Heart and Feather in Balance by Ondina Aguirre

Sculpture/Vessel

Enameled Ccopper, Found Objects

Sgraffito on enameled copper, assembly with found objects14 x 14 x 6 inches

Mexico's Guadalajara is where I was born. I only spent a brief period studying English in the United States before I became fluent in it. My dad intended to bring me back home to work in the family business when I graduated from high school. He was an independent traveling clothes salesman. Some of his designs include women's military-style gowns and children's uniforms. I decided to stay in the USA.

I had to earn my way and was free to do as I liked. I went to a community college and took classes in interior design, photography, life drawing, ceramics, French, and tennis since they caught my interest. I obtained an Associate of Science and a Certificate in Interior Design after seven years. I took a hiatus and spent nearly a year living in Puerto Vallarta.

I began taking casting and jewelry classes at the Dallas Community College, and I was awarded a small scholarship to study jewelry at the University of Arlington. However, I was more interested in glass blowing, as all the funds went there, and my jewelry professor was concentrating solely on it. At that point, I decided I wanted to pursue a bachelor's degree in metalsmithing. I spent five more years working at the University of Houston to obtain my Bachelor of Arts after this. I'm glad to report that I paid for my education along the way and graduated debt-free.