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AnaLuz Sainz Rodriguez | Episode 950
AnaLuz Sainz Rodriguez was born in Michoacan in Mexico but now lives in Kalamazoo, MI with her family. AnaLuz has been practicing pottery for 3 years now and is currently an intern at Troy Bungart Studios where she also produces her work.
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What is something that you are currently excited about?
So I was very fortunate to be asked at the end of last year, to be part of this group, Northern Indiana Clay Alliance, with Justin Rothshank and Trevor Daugherty and Norah Amstut. . We just started it at the beginning of this year trying to create a group of potters from around Northern Indiana and Michigan. So I have been so excited to be able to have a group of people that I can go with and talk about pottery with.
Is teaming up like that something that has furthered your making?
Yeah, just being around them has been very motivating to continue doing the work that I really want to do. So just talking with them and seeing the process how they came to be a potter is very motivating.
What is a challenge that you are having to deal with in doing a lot of shows? What is a challenge that you really didn’t expect to face?
Explaining to people what my pieces are for. There’s so many people that will come in and look at one of my pieces and ask, What is that for? I made spoons one year and the first thing that people would ask when they came to my booth is, What’s that for? It’s a spoon. I don’t know. (laughter)
Do you value having a blended cultural identity?
I love it. I think that if I would have kept growing up in Mexico I would not have had as many opportunities as I have now growing up here. So being able to have the beauty of Mexico and the culture of every thing there and bringing it here is amazing.
What kind of respect do you have for your parents that left behind their family and friends and started from scratch in a whole new country?
Yeah, that’s…even me moving an hour away from my parents sounds terrifying to me, so I have no idea how my parents were able to do that. Even raising kids in another country without the support of your parents. Because I feel like one of the things that people see a lot when they have kids is , Oh my gosh my mom will be there for me. It’s okay I will be able to figure anything out. And they didn’t have that.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I think it mainly comes back to nature. Nature as in like pyramids, what’s outside, the trees. I think nature is a big thing come from the Aztecs from where I grew up in Mexico. I think that is probably my biggest inspiration. And as well with my family, the love that they have for me is…I would not be able to do anything I am doing right now without the support of my family and my friends. They are so very supportive. So having them around me is a big inspiration as well.
Book
The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuso
Contact
Instagram: @lightstudiopottery