By Wendy Fregozo
I always observed the support Sarimar received from her parents, before even meeting her. She went to the same school as my daughters, and both her parents were always present at each of her events.
Later, I signed up for a sculpture workshop led by Roberto Ledesma and was surprised to see there, among the adults, Sarimar had also signed up for the course. Not only that, sometimes she shamed us with her ability in taking on tasks; always happy and applied. She was in her element.
Recently, at the Mermaid’s Market, she was my stall neighbor. She was right next to me with her wares. In fact, I wanted to finish setting up my things quickly in order to admire her work. Each piece was charming and very different from anything I’ve seen, and even more merit in having been done by a 14 year old girl.
So I couldn’t let the opportunity slip by to speak with her. Between one laugh and another (she couldn’t believe I was interviewing her), she explained: “I started participating in the Mermaid’s Market in August of last year. I began during the school break as I didn’t have anything to do; there were small rocks, I saw ideas online, and that’s how I started. I watched a video of a man who created cactus with rocks and I decided I could change it, that I could do them more in my own style, more colorful, and more creative.
“In your own style?” I ask.
“Yes, I see how people like many colors on things.”
“Yes, I really like to combine colors, designs, etc.”
Sarimar is currently in her second year at the No. 37 jr. high school. The artistic work she does is a hobby for her, “when I’m done with homework.” Sarimar stands out in being a student with good grades; the support of her parents Priscila Moreno and Juan Enrique Martínez have a lot to do with this.
The small yet colorful business of Sarimar is called “Fantasy Garden.”
“Where did you get that name?”
“Well, from my imagination,” she responds, (just like where she gets the ideas for all the curious work she creates).
She goes on, “I was undecided between Rock Garden and Fantasy Garden; I went with Fantasy Garden because I do everything, flowers, animals, …it’s fantastic!”
Currently Sarimar sells her art at the Mermaid’s Market every first and third Saturday of the month.
“Do you sell anywhere else?”
“For now, just here,” she says.
“Do you think about offering your work to someone or selling it elsewhere in the future?”
“We’re looking into that, in fact, as to whether we set up a shop or see where it may be appropriate”.
Sarimar not only works with stones that she picks up wherever she goes, but also recycles and makes beautiful magnets in the form of flowers and butterflies to adorn the refrigerator, along with adorable pots made out of plastic bottle lids (soda, juice, water, etc). The way things look, it appears she’s continuing to come up with ideas.
“Is this just the beginning?”
“Yessssss!” she bursts before I finish asking the question.
If you’d like to see Sarimar’s work, find her at upcoming Mermaid’s Markets (March 7th and 21st as well as April 4th and 18th), or contact her directly Sarimar Martínez Moreno 638 107 2001
