Boats figure large in the scheme of recent sculptures by Guillermo Gómez Macías. Born and raised in Guadalajara, he often comes to the coast, which he views in his own way. He comments, “Although I live in Guadalajara, it’s in Puerto Vallarta that I really feel alive.”

Gómez honors the ability to navigate in life despite hardships or happenstance. “We need to appreciate those tiny details in our daily life,” he says, “and not give such great importance to the things we can’t do anything about.” Never lacking in humor, he not only pokes fun at those around him but also at himself. In fact, if there is a secret to his work, it’s that he allows himself to laugh.

The tragedy of chains, of life lived in a cage, of bound hands and feet might be depicted, but with humor. With his sensitive use of bronze, “the most malleable of materials,” he speaks without words. Currently, he is working on a project that will convey his progression as an artist, “to express how a piece actually comes to life in the process of creation.”

With pieces in Puerto Vallarta’s Gallería Dante, Guadalajara, Los Cabos and several destinations in the USA, Gómez works all year on commissions, as well as his new project.

In his own foundry, he follows the production of each piece. His muses, whom he calls Freedom, Hope and Solitude (La Libertad, La Esperanza y La Soledad), surround him in this space.

“When you are fortunate to get the attention of the public, it becomes important what you say. You have a certain responsibility. Your work becomes a testimony to that community.” At 27 years old, he made the decision to dedicate the rest of his life to sculpture, to the creative arts, to finding and speaking a new language. With his hands he follows the process through to the end, finding a way to polish the bronze of his newfound tongue that hopefully will never cease to speak miracles. His current exhibition opens March 5 at Gallería Dante.