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Traslation: Pedro Fco. Ramirez
In
June of this year, thirty five years
ago, I was born in the spanish city
of Madrid. My name is Pedro
Francisco ramírez Mateo, although
many know me for the nickname of
Perico.
I
always coordinated my studies, from
the school, until the Law Faculty
and later Oppositions to the
Inspectors of the Property Corps,
with the miniatures, and today I
still have always time to distribute
it among the preparation of the
Oppositions (yes, I am an eternal
opponent) and my job of Lawyer.
Many times I have wondered what it
is what took me, to the nine
year-old age, to notice those toys
so curious that they reproduced with
great detail the airplanes and AFV´s
and it should be mounted and colored
to be able to play with them. The
case is that, without necessity of
insisting too much, my father bought
me a Fokker Dr I of Revell at 1/72
and that was the beginning of a "
virus " that already takes me
affecting for 25 years. Still memory
with a lot of detail the long
afternoons after the school mounting
and painting scale models under my
progenitor's attentive look, to
which should, among other many
things the education in the
patience, the meticulousness and the
inclination to try to make the
things in the best possible way.
The years pass this way until, in
search of other Dr. 1 of Revell, and
this time in 1/28 scale (a dream for
me in that time), I went to a store
located in the neighborhood of
Argüelles in Madrid, Hobbys Vicente,
cult place where many modellers of
Madrid has spent whole afternoons
that fructified in having remembered
anecdotes and not only about
modelling. There I met Tamiya and
the figures to 1/35, and the most
important thing, I began to be
related with other modellers, almost
always older than me that didn't
doubt in giving you the best advice
to advance in your works. Still
memory with special affection to
Joaquín G. García, one of the best
AFV modeller that have known and
with the one that I shared the most
uneven and amusing trip to
Folkestone of my life.
Always thanks to the other ones, one
goes advancing step by step, and
after a time I went aboard in the
making of what would suppose my
first reward in a Competition. A
Diorama of transformed figures and
AFV´s of Tamiya that it gave me the
enormous satisfaction of achieving a
Bronze in their category in the
missed Contest of Hobbys Vicente.
Starting from there I began to begin
friendship with the group of
modellers that lent their
collaboration in the organization of
the event, among them, Santiago
Sánchez and Mario Ocaña, friendships
that I conserve to today's day. At
the little time, certain day, there
for 1992,Vicente Pérez, the
proprietor of Hobbys Vicente, after
seeing some works that I had make in
plasticard, introduced me to Ricardo
Ahís (a strong hug for him), owner
of Nimix that I would take charge,
trusting my gifts fully, the
construction of an original at 1/35,
the Patriot, very in fashion then
for the first war of the Gulf. This
was the first step to go entering of
full in the realization of
responsibilities for this mark and
other, as well as for matters. And
more or less in this point it is
when I discover the miniatures in
metal, in short a Legionary of
Andrea of 54 mm that dazzled me as
for details and foundry finish. It
was more expensive than the Tamiya
yes, but after saving a little I
bought it and I painted it following
the advice that another master, Luis
Gómez Platón, came us offering in
"Técnicas de Modelismo y Dioramas".
Quite happy with the result, I
decided to participate in another
Competition, the Hobbys Lojume´s ,
getting a Bronze in figures, and
beginning a long career in the
decoration of this type of
miniatures. As so many times, again
crosses in my road another master,
David Mencia that would give me some
unpayable advice in the courses that
were imparted in Miniatures Beneito
(infinite thanks to that great lady
that is Marga), and that they
generated more in an evolution in my
style and the attainment of my first
medal of gold in figures in the last
Competition that Hobbys Vicente
celebrated.
In
1994 I go to Folkestone with Ricardo
Ahís and Joaquín G. García, being
not only amazed of the works that
were exposed but of the atmosphere
that was breathed there. In this
place I could appreciate live the
pieces of Hill Horan, Derek Hansen
and Stefan Muller Herdemertens and
those of those already famous
Spanish painters as Jesús Gamarra,
Miguel Felipe Carrascal or Rodrigo
Hernández Chacón. I could also meet
the first works of a lad that then
would give a lot that to speak: Raúl
García Latorre, and I shared beers
with Eduardo López Munuera and
Victor Castillo. Although I didn't
obtain prize some in figures, I took
myself a Highly Commended in
military vehicles that it
constituted an entire source of
happiness during the trip.
Toward 1995 I finish my career of
Law, and before going to the army, I
go to a new store of miniatures, in
answer of an announcement looking
for painters. "El Taller del Hobby"
was called, governed by a gentleman
called Salvador Ortega, one of
people that more helped me in this
world and that almost it is as an
older brother for me. In this
sacrosanct place of the modelism I
know José Luis Muñoz who perfected
my style among rhythms of Scottish
bagpipes, and twomodellers of those
that are part of my group of
friends: Darío Ruiz Gallardo and
José Alberto Fuentes.
From then on, my painting evolves,
masters like Jesus Gamarra, Pepe
Gallardo, and, mainly, José
Hernández Sánchez, makes me see new
ways in the decoration of figures,
and they help me to perfect my
painting style. Product of this long
evolution goes being the different
prizes achieved in León Rampante,
Torrent, Girona, Plasencia, Almería,
Premios Ejército and some more than
smaller importance.
The culmination to all this ended up
in my election like judge of Leon
Rampante second edition, and gave
place to the difficult and hard task
of being judge of the works of the
other ones, and after exercising
this work in several competitions, I
was surprised pleasurably with my
appointment like Judge for the World
Expo of Girona in 2008.
I
can´t offer many advices on this
small art that has not already been
said. For me it is an inexhaustible
source of satisfactions and of
personal development. What didn't
come to be in principle more than a
homemade and solitary hobby, was
becoming between to know decisive
friendships in my life. I sometimes
miss since sometimes the character
of mere entertainment that has this
hobby, and gives me the impression
that becomes vehicle to achieve some
type of fame in form of medals or
several treats, what takes to
degrade the personal relationships
in such a small community as ours.
It is obvious that we like to all
that are recognized a good work,
but, in fact, it is the own
satisfaction in each work what
should make us evolve, and not the
number of medals that we go
obtaining. In the bottom, these are
not more than subjective
appreciations, certainly endowed
with rigor, but clerks of variable
parameters of a subject to another.
"Enjoys your work and it impregnates
of that enjoyment your works",
somebody told it to me this way and
I believe that it took reason.
Regarding my " technique ", I don't
believe that it differs in much of
those of the rest of painters. I
appreciate as essential a good
paintbrush, like Da Vinci, Renfert
or Escoda Tajmir, never smaller than
1. Lately I also use the "humid
palette" that allows to maintain
fresh more time the painting and to
facilitate the retouches. I am more
of shades that of lights, because
according to my experience the first
ones define and they endow of
character your work more than the
second. As for the light, I use two
lamps with light of 6400º K (White
light), made by Raytown and,
regarding the paintings, use
indistinctly Vallejo, Andrea and
Citadel for the figures, and
Humbrol, Tamiya, Gunze Sangyo and
oils for terrain and scenarios. My
favorite scales are the 54 mm and
the 70 mm, and positions to choose
periods that get me the attention to
paint, I decant for the napoleónico
and, mainly, the two world wars. If
I have to listen music, I mix the
classic (Wagner, Rossini,
Beethoven…) with more modern rhythms
(Fat Boy Slim, Prodigy, Freak Power,
US3, The doors and melodies of 50´s
60´s).
And, arrived to this point, I don't
have left more than to refer to my
favorite artists. Of our countrymen,
and without preference order, I
admire Luis especially Gómez Platón,
many modellers master, besides
excellent painter, to Mario Ocaña,
for the same thing that the previous
one, to José Hernández Sánchez for
their exquisite cleaning, to Antonio
Zapatero that every time reaches
better bench marks in modeling, to
Pepe Gallardo for its treatment so
subtle of the contrasts, to Raúl
García Latorre to be so complete, to
Jaume Ortíz for those finest
camouflages, to Luis Esteban for its
precise touches, to Juan C. Avila
for its binomials modeling-painting,
to Jesus Gamarra for its intricate
decorations and to Rodrigo Henández
Chacón for the precise and fearless
treatment of its figures. To all
them one the later batch of artists
like Darío Gallant Ruiz that cheers
up already to model, to J. Alberto
Fuentes (mister busts), to Javier
García, to Samuel Pérez, to Jordi
Escarré, to Alfonso Prado, to the
Gros Brothers, to Diego J. Jiménez
Molina, Javier Garro, Román Navarro,
Xavier Ruiz, Daniel Serrano, Roberto
Ramírez, César de la Peña, José
Palomares, Iñigo Rodríguez
Carballeira and some more than sure
I leave myself in the inkwell.
Regarding the international
panorama, I always felt special
predilection for the exquisite one
and realist work of Stefan Müller
Herdemertens, a specialist in German
soldiers of the Second World War
that I believe that it has not still
been overcome. Next to him, I like
Bill Horan´s work, Gianfranco
Speranza, Mike Blank, Kostas
Kariotelis, Calvin Tan, the Cannone
Brother´s, Derek Hansen, Mike Good,
Shep Payne, Marijn Van Gils,
Maurizio Bruno, Mariano Numitone,
Diego Ruina and Young B. Song. For
sure I forget some, but it will be
in the mind of all.
I
didn't want to say goodbye without
mentioning to the two meeting groups
to those that I have belonged and
that so good whiles have made me on
Saturdays to spend in the morning.
On one hand, the circle of
denominated Vallecas´s Lunatics for
the owner of the Coffe in which took
place the encounters (such it would
be it that there happened…) . Many
members are good friends like Juan
Antonio, Santiago Sánchez, Mario
Ocaña, Javier, Ricardo Ahís, Darío
Ruiz and my mentor Salvador Ortega.
For other, the one created by our
commandant Hannibal Platón, and
baptized as "The Jo Team",
constituted by the one mentioned
Mister Platón, Alberto Fuentes,
Samuel Pérez, Mario Ocaña and Darío
Ruiz that, although meets any times,
when makes it,is inexhaustible
source of anecdotes.
Surprisingly, in both groups it has
always been present Darío Ruiz,
somebody that I knew thanks to this
world already makes near eleven
years and with who I have shared
many anecdotes in my live, not only
about modelism. Without a doubt
some, is the best example to
illustrate a strong knot of
friendship generated through a form
of enjoying that traditionally
qualified as solitary and of
introverted people.
And he/she didn't want to finish
without offering the humble advice
of somebody that enjoys much all
this. Experience, paint and try to
go modeling something, to dare with
that seems you impossible. Many
tasks are presented much more
complex of that that in fact are. If
you are valiant, you will evolve. In
my case, I can say that, thanks to
it, with more or smaller fortune, I
have been able to carry out scracht
of military vehicles, scenarios, to
model some figure and to paint it
honestly.
"Gentlemen, it has
been time to adorn our head with the
helmet of the Capeto"
Lieutenant Hervé of
Fallerange
Album
Pedro Fco. Ramirez
Galeria Pedro Fco. Ramirez
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