Victor Bono is as much of an artist as he is an advocate for changing lives. His words are much like his copper work in the fact that they're both subtle yet powerful, both delicate yet strong. He's an artist that takes the same pride in his work as he does his culture and his soft-spoken voice is one that commands the attention that so many demand.
As a former inmate, Victor Bono has held his fair share of classes teaching the art of copper working and his hopes are that it will one day change the lives of others as it did for him. With a current waiting list of six months to get one of his pieces, Victor Bono is one of the best-kept secrets in the world of copper portraiture and plaques. From corner to corner, his pieces even come with copper frames and his attention to detail is unparalleled.
Yet it's the same common love for his Chicano culture and his art that leaves each of his pieces infused with elements of it's illustrious historical timeline. But just as his art has become therapy it also serves as a tool to speak to others both old and young. As a frequent guest speaker to both children and inmates at correctional facilities he's here to share the art, spread the word and pass on the craft that he's mastered.
In what is a very rare interview with an artist that has fallen beneath the radar we talk to coppersmith Victor Bono as he talks about art and the changing effects it's had on his life.
Where did you grow up?
I'm from the Chicano Barrio La Colonia in Watts, California. That's important to me and I go there all the time and never forget my roots.
How did you get introduced to the art of working with copper?
It was during an after-school program in grammar school when a group called the Woodcraft Rangers came in and introduced our class to the art and it's stuck with me since.
You've been into this art for well over 30 years. How has the price of copper changed since you've first started purchasing materials?
It's changed a lot. I used to get a roll of copper for $50 but now that same roll will cost me $380.
How was the transition from drawing on paper to creating art on copper? Was it awkward? Was there a huge learning curve you had to go through?
It wasn't difficult for me and luckily it all came naturally.
What is the most significant part of creating each piece?
It has to be the depth of each piece. What I create is on a single dimensional plane or what starts off as a flat piece of copper so I need to create the right angles and give it the right curvature to create depth and intensity. Things need to pop out and speak.
What is the one characteristic that you feel every artist needs?
To be a successful artist you have to have detail and the ability to create life from each piece. As an artist you have to be able to move people and touch the senses, and when people look at your piece it has to speak to them.
A lot of your pieces have a Chicano theme? What nationality are you?
My father was Sicilian and my mother was Mexican (she was a zoot suiter) but my dad says I looked like the Milk Man. [laughing]. But in all seriousness, I treat my culture with pride. Chicano Mexican culture is all in me and that's all I care about. I want kids to know about the history. I talk to the kids and I would like for the artists that emerge from the introduction to the craft to create something that comes from their art. I want them to express their pride, expose the history and create a reference to their ancestry.