María Elcy Ramírez and the Colorful Charm of Her Work

 She recalls her origins and the environment in which she grew up: “My parents were Miguel Antonio Ramírez Guarín, a tiller of mountain dreams and a coffee grower by profession, and my mother, Estefanía Cuartas Gallego, a seamstress by trade; while she worked, she sang and wrote poetry. That was where my inspiration was born: in a warm, peaceful, and loving environment where dignified and hardworking hands taught me the value of honest work. Sevilla, my native homeland, allowed me to experience adolescence between the neighborhood and rural life, in San Antonio.”

 Growing up and living in a rural environment will always be inspiring, even more so for those devoted to art. Our interviewee adds: “Growing up among coffee landscapes, sunsets and sunrises that only Sevilla possesses; enjoying the customs and daily life of my farming community shaped my soul and my artistic project. My work sings to nature to thank God for the gift of creation, and to my descendants, whom I represent through five little birds dancing amid the landscapes. This profound and spiritual connection with the landscape becomes melody, praise, prayer: an act of love and gratitude that is the greatest gift to the senses. I use it as the background for the main scene in my works, which focus on paying tribute to the trades of the past that refuse to disappear. Trades that made history, civilization, and idiosyncrasy; ways of being and thinking imbued with art and tradition that constituted the deepest roots of peoples and their identity.”

 It is impossible to forget those places where we loved life so deeply. There, the family was united: my father, Miguel Antonio, a farmer, a tiller of dreams, who cared for the little piece of land to provide us with sustenance.

 I remember my mother as loving and responsible, supporting my father and taking care of the home while practicing her profession as a seamstress. In that simple and peaceful family environment, one could breathe the freshness of Sevilla’s climate: the mist caressing the coffee-covered mountains, the greenery of the blooming crops, the music, and the noble farmers carrying out their work.

How did growing up among colorful and natural landscapes like those of your hometown influence your work?

 I can proudly say that Sevilla was declared by UNESCO part of the “Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, World Heritage Site” in June 2011. Sevilla is also the “Coffee Capital of Colombia.”

 I feel that this relationship with the land, its generous biodiversity, the pure air, the average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, the simple life, the dignity and wisdom of my farmers, and so much natural beauty made the landscape a recurring element in my work and a dreamlike light for my senses. Returning to the simplicity of nature and its harmony is what inspires me the most.

Your mother was passionate about music and poetry. What did she think of your first artistic works?

 She was tremendously moved. She was also a seamstress, a human being full of nobility and tenderness, with such genuine sensitivity that, without realizing it, she became the inspiration for her children. Her unconditional love, patience, and wisdom strengthened our dreams, and that is how each of her four children began to achieve their goals.

 My older brother, when he was young, ventured into theater; he is also a poet and an outstanding cultural promoter. My sister Amanda is a music lover. Aldemar is a writer and poet, with an emphasis on Zen poetry.

What are the main themes you address in your work?

 My work expresses memories and experiences that touched my sensitivity from a very young age; I try to address feelings of gratitude and admiration toward farmers and toward everyone who carries out a trade with their hands.

 I also address ecological issues, making an urgent call to care for the environment and using the aesthetics of art as a tool to raise awareness about the effects of global warming, which disrupts the balance of our Mother Earth: home, human refuge, and shelter for ecosystems and species that are fundamental to the development of life. Water is a vital resource for existence.

 Nor have I remained indifferent to the dehumanization of war, forced displacement, and the suffering of mothers and children who are victims of armed conflict in Colombia and around the world; I leave a record for memory as a cry of solidarity, resistance, and denunciation, questioning social silence and the absurdity of war.

As a self-taught artist, have you faced rejection from other artists?

 Personally, I have not felt any rejection. But it is good to remember the rejection women have suffered throughout history and the silent struggles of brave women who took to the streets to demand justice, at a time when they could not even attend university, much less participate in politics, hold public office, or express themselves fearlessly as artists.

 Here in Colombia, after many struggles, women exercised their right to vote in 1957. For centuries, many women artists were rendered invisible in the history of art because they were irreverent and daring; many years—even centuries—later, we can speak of them in order to rewrite history.

 Not far from here, we have the Colombian artist Débora Arango (1907–2005), a pioneer of Expressionism, recognized for portraying the social marginalization of her time; she painted nudes, prostitutes, and events related to the Colombian violence she lived through. That is why her work carries such weight: she showed that political reality in a raw and unvarnished way.