Today we’d like to introduce you to Leonor Flores.
Hi Leonor, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As far back as I can remember, I have always created art. I would get lost while creating. There was nothing else like it for me. It’s all I wanted to do. I was very active in middle and high school, producing a lot of art and entering competitions.
After graduation, I wanted to continue in art but back then it was either be a starving artist or work in advertising. I had no interest in either. I have always loved learning and one thing I knew for sure, was that I wanted to go to college but wasn’t sure on the degree and I had no idea how I would pay for it. I wanted to travel, see the world and be exposed to different professions. The military checked all the boxes. So I joined the ARMY and it was amazing! It delivered on all levels and more!
After the military I was lucky enough to be admitted to the University of Texas Architecture school in Austin. I loved it but even with the use of the ARMY college fund, I still needed to work full time in order to pay for living expenses. My first semester I took 17 hours of classes and worked 40 hours a week. I learned soon enough, that was not a good combo. I would finish class and rush to my job at a Family practice clinic until 10 pm and then back to the architecture studio to finish projects through the night and start the day all over again. It was like the movie Groundhog Day. Some days I wouldn’t make it home at all and it began to take its toll. I made the difficult decision to leave architecture school and switch degrees.
After graduation, I had jobs across different fields including, cashier, running coach, Assistant Director of the 3M Half Marathon, photographer, PA and extra on film crews and teacher with AISD. I realized that I really enjoyed teaching and remembered I had taught in multiple areas in Spanish and English in the ARMY. And all throughout those years, I started creating art again. It felt like coming home.
I missed building things as I had done in the UT Architecture lab. So I started attending woodworking classes at Austin Community College. After building some experience, I was offered a job teaching woodworking classes, became full time faculty and have been there since. In the last couple of years I have been more focused on my art through photography, drawing, painting, clay and woodworking.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely not been smooth but I believe it all works out how it’s supposed to in the end. Throughout the years, I would see people who had selected a career, stayed on that path and were set to retire at a designated time. As is natural to compare yourself and your path to others as you are finding your way, I would worry and think maybe I should be following that safer path instead of working in various roles in different places. But that just wasn’t my path and I learned to honor that. It wasn’t easy but I made peace with it and am better for it. I believe all of my experiences have enriched me in so many ways and have not only made me a better person but a better teacher and a better artist. I can draw from all those experiences in my daily life no matter what I’m doing; living, teaching, creating art.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Over the years, I have worked with various media: pencil, wood, watercolor, oil, photography, metal and clay. I fluctuate from one to another and enjoy them all equally. Lately I have been more focused on working with clay and wood.
When working with clay, the glazing alone is such a mystery. You can make a piece using the same clay, glaze, application and firing schedule and no two pieces turn out exactly the same. It drives some people batty but I love it. It’s like magic. It’s always a surprise and I look forward to it.
When it comes to wood, I have been working with it for years in various forms – from custom furniture to small sculpture. After a long remodeling project where I built multiple furniture pieces for our home under tight deadlines, I needed a break. I felt a bit burnt out.
Then I was asked to build a memorial bench for a beloved high school teacher that passed away unexpectedly. They selected a bench from a publication and I began to decipher how to build it. It was a complicated build that took months since I was working on it on my off time. The recipients were incredibly happy and grateful of the final product. It brought back the love I had for building custom furniture and the joy it brought clients.
Right now I am designing and building a couple of different projects, such as custom kitchen cabinets, a lounge chair and a dining table.
How do you define success?
What matters to me the most is the act of creating, whether it’s for a client or for myself, and staying true to myself and my art. It always feels like play. Relaxing into something that comes natural. When I am creating, I get in a zone where both hands work together or independently, as if they have a mind of their own. It becomes meditative & I lose track of time. To me it is a connection to the divine and to the divine within me.
I begin with an idea in my head but as I move through the piece, it evolves into something slightly or completely different than the original idea. My style has also evolved from focusing mainly on realism and surrealism to venturing into abstract.
In the past I’ve always shared my work through word of mouth or an accidental encounter. I enjoyed the low key and relaxed approach. This year though, I want to be more intentional showcasing my work. This has led me to begin building a website to share my art to a larger audience, seek exhibitions and welcome more commissions.
Contact Info:
- Other: pizzo037@yahoo.com
