Photo By Airman William Tracy | Capt. Ramon Rosario, executive officer with the 4th Space Operations Squadron, smiles...... read more read more
Leaning over a table with a sanding mask on, Capt. Ramon Rosario, executive officer with the 4th Space Operations Squadron, smooths the edges of a coaster with a cornucopia of fruits laid out in front of him like a Thanksgiving dinner.
“Strawberries are the hardest to dry the way you want them,” he says through his mask, eyes fixated on the coaster. “They retain too much moisture and are hard to shape the right way.”
One may ask what strawberries and coasters have in common – for Rosario the question is what more can he do with both to make art.
An executive officer by day, at home, Rosario finds time to engage in his passion – using dried fruits as artistic centerpieces for his own creations, a self-described chef whose creations span from coasters to earrings, necklaces, tie pins and lampshades.
“I enjoy everything about the process,” he said. “From the idea to the final result.”
Rosario said his passion arose from his love of food and eye for artistic interpretation.
“I love experimenting in a big kitchen,” he said. “One day, I was candying oranges and when I finished, I thought the oranges looked absolutely stunning in contrast to the bright white color of the serving plate. It was then I thought ‘I could do something with this.”’
Rosario soon graduated from small citrus fruits to larger, more ambitious projects.
“It was a lot of trial and error, but I just kept going,” he said.
His process begins at the grocery store, where he hand selects fruits he feels would be optimal for his creations.
Once home, Rosario cuts the fruits, often in thin slices, dries then lays them out as he prepares an adhesive residue – a delicate process which involves mixing an exact half-and-half mixture of various components within a limited window of time before the thermal residue overheats.
For most of his creations, once the adhesive resin is prepared, he dips the dried fruit into it, coating it in a preservative which helps retain the fruits color while giving it a gleam, or glace – the name Rosario associates with this effect, French for “to glaze or freeze.”
The end result is a preserved dried fruit Rosario uses for whatever artistic purpose he desires. He said the overall process requires attention to detail, focus and discipline – traits he credits to the values he has learned serving in the Air Force.
“Joining the Air Force has significantly helped guide my unstructured side,” he said. “Everything I learned in the Air Force applies to my craft.”
Second Lieutenant Alexandra Mangueira, satellite engineer with 4th SOPS, who has known Rosario for more than two years, said she was intrigued when she learned of his hobby, but was not surprised given his individualistic personality and work ethic.
“He is definitely very unique, loyal and reliable,” she said. “You can tell the work he does here at 4th SOPS reflects in his craftsmanship – it’s detail oriented and organized.”
While Rosario said his art is a reflection of his work with 4th SOPS and his service in general, he added engaging in a personal passion away from the workplace helps him become a better Airman.
“This helps round myself out,” he said. “I come home after a long day at work pushing papers, going to and scheduling meetings, and I come back to this and it puts me at peace, clearing my mind for the next day.”
He encourages Airmen to find time to engage in their own passions outside of their work life in order to build their resiliency and contribute to Comprehensive Airman Fitness.
“You need something like this, as we often get all caught up in the day to day work and it helps to have a hobby you love,” he said. “Finding time to pursue your own hobby as well as recognizing and learning the hobbies of others feeds back into your or his/hers work and benefits the mission.”
Mangueira said she looks forward to seeing where his talent will lead.
“He’s an individual,” she said. “But it’s people like him who help contribute to the Air Force. While we each serve under the same core values, it is our diversity which gives us strength.”
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2018 12:03 |
| Story ID: | 293529 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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