Accidental Art

Sculptor Valentino Llegada Transforms Found Objects into Beautiful ArtStory by Josie GulliksenPhotos courtesy of Valentino LlegadaTo most people, fire extinguishers are life-saving devices, but once their contents are emptied they are useless. However, through the eyes of Hollywood-based sculptor Valentino Llegada, they present endless opportunities to create art. He makes vases, pendant lamps and countless other art pieces from them, as well as with other recycled materials. Nothing is off limits to Llegada.Influenced early on by his parents, who both dabbled in art but never pursued it professionally, he knew as a child that he would follow an artistic path. “Although my parents did influence me some,” Llegada said, “I feel the passion for art is not in your genes, it comes from your soul and it evolves from there.”Growing up in Uruguay, he always thought he’d become a painter, but that all changed when he entered college and a professor pointed out a hidden talent to him. “My background in metal sculptures is thanks to one of my college professors who early on saw my natural talent for sculptures and encouraged me to follow that path,” Llegada said.“My background in metal sculptures is thanks to one of my college professors who early on saw my natural talent for sculptures and encouraged me to follow that path,” Llegada said.Nixing the traditional route, he chose instead to create his pieces entirely out of recycled materials. Calling himself a “recycled arts pioneer,” he first realized the potential of a fire extinguisher after discovering one rusting in his studio. “I saw something beautiful in its weathered form,” he said. So he meticulously soaked it, stripped the paint, sanded and polished the metal. He then handpainted it and began creating vases and pendant lamps out of the structure.Llegada also creates alien-faced masks out of recycled license plates. The masks have a futuristic appearance while seeming ancient, with strong Mayan and African influences. The plates are stripped to the bare metal, then he hammers and shapes them into masks with alien-like eyes and mouths – the plate numbers still partially visible in the finished product. Some pieces he paints while others he doesn’t, but when he does use color, they always have metaphysical significance and “go with a person’s chakra.”“I am one of the few artists who combine painting and sculpture, incorporating metals with paint. I work in copper, bronze, iron, stainless-steel and aluminum. Oftentimes, I even end up creating my own tools, adapting materials according to the size and shape I need.”Llegada admits his method requires patience – from preparing the extinguishers to allowing them adequate time to dry. Patience is his daily mantra with morning meditations in his serene backyard gazebo covered in greenery. There hang pictures of his loved ones, friends and family he prays for while meditating.After meditation, he scours the neighborhood for materials – copper piping, crown molding, roof nails and other pieces – that he incorporates into his sculptures. He uses the crown moldings exclusively to make frames.“Best of all, my neighbors know of my scavenger hunts and leave their discarded items and materials for me,” he said. “They are very supportive.”No matter what he’s creating, the most important thing he stresses is that all ideas already exist and an artist’s job is just to grab them and make something meaningful.“I use a lot of elements unknown to lay people but that to me have deep, spiritual meaning,” he said. “As artists, we all have a need to collaborate.”