I still distinctly remember being five years old watching my uncle and my dad making sculptures out of metal and cement while I played in my uncle’s shop on the Southeast side of  San Antonio. They made deer and trees and every manner of nature seem to come alive out of nothing. I came to learn this type of art was called “Trabajo Rustico”. This started a passion in me for all forms of art, with reinforced concrete “Faux Bois” sculpting being my main focus. Fourteen years ago I followed my roots and began working with my family on many residential and public art projects in and around south-central Texas. I began my studio Mas Rustico to continue a family tradition of public art and to follow my own vision. As a fourth generation Trabajo Rustico Artisan, I am driven by the artists and fabricators who came before me. I love collaborating and I am super inspired by all of the amazing current artists working today in multiple forms of media. Art speaks to all types of people and places, and it’s always been my dream to be a part of that. I’ve been fortunate in my life to travel extensively all over our globe and live and work side by side with amazing individuals from a myriad of cultures. I am so grateful for the way these experiences have enhanced my personal growth, as well as contributing to my body of work. I continue to be in awe of and inspired by nature and its constant ability to show us the beauty and diversity of Life, Death, and everything in Between.

The distinguishing factor of North American trabajo rústico—as pioneered by Rodriguez—is the finish coat. The historic French work is a sanded mortar aggregate that limits the amount of detail. Rodriguez’s version utilizes Portland cement and water, without any aggregate, and is very difficult to master. He mixed a secret recipe of water and chemicals to produce the realistic finish. Extremely protective of his formula, the artist broke empty containers of the solution so that no one could retrieve enough of the liquid for analysis. He did, however, share enough of his secrets with assistants like Maximo Cortés. The senior Cortés had learned his craft from Rodriguez, who had brought his highly secretive technique from Mexico to Texas in the 1920s (and would eventually marry into the Cortés family). Maximo specialized in ornamental concrete and artificial stone work around San Antonio. Cortés and Rodriguez worked together on many structures throughout San Antonio, including bridges and palapas in Brackenridge Park. My grandfather Julius Tober, father-in-law of Maximo Cortés accompanied Dionisio to work on projects in Little Rock, Memphis, Birmingham, and Detroit and served as an interpreter. He preferred tying the rebar frames, attaching the metal lath, and infilling the form with cement and rubble in preparation for the finish work.