For the past 2 weeks, my roommate and I visited a Fallas factory where artists work year round in creating the caracatures for the Fallas festival. These immensely large paper-mache statues of different sizes and colors are displayed in the streets of Valencia during the 2 weeks of festivity in March. At the end of the celebration, over thousands of these large monuments are burned to crisp. Crazy yes, but feo no. Valencians wait the year for these 2 weeks of an explosion of culture, fireworks, mazcletas, people dress in folk outfits and lots and lots of paella.
Paco is ones of the many hundred fallas creators and artists. They simply start with an idea and then turn it into a three- dimensional creation sometimes larger than buildings. A sketch turns into a paper mache model, coated with gesso, sanded down, and then painted with bright colors that leave your mouth open wide and your eyes left in amazement. Paco, however, is not the only man of the hour. Santa's little helpers have just as much importance of the process in creating a Fallas creation. With the help of Ramon, Miguel, Javi and many more, he manages to make over hundreds of littte ninots year round that are then all then worked into a cohesive whole installed into the main streets in and out of the city of Valencia.
Paco is most certainly a visual genius. His creations are a cross of live cartoons painted with finery. It boggles my r that on the 19th of March, every thing he worked on all year will be burned. Ay caray!
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