It takes Jaime Guerrero three hours to create one of his colorful, glass wrestling masks, though it has taken thirteen years to develop the skills to create them. Glass blowing and sculpting is not an art form that is chosen casually. Listening to Jaime, it sounds as though the fiery and demanding art

form chose him. “I tried a lot of different things, and then I walked into the glass shop one day and fell in love with it,” he says. The glass shop was at the California College of Arts and Crafts, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Today, Jaime lives in Oakland and works at his glass studio in Alameda. He is one of very few Latino glass blowing artists in the Bay Area and one of an even smaller number of artists who makes a living working full time as an artist. He sells his unique glass creations and sculptures through local art galleries and has a core group of collectors who have bought a lot of his work over the years. It’s the kind of appreciation that has enabled him to continue working as an artist.

Like most art, Jaime’s work is both commentary and reflection on the artist’s personal world. “My work is influenced by growing up in East Los Angeles and the social issues at the time, such as gang violence,” he says. “I want to inspire young people with art that they can identify with, and maybe get the kids off the street and pursue an art or a talent they may have,” he says passionately. He adds that he wants to pave the way for more young Latino artists just as the older ones inspired him.

Jaime’s current exhibit at the Mexican consulate in San Francisco includes his glass wrestling masks and ancient Aztec mask sculptures, which represents his focus on icons, both modern and ancient. He is focused on the contrast of the ancient and modern. “The mask is popular today and it was popular then,” he says. “It was used for ritual and worship then, and today it’s more for entertainment - it was spiritual then and now it’s commercial. It’s about having an appreciation of culture and an understanding of how the past influences the present,” he adds.

Ultimately, Jaime leaves it to other people to define the cultural meaning of his work. “I present my work and leave it to them to interpret on their own,” he says. “I want to give people a reference and they can have their own association with my work – serious or comical,” he concludes.

Jaime’s work is currently on exhibit at the Mexican consulate in San Francisco, 532 Folsom St. 415-354-1721. His next show opens at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana or MACLA (www.maclaarte.org) in San Jose on Sept. 5. See more of Jaime’s work at ww.guerreroglass.com.