COMMENTARY

"It is simply impossible to remain indifferent to Noemia’s work.

You don’t need a Ph.D. in Fine Arts to be invaded by an undefinable wave of feelings and emotions upon contemplating her work. As she says, her work speaks by itself. We can only try to hold our mouths, which keep on opening, and especially the eyes, which insist in fixing themselves in the wonder of those pieces, and sometimes get mysteriously wet.

“They are only mere vases,” you try to convince yourself, pretending to ignore the careful finish, the refined painting, the incrusted precious materials, the perfect harmony of shapes and colors. But it’s no use. That woman with simple and delicate manners, who explains softly and without any affectation how she conceived and executed each of her works, doesn’t seem to have that much power. But she has. The power of inducing whoever throws a glance into those “mere vases” into a state of pure enchantment and aesthetic ecstasy. If this isn’t art in its purest form, what else could it be then?

So, don’t resist. And don’t try to “understand” or “explain” Noemia’s work, either. She already does it in this book, and there is no mystery at all. We are left only to surrender to its strength and beauty, and nosedive into that ocean of delight, as if we heard an irresistible summons to throw ourselves to the waves. Or do you think it’s by chance that one of Noemia’s series of works is called Mermaids? Noemia knows what she does, though she may not know what she provokes.

Congratulations. You have just been admitted into the growing club of admirers of Noemia and her works. There are no membership fees or obligations; welcome, and enjoy your stay. As if it were possible not to enjoy it..".  

Goytá F. Villela Jr, Ph.D., M.D. April 2000. SP/ Brazil 

(Comment for "Nymphs of Time" Catalog)

"I am delighted to provide this letter of personal reference for Noemia. I do so with great enthusiasm.  

I have known Ms. Felipe as a fellow artist and student in a number of classes, workshops and currently in the Masters Studio Program at the Boca Raton Museum Art School.

Noemia Alonso Felipe is an artist’s artist.  Hers is a commitment that she has demonstrated over many years. Whether her creations are made of clay, bronze, porcelain, wood or a combination of painting and sculpture, Noemia is always digging a little deeper, looking at her subject with a fresh eye and testing out new materials and patinas.  Saying that she is an artist’s artist is another way of saying that her strong determination to work through the possibilities of new materials—sometimes organic at other times totally unexpected--and new perspectives attract and challenge her fellow students to consider doing the same.  At times, Noemia may be quietly going about building a new work from wood, metal and clay.  She’ll wheel or carry in several big pieces and after consulting sketches that she has been working on, she starts moving into the actual work.  Noemia doesn’t do this with loud declarations or great flourishes.  Instead, her fellow artists are drawn to understand what she is up to because they know that her creative push will go well beyond herself and will energize them to engage in their own new directions which they might not have otherwise considered.  It is Noemia’s determination and persistence combined with her love of learning that creates such a strong impact on her colleagues.  Not only is her creative output always something of great interest with wonderful, imaginative mystery and beauty, but her very creative process enlivens other artists working nearby.  We simply can’t resist trying to figure out what Noemia is about and how she thought about taking the route she is on.  Noemia, for her part, is extremely generous in offering her time to explain her artistic process and even to provide some possible alternatives. 

These various qualities-- determination, persistence, a strong understanding of art history, especially of figurative sculpture, a continuous artistic output and a thrust always to see how to produce even more powerful works-- mean that Noemia is always searching and researching for ways to improve and grow.   In the process, Ms. Felipe provides significant leadership to her fellow students and she does so in a quiet, very humble manner.   As one example, let me cite the work that Noemia did in trying to find the best quality foundry in the region.  Her research led to the discovery of a high quality foundry that recently moved to the South Florida area.  Once Noemia identified the wonderful resource, she shared the information with her schoolmates and organized a visit to the foundry in Miami.    It is interesting to note that in addition to students already engaged in sculpting, even some who hadn’t been sculpting went on the exploratory excursion and are considering sculpting possibilities."

Alfred J DiMaio, Ph.D.   January 2014. FL/USA