Descripción
Como rivales de los juguetes industriales, se preservan los que se elaboran en madera por manos artesanas. Son duraderos, atractivos y aptos para niños y también para adultos que los adquieren por ser productos de calidad muy atractivos para configurar una colección.
Mario Calderón, uno de los artesanos de Venezuela dedicado al ramo de los juguetes de madera, ha montado, en la ciudad de Mérida, un Museo con el nombre de “Juguetes del Pilar”, donde conserva con esmero gran parte de sus creaciones.
A Mario lo antecedieron en la afición por los juguetes, varios personajes de la vida nacional como el poeta Aquiles Nazoa y el famoso pintor Armando Reverón, quienes fabricaban muñecas de trapo con las cuales entablaban largas conversaciones. Tampoco debe olvidarse Freddy Reina, el mayor ejecutante del instrumento de cuerdas denominado “Cuatro” quien, además, era Titiritero y coleccionista de juguetes.
Se vio atrapado Don Mario por los juguetes de madera, a tal punto, que abandonó los estudios de medicina y su afición por la música, para dar inicio a un taller dedicado a fabricar manualmente juguetes de tradición en Venezuela como también de otros países del mundo.
Este famoso juguetero se vale de sencillas herramientas manuales como caladoras y lijadoras para transformar en objetos animados las maderas blandas de cedro, pino y saqui-saqui (“Pachira quinata”).
Mario Calderón describe su proceso de elaboración de la siguiente manera:
«After thinking or imagining a piece, I make a drawing that allows me to develop the movement and the mechanism that will make it work. Then I make the mold, breaking down the drawing already made. Using the pieces of the mold, I draw on the wood. Once they are drawn, they are put through a belt sander, and then sanded by hand with coarse sandpaper, rounding the edges. Sealant is applied to protect the wood and then removed with fine sandpaper. The pieces are painted with water-based acrylic paint and They are covered with a water-based varnish. The final piece is assembled and given the desired movement.”
English
wooden toysIn Venezuela, toys made of wood by artisan hands are preserved. They are durable, attractive and suitable for children and also for adults who buy them because they are very attractive quality products to make up a collection.
Mario Calderón, one of the artisans dedicated to wooden toys, has set up a museum in the city of Mérida called «Juguetes del Pilar», where he carefully preserves a large part of his creations. He was preceded in his love of toys by several national figures such as the poet Aquiles Nazoa and the famous painter Armando Reverón, who made rag dolls with which they engaged in long conversations; without forgetting Freddy Reina, the greatest player of the stringed instrument called «Cuatro», who was also a puppeteer and collector of toys was so fascinated by wooden toys that he abandoned his medical studies and his love of music to start a workshop dedicated to handcrafting traditional toys from Venezuela and other countries around the world. This famous toy maker uses simple hand tools such as jigsaws and sanders to transform the softwoods of cedar, pine and «saqui-saqui» (Pachira quinata) into animated objects.
Mario Calderón describes his process of elaboration as follows:
«After thinking or imagining a piece, I make a drawing that allows me to develop the movement and the mechanism that will make it work. Then he made the mold by breaking down the drawing already made. Using the pieces from the mold, he draws on the wood. Once the molds have been drawn, they are put through a belt sander and then sanded by hand with coarse sandpaper, rounding the edges. Sealer is applied to protect the wood and then removed with fine sandpaper. The pieces are painted with water-based acrylic paint and covered with varnish. The final piece is then assembled and given the desired movement».
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