Working with the Artists

I am such a terrible blogger!  I am so busy with work, then at home I just want to relax.  This post is dedicated to the guests who visited our group on Monday of our trip.  These artists were at the market and came to talk to us about their work and culture.  They even brought special items for us to buy!

The first group that came in was Augustin Cruz Prudencio from Oaxaca, Mexico.   First off, I love wooden sculptures from Oaxaca.  If you know anything about the history for this art technique is passed down from generation to generation.  Augustin brought his brother with him, who worked on carvings while Augustin talked.  Here he is showing how the sculptures start out... as an ugly piece of wood.

In this next photo, Augustin was showing us how they begin the carving.

These are examples of some of the pieces they brought to sell.  Each piece is hand carved and painted with exquisite detail.  The sculptures all had different personalities and style.  They were quite delightful to look at.  You can DEFINITELY tell the difference between real Oaxacan woodcarvings and the imitation stuff (definitely noted).

I REALLY wanted this jackrabbit, but he was on the pricey side (and rightly so).  The contrast of his ears against the black and white of his body was really cool. 

This is the piece I bought.  An owl of course!!!  These pictures were taken when I got home.  Check out the exquisite detail and color of this piece.  My students will love him!

This link is from the International Folk Art Market website.  It goes into detail about his family's work and tradition.  http://www.folkartalliance.org/artist-portfolios/agustin-cruz-prudencio

The next artists to visit were also from Mexico (yay, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE art from Mexico and I REALLY wanted to learn more about indigenous art techniques to introduce to my students!)  The family who visited was also at the market.  The father, son, and daughter all carry on the art tradition of yarn painting.  The 4th generation yarn painter, Cilau Valadez, spoke to us about his family's work.  He wore traditional wear from the village he is from.  Each part of his outfit is hand stitched and has a very specific spiritual meaning.  Cilau's famous father, Mariano Valadez was there and worked on paintings while Cilau talked.  You can find work from the Valadez family in famous museums ALL over the world!  Mariano doesn't speak any English, but Cilau's is almost perfect.  Cilau's mother is an archeologist named Susana Edgar Valadez.  Their family comes from Santiago Ixcuintia, Nayarit, Mexico.  

This was a yarn painting I bought from the Valadez family while they were actually at the market.  Their artwork is truly unreal to see in person.  The yarn paintings are created by applying individual threads into a beeswax background (well that may not be exactly accurate).  Regardless, each piece is unique and has a special story.  Google their name and learn more about their heritage.  It truly is fascinating. 

Cilau's sister did not come to the workshop, but I did get a photo of her holding this painting at the market! 

The next group of artists were known for creating traditional dance masks in Mexico.  Manuel Abeiro Horta Ramos and his brother Modesto Horta Ramos were born into the tradition of creating hand carved masks.  Their interpreter was an American who has been working with their family for many years.  To see these masks in person... wow.  To know that each piece was carved completely out of one piece of wood is mind boggling.  If you could see up close some of the intricately carved detail you would be amazed.  A few parts of the masks were separate pieces, but very few.  The artists brought owl masks to sell (YAAAAAAY!!!!), because they are not considered "authentic," they couldn't be sold at the market.  Score for me!  Of course I beelined over to the owl as soon as we were set loose to look at the pieces.  I figure I could stick with my owl theme and still show my students how owls are created differently in different cultures.  Here are some of the masks that were shown.  Please excuse the blurry photos.  I was trying to take them as the interpreter showed them around the room.

Each masks is a different character and has a different story. 

In sticking with my owl theme, here is a hand carved owl mask!  It couldn't be sold at the market, so I happily took it off their hands.  The little snake comes out of his beak.  The color is incredible.  I will include a pic of the back as well, so you can see the marks from carving.

It was so exciting to meet all of these artists!  I enjoyed hearing their stories, asking them questions, and watching them work.  It truly made me feel in awe of these people who are carrying on traditions from their families and communities.  They are working to help their people, as well as save a dying art.  The humanity of the meanings and creativity behind these works left me without words.