There’s been a lot of talent to come
from the sand of Boca Grande, and
Emil Alzamora and his family are
definitely part of it. Though still a very young
man, Emil has amassed a very large body of
work that is currently on display around the
world. He still has close friends and strong ties
to Boca Grande, though, and expresses his
love through his strong remembrances.
Emil was born in Lima, Peru in 1975 but he
and his family – which included his brother,
Daniel, his mother, Mariana, his stepfather, Art
Favreau, his aunt, Grace, and his grandmother,
Jean – spent a lot of time at their home on
the island and in Majorca, Spain. In both Spain
and Boca Grande the sun and sand play a
huge part in everyone’s lives, and a good part
of Emil’s heart and soul is in the ocean and
the Gulf.
“Boca Grande is such a huge part of
who I am to this day,” he said. “Although
I have been away from the island for
much of my adult life, I am shaped
by its pace, its colors, its culture
and its calm. How do you
describe that if you aren’t
adequately trained in the art
of creative writing? One way
of expressing it is to try to
explain how much I miss the
air, the sand, the birds, the
sea, the community, the long
quiet days of just being.
Maybe that is a part of growing
up and part of a world
free from wireless connectivity?
“I have countless memories of
my childhood there. Playing with
clay in the ceramic studio with my
grandmother Jeanne, riding my bike
with my brother Daniel and my friends
everywhere, bridge jumping or swimming at