see the most popular ones were the Calavera of Catrinas and Catrin for dia de Los Muertos. They where fun to make.

Las Papas from fabulous Bandera Rd.

2011-07-27T09:37:00.005-05:00

Live in living color. The potato can perform and talk. This is seeing potatoes taking and singing and trying to be humans. Your mother always said not to play with your food, but here I am playing with my food. It was funny, I saw them at the produce market and I had just had to have them. They made me think that they had to have a show on their own at the produce market. This is so bad but good. So I called them Las Papas. They are sweet potatoes that have character and are all organic... what a look! I feel that they should have their own talk show on public access. Well that is something to think about.

After the storm in West Texas 1994

2011-06-22T23:00:00.008-05:00

Terlingua, Texas is part of West Texas in the Big Bend National Park. A place where you can see beautiful colors and morbid shapes and serenity. An inspiration of life where life is not near. The desert has a lot of life mixed in with danger to one if they are not familiar with the extreme weather patterns of this area.

This area inspired me to create this landscape called, (After the Storm in West Texas 1994). Using textures and colors that describe it's beauty is what drew me to this inspiration to paint and capture the roughness of the hot wind of a hot summer drought.

Now this painting is part of the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, Border Region MHMR Conference Center. A gift by Betsy Gill of Laredo, Texas to the state for the center in South Texas.

Altar to San Judas De Tadeo 2011

2011-06-14T20:47:00.003-05:00

This 14" x 16" painting on canvas. An altar made with gold, vines and natural fibers creating an oval frame of Saint Jude. This Saint is the patron of most lost causes.
The canvas has been dyed with natural pigments and fibers from south texas.

Looking from Above

2011-06-08T14:20:00.008-05:00

Detail (Looking from Above)
Acrylic on canvas. 12" x 12"
After seeing what happens when you go up the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, Texas - this what I came up with, all forms of color coming together...

One afternoon I started to look at landscapes from a new prospective (literally form above). Then I discovered that you don't have to go up 24 stories above ground to see this, just go to Google earth and this is what you will see. Nealy the same image, shapes and forms of color that makes a very modern abstract landscape. What a view, this was my inspiration of doing a landscape from above.

Green is grass, black is tar from buildings, blues are pools of waters and all other colors are other forms of buildings that are seen from above. What an exploration to see from above.

Grass Blades

2011-06-05T13:02:00.003-05:00

Grass Blades was created in the 90's when I was influence by all organic forms. This was done on a large roll of paper. The images it self has very organic and fluid like shapes, the 3 half circular forms are worms showing coming from the ground. I was much involved with dirt at time, I would get very messy while creating any art. I would spend lot of my time rolling in the grass to see more of this shapes and forms to create more and explore more.

Grass Blades was acquired by Linda Naltermier and is part of her private collection.

Mobil Art from Iphone

2011-05-19T10:27:00.005-05:00

What else can you do with your cell phone. I have discovered an app on my new phone that can lets me draw. Here are some samples of what can be done with your cell phone. I will be sketching ideas and then bring them back to my studio and manipulate them to see where will they go from here, this is definitely a new form for me.

Image to the left is test#1 with this and to the right is test #2. let see where it takes me from here.

Chairs and Paper Balls

2011-05-18T13:58:00.005-05:00

Paper balls and chairs is an installation at the World Trade Center for Dallas Market 2011.

Doing the trade show circuit, you find time to be creative even if there is no time to play. All paper balls where left behind from a previous exhibitor on the main ilea where forklift have to make way thou. I organized them in a way to keep it interesting and ascetically pleasing for others to pass by with the fork lift and continue working.

this photo is just a study for what it can become something more than just a pile of trash. I'm preparing a series of landscapes that involved trash and have them exhibit somewhere that they can be see as forms of high art.

Yard Sale Find

2011-05-17T15:30:00.006-05:00

While deviating from my duties, I stumbled into a yard sale where it seems kind of wild to see lots of books and some furniture. but lots of boxes that look like trash. I stop to see what I would find and I found a poster of one of my art shows. It was wild indeed to see this. I got it from the vendor for $1.00, and the vendor did not care for it and then after taking my money she realized that I was on the poster. I explained to the lady that this was an art show of two Germans and a Texan called " Tres Hombres". It brought a lot of memories of that time.

This was a outdoor art exhibit, which showed our works while traveling in the West Texas desert. I showed some weather proof drawings and Mark did some wood figures and Washington had some crazy sculpture made out of tree branches and logs. Our work was very different and but casual. those where the days when you fill up your truck and drove to do art in the desert.

Flower Burst

2011-01-30T14:54:00.003-06:00

Well, winter is over and painting indoors have become a hazardus way of painting for everyone. It gets the house all full of intoxicading fuems. Getting Oinon peals with red oxidize dirt to make paint is where the reall action is. This proces is more of a treet for me than to others. Others did not like the smell, but I manaage to continue to work in my own and see where my insperations take me. I melt some scrap of gold and pour it to my canvas and see wher it goses from there.

I'm always inspiered by the spontainus part of making the art happen. When Pepole ask me what is it or what I'm painting and I say is what I feel of doing. My work is all about moods that I may be into at that time. This is what makes my works of art.

Burning Forest Celebrating 15th Anniversary

2010-01-06T15:40:00.005-06:00

Burning Forest - 1995
Medal and Wood
Temporary Instillation in Oslo Norway
Department of Forestry

This installation is celebrating it's 15th anniversary from its creation. Back then on January 6, 1995, I was asked to do a temporary installation by the Department of Forestry in Oslo Norway to celebrate the winter arts festival. The Burning Tree installation was created with reclaimed wood from the forest and used sheet metal for the basses of the fire. The fire had a continuous burn during the festivities. Thanks to Pano Thurberg from the Swedish Royal Art Academy in Stockholm Sweden for the invitation to be part of it.

Prospero Ano Nuevo

2009-12-29T08:57:00.000-06:00

The Protector

12" x 12" on Gessobord

Egg Tempera, Tissue Paper and Brushed Sterling Silver with Decorative Metal Inserts.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T21:38:00.001-06:00

Altar of Saint Francis of Assisi

2009-12-14T09:10:00.000-06:00

Altar of Saint Francis of Assisi, 12” x 12” on Gessobord, Rose Petals with Egg Tempera, Tissue Paper and Brushed Silver

This modern altar interpretation is in honor of Saint Fancis of Assisi was sold at Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin Texas. The altar is made on a 12"x 12" Gessoboard. The professional quality acid-free panels used by Jesus Toro Martinez is Gessobord, made in Austin, Texas was generously donated by Ampersand to the Museum so artist can use for the Mix "N" Mash Exhibit. Mexic-Arte Museum invited over 100 local and regional artists to create works of art on 12" x 12" panels to create their own artistic ideas.

MIX 'N' MASH Exhibit will continue showing till December 31, at Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin Texas. For more information about the show or museum hours call or email the museum at info@mexic-artemuseum.org 512-480-9373