Author Spotlight - Markéta Loman Vogelová
Markéta Loman Vogelová was born in Prague where she studied at The Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design and graduated with her Master’s degree in 2006. Her thesis was a pictorial book entitled Wanderings. It was done in a hand-woven textile technique known as “ikat.” Her work was best described as a warp painted on a 12m-long textile scroll, a technique used because it best described her vision of the antique Book of the Torah. This amazing work was exhibited with large oil paintings of the Israeli and Sinai desert landscapes that she also painted.
Her book Metamorfosis is a beautifully illustrated English and Spanish bilingual children‘s book, originally created as an art school project in the year 2003-04 while she was at the Academy of Arts. In 2006 the illustrations were exhibited in a small gallery in Prague. They then spent several years asleep in their very own “cocoon” drawer. The pictures were done, the idea that she wanted to tell was clear, but missing was a good text. Thanks to the encouragement of Marketa’s good friends, the project was converted into a book. As neither of the languages used is her native Czech, she enlisted good friend Robyn Erika Imel to provide the English text, while her husband, Lucio Loman Ramos, helped with the Spanish translation. Thanks to both, the book became a reality.
The story, partly educational and partly playful, shows the transformation of an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. This book simply wants to say, “Hey children, don’t step on that strange, odd caterpillar! Each of these small creatures has its own life story, passing through many dangerous situations until it gets its wings and is transformed into a wonderful butterfly!!!”
In 2011, Markéta said goodbye to her old life in Prague and followed her Mexican husband to the Yucatán peninsula. At first, she dedicated most of her time to studying Spanish but then began teaching Frame Loom Weaving classes and Linocuts Block Printing classes. As much as she loves producing her work, she loves to teach others how to produce their own pieces of art.
Her first pictorial project in Mérida was presented in 2015. The theme of this solo exhibition, “The Voice of Water” shown at Galería La Eskalera, was that of water. One part of the exhibit was watercolors made illustrating different Yucatecan cenotes (mostly done while her husband, a marine biologist and diving instructor, was diving there with his students) and another part was a collection of oil paintings. This collection was exhibited in Prague in 2022 and is going to be exhibited again this year.
Another important project started with an illustration contest of the myths and legends of the North American tribe of the Shoshones. The editor decided not to continue with it but Markéta was already involved and made a collection of mixed media illustrations, which was presented in 2016 at MEL and at Galería Tapanco. Later she decided to convert all the illustrations to linocuts, which were exhibited in El Zapote Gallery as “Mitos Grabados en el Cielo” (2018). This project is still waiting to be converted into a book. She just needs to find the original North American native myths and legends texts!
Metamorfosis is part of the library’s permanent lending collection and available for purchase at Between The Lines bookstore.
