Gene and Sue Flores Studio Visit

As we climbed out of the bus to visit Gene and Sue Flores’ studio the first thing you notice about their yard is the flat metal bench and the tall sculpture that resembles a very small tower. They’re just a few examples of their work. Their dog is eager to meet us as the Flores bring us to their studio.

The small door is deceptive. You step out into a large room that has walls lined with sheets of metal, tubing, tanks, torches, an old phone and other equipment. A couple of tables are in the center with a few metal scraps left from projects. Opera music plays in the background and you can imagine Gene working away happily as Rodolfo belts his notes. They show us this room briefly before they take us to a second, smaller room with some more of their work.

Here they have some examples of their 100 landscapes project. Roughly cut squares and rectangles of metal line the walls and as you look closer you notice the hinges. Gene and Sue encourage us to touch their work and move the hinges. You quickly realize they’re more like books. The back side is just as much a piece of art as the front. Each piece is entirely different from the last. Most have hinges, but a few don’t, having intricate engravings instead.

Their work has a feel of the Earth. Gene says he has a river running through all his pieces. Perhaps it comes from the fact he was born in near the Rio Grand on the US border. He says one day the river changed course after a large storm and his family was Americans.

Gene went on to study architecture and engineering. He didn’t like the idea of people changing his designs once he was done. One of his teachers liked metal working and sculpture, and suggested he try it. He instantly fell in love.

Now Gene lets Sue do most of the designing, while he figures out how to put the sculptures together. Sue does mostly furniture, and a chair and table stand near the door to their 100 landscapes room.

Gene leads us through another room filled with metal and wood to show us more of the collection. They get their inspiration from the desert, another part of Gene’s upbringing. Here he shows us his giant work of rusted metal. The rich golden color of the rust and the sheer size puts you in awe. But it’s the single dark line that runs along it that keeps you interested. “I got the idea when I scribbled a line on a napkin,” Gene tells us.

Sue is eager to give young artists some advice. “Experimentation when you’re young is great. But don’t become an artist unless you have a passion.” The Flores have certainly found their passion together.