Gypsy Jan - 9-18-2012 at 01:51 PM
From San Diego Red
By Eduardo Flores Campbell
"Upon an agreed time and place, a young slim woman with light skin complexion, dark brown hair, and charming smile emerges from a small crowd that
walks up the stairs and enters the restaurant. Here is the artist herself Laura Ramirez, better known as Lola Krauss who is currently exhibiting her
most recent work titled "Scrap Book", a union of different sketched drawings on the walls of the second floor of Baja California's Cultural Institute
(ICBC), Tijuana.
The daughter of a mechanic engineer and a dental surgeon, talks about how important her family is to her, and with great pride describes of where her
interest and hobby of drawing comes from. "My dad in the seventies would make cartoon characters of his co-workers. He has the gift of drawing.
Now that I think about it, when I was very young I realized maybe I had something special, and whenever people would tell me that I drew very well I
believed them. Now whenever my nephews show me their drawings, I tell them well done and always encourage them." Laura Ramirez, who was born in Mexico
City grow up in the border city of Tijuana were, at an early age started to practice and was self-thought in the plastic arts.
She finished high school at Preparatoria Federal Lazaro Card##as, and then went on to the school of architecture for over one year and graduated in
plastic arts at the Autonomous University of Baja California or also known as U.A.B.C.
Since 2004 she ventured out into different areas in art like drawing, painting, fashion design, performing arts and collaborating in different art
expositions.
Who is Lola Krauss? "I am me", she responds to the first ice breaker question.
Well how would you describe yourself? "An artist, creative and a strong woman, just like Lola Krauss we are the same person."
Where does the name Lola Krauss come from? "Lola was born on karaoke night while being out with a group of friends, when I once wrote my stage name on
a piece of napkin before getting on stage to put on a show.
It's those types of nights when you are about to do something you usually don't do and shed a layer of skin just like a snake, just like all the times
I would have a theater performance, which karaoke was something I did almost every weekend then after."
When does Lola Krauss usually come out? "Well to begin with I first like the name while on a trip to Cuba in 2006 and just stuck with it ...after
inventing yourself another name you also create a history to go along with it.
It's an iconic name of fashion and quiet a character. Entering a place where no one knows you if asked what's your name? Lola...Thereafter with more
reason my friends started calling me that name. Laura is more common, but Lola is eccentric, glamorous, and very mysterious."
A few cups of coffee after she begins to talk about her work.
"I usually do enlarged drawings or paintings and distorted images and drawings.I also like to do just regular paintings, performances, and also some
work with certain cloths although this is not really relevant I look for old vintage type of stuff." She said after a long pause, during which she
seemed trying to collect her thoughts.
"Dedicating yourself to the arts is very difficult, well without taking any merit away from other professions, what I mean by this is that other
professions can generously compensate you, but as an artist that part of the job is where it becomes difficult financially especially here in Tijuana,
where it's also difficult to be understood."
HER INFLUENCES
Lola shares that as a young girl at 14 years old, she would often visit a clothing store in the down town area of Tijuana. There she met Jorge Sánchez
the store owner who she would later on work with.
He offered her the opportunity to learn and get a sense of what to her was fashion, which coincidently was close to his own liking. "Jorge, I always
mention him as my inspiration; he was a great example to me".
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
"As an artist to work at a school it does not do you any good, but when you're in a studio or shop that's where the learning happens. That's where I
learned, because that's where I saw how things were supposed to be done."
She looks for her bag and with great enthusiasm she shows it to me, "I say wow... I knew I was able to do this." and she said,"I made them and sold
them at stores."
While we continued to enjoy our Mexican bakery and coffee, she also begins to speak about her artistic influences.
Who do you admire? "Modern artist because I can visually identify with their work a lot better, and find their work beautiful, which one of them would
be Gustav Klimt the painter but whose most recognized work of arts were mostly integrated with fashion designs and different decorations in his
painting, and the other one being French printmaker Toulouse Lautrec late 1800's. He painted posters for the Moulin Rouge, his graphic works, a
pioneer in lithography. Also Munch's The Scream, the image on the cover of Youth in Ecstasy, Cuauhtémoc Sánchez novella."
The artist also explained that Merkin Dream "Does my hard drive turn you on? "Is the music that inspired "Scrap Book" of Lola Krauss, whose work is
also difficult to classify, "but maybe can be described like pleasant and complex just like a dream."
"Throughout history art has also been commercialized and sometimes used as a marketing tool that guides an opinion or certain thoughts. Now in days
when you pass by Tijuana's cathedral you will usually see a neon cross, and the priest will never really ask you to bring an altar piece of biblical
scenes, but just out the doors you will always see vendors selling "off- set images". This is the type of environment an artist used to work in the
old days, where paintings were mostly of religious figures, kings and aristocrats. Now it's a whole different type environment, where a lot of new
digital graphic technology is involved in the arts and has redefined it. You get into a website and say, this is damn good."
WHERE IS LOLA KRAUSS HEADED TO?
"So far all I know is that I will continue to do the things I enjoy, and looking for other spaces that I can use as galleries to exhibit my work that
hopefully will bring me some financial retribution. I want to travel and have not done so because of school and other reasons, but I have thought of
going to Asia, South America or Europe.I want to learn new things and see different cultures." She says all of this with a smile.
An hour later now the interview is over, and with a thank you and a good luck hand shake. Lola loses herself in the crowd towards the parking lot of
Plaza Rio and gives one last smile.
Do not forget to look for and learn about Lola Krauss, before what usually tends to happen, that the next time you see or hear about her it will only
be through magazines, television or the internet."
The interview was originally done in Spanish, was translated and edited for concision and clarity.
Eduardo.Flores@sandiegored.com