At what age did you decide to become an artist?

Being born, one develops their gifts and talents, and in this process, others label you “artist.” I still use the term “artist” with much humility, since it was a given and not a decision.

How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to be an artist?

My path in life was my own undertaking and not a decision for my parents, yet I am of the belief that they would have approved.

Who are your favorite artists?

Favored and respected are the artists who were early mentors and encouraged my artistic development. Lorenzo Homar, Augusto Marín, Jose Alicea, from the Escuela de Artes Plásticas in Puerto Rico; and then Marshall Glasier, Leo Manso, Knox Martin, and Joseph Stapleton from the Art Students League of New York.

Who is your favorite artist whose work is unlike your own?

One’s experiences are the essential qualities that are shared and reveal a common thread that unites us. This constant theme makes the work similar. What distinguishes us is the visual interpretation, which for me does not make my work different but rather unifies us as artists. We are responsible for evoking passion, emotion, understanding, and the message.

Art book you cannot live without?

My personal library is eclectic, and I would not place limitations on art books or life since one must be constantly adapting and evolving. I do admire the works of the artists who are the forerunners of my path, to the women, the Puerto Rican, the Hispanic, Latin, and artists of color—of the past and to those who are finally getting recognition.

What is the quality you most admire in an artist?

Vulnerability is the most challenging part of being an artist. It ensures a commitment to fully experience and embrace those moments of creativity that permit ideas to flourish.

Do you keep a sketchbook?

My sketchbook is not conventional. The process becomes spontaneous and organic, so I immerse myself in acquiring, then assembling materials and objects. Categorizing and placing them in bins and boxes not sketchpads.

What’s your favorite museum in all the world?

I enjoy different museums for various reasons: the architecture, space, accessibility, exhibitions, light, basically the general experience. I did experience once the totality and qualities under one roof, in China at The Suzhou Museum. 

That being said, the question asks for my favorite museum in all the world. That is defined more not from a building, but the place of gathering, understanding, and inspiration that comes from communities that I am granted privilege to pass through.

What’s the best exhibition you have ever attended?

Attending an exhibition is to understand its potential benefits; with that in mind each exhibition one views is momentarily the best, yet each will have the capacity to affect an artist in indirect or intangible ways. I am looking forward to seeing the exhibition Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter at The Metropolitan Museum.

If you were not an artist, what would you be?

If one believes in past lives, I will constantly be reborn as a creative person, an artist, and with each reincarnation, I will retain the past knowledge and teachings to advance and develop my new life. 

Did you have an artistic cohort that influenced your early creative development?

My early cohort was myself, due to my reticent personality. One can describe this situation as a person who knows nothing getting advice and help from another person who knows almost nothing. This motivation became my constant search. Over the years, I have had the privilege to meet kindred spirits, other artists/inventive people, in their own search. These encounters and friendships have been part of my creative development and journey, because it is not solely about the work, it is also about the support and conviction one shares.

What is one thing you didn’t learn in art school that you wish you had?

Networking and grant writing, the business of art, would be a priority.

What work of art have you looked at most and why?

I would prefer to say art that I am currently looking at rather than what I have looked at the most. These are works of classic artists, such as Balthus, José Campeche, Artemisia Gentileschi, Francisco de Goya, Michelangelo, Pablo Picasso, Titian, to name a few. 

The past couple of years, with augmented concerns relating to race and gender and to political, social,  and religious unrest, I felt the best way for me to understand the present was to review and study works of the past. The subject matter by these iconic artists resonates so clearly, in their day as well as in ours.

What is your secret visual pleasure outside of art?

My visual pleasure would be anything that places me in an introspective state of observation.

Do you listen to music in your studio?

I am passionate about listening to classical, jazz, Latin music, during my meditative period, which is when I am driving to and from my studio, but not in the studio. 

What is the last gallery you visited?

Recently, I opened a solo exhibit of my acrollage paintings at NYU Wagner Gallery, re:tratos urbanos rodríguez calero, which will be followed by a group show at West Strand Gallery, in Kingston, New York, Figurative Painters: Seeing & Being Seen.

Who is an underrated artist people should be looking at?

Artists are always underrated, especially in their lifetimes, and that being said, I will place myself on the top of the list, yet aligned with all the others, especially women and artists of color, who follow the path.

What art materials can you not live without?

I allow the material to find me, so that there is not a dependency. One has physical, mental, and emotional conversations in the creative process, so therefore one has all that is needed, if they permit themselves to adapt.

Do you create art every day?

Art, encompasses many aspects, like cooking. The preparation, is always in the forefront and a daily preoccupation; whether it is the thought, acquiring information, materials, producing, managing, organizing, documenting, soliciting, and networking. 

What is the longest time you went without creating art?

This question I assume is more about the physicality of producing the work. A day feels like an eternity, because producing art maintains sanity, and yet when not producing, one must acquire introspection, which is the important essence of creation.

What do you do when you are feeling uninspired?

One is always inspired, but there is that moment when one is searching, in a state of transition for the next stimuli, motivation, and purpose. When that moment happens, I, like so many artists, start to organize and clear the space, to prepare for what’s next to come.

What are the questions that drive your work?

I question myself and have faith in the process, not the work. I must ensure that I am not relying on my abilities in facilitating a piece; I must also ensure that each piece is pushed to its full potential, to bring awareness, to evoke and confront something known that will make a change.

What is the most important quality in an artist?

Integrity is a key factor.

What is something you haven’t yet achieved in art?

Satisfaction, and hopefully, I never will, since it would prevent my continued growth and evolution.

What is the best thing about art in the era of social media?

Websites and applications enable immediate opportunities to create, share, and exchange ideas in virtual communities as well as to instantaneously gain a global awareness of art and network of artists.

RODRÍGUEZ CALERO (website) is the subject of a two-decade survey highlighting her signature acrollage and fotacrolé technique. The exhibition, re:tratos urbanos (urban portraits), is now on view at New York University’s Gallery Space at Wagner and continues through June 23, 2023.