Carlomagno was only one of the well-known artists we met on our trip. Like all the others, he was eager to share his work and his pride in his country's art. We visited several families of woodcarvers in La Union Tejalapam one rainy day after exploring the impressive ruins at Monte Alban. These carvings were nothing like the ones seen in tourist shops--they are very strong with expressive faces and staring eyes, colored with brilliant inks. I was delighted to bring home the nativity scene pictured below.
We also met several families of potters near Ocotlan de Morelos and in San Antonino Castillo Velasco. These artists make vivid, interesting figures celebrating their culture. Guillermina and Josefina Aguilar paint their small pieces brightly:
She looks quite calm for someone who's balancing that enormous green pepper on her head. The splotchy white and red vegetaqbles are rabanos, large, inedible radishes that are carved into various images for parades and festivals on December 23.
I came home just in love with all the color. Cannot wait to paint walls and trim in the new house. I think my fiber work may change also, but that will have to wait until I get more settled. For now, I need to pack fabrics into boxes and make some order out of the chaos in my studio. To satisfy the need to make something, I'm putting together teddy bears for the church bazaar. (They're not interested in my real art--they want stuff they can market.)
I'll show photos of some of the weaving in a later post.