Of the 20 or so artists that joined me in Mexico, some have a direction or plan when it comes to building their projects, some haven't a clue and bring items to tinker with and then there are those that buy items on the street and work with them, happy to have something that comes from the destination. I fell into the group that knew 1 item I would build and had no idea on the second. With clay drying time and paint drying time, I always want to have at least 2 items going at once. There was also a little problem with shipping items and suitcase weight, which prompted me to pre-drill everything I could, there were no plans on bringing a drill in my suitcase, the Dremel, paint, clay and brushes was going to have to do.
The stop in Mexico City was an add on, for those that wanted to really immerse themselves in famous art and artists of that place. We visited the murals of Deigo and went to Frida Khalo's blue house or Casa Azul. This was a real highlight for me and I was impressed with that and everything that happened in one of the biggest cities in the world. Frida Khalo was severely handicapped in an accident that involved a street car when she was in her late teens. She was bedridden for a large part of those early years, eventually moved to a wheel chair, but never recovered fully from the injury and wore a back brace. This began her painting career and there were 2 beds in her house, one of which was a bed with a canopy top and a mirror so that she could look at herself and paint self-portraits. The studio where she worked has been left after her passing, paints, brushes and easel all where she used them.
She kept various animals in the courtyard and also owned the hairless Mexican dogs known as Xoloitzcuintli or Xolo dogs. We saw a few from time to time, better in a tropical place with their lack of fur.
Once in Oaxaca the art tours continued and we visited artists that made alebrijes or the very ornate animals.
Clay Catrinas are another common form of art, the lady skeleton for Day of the Dead.
As our projects began I put together my piece just as I had planned, a skeleton form with a child inside. It had not made complete sense when I left but it became very clear once there, or at least the idea percolated and fit into my surroundings.
These giant paper mache forms have a person inside and they tower over everyone as part of the Day of the Dead parades. Called Los Monos, they often have a skeleton-like face.
On my piece the legs and arms are hinged and swing, the whole piece is on a mount and can be removed. Essentially a Day of the Dead parade participant.
My second piece became a Mexican hairless dog, specifically Frida Khalo's dog with a back brace and red flowers on its head. A little skeleton face too, naturally! Here are some of the other artists work;
This one had a little mask that could come off.
There were many others and we celebrated our accomplishment with local Mescal, a drink that comes from the agave and as old as the conquistadors. Made from any agave plant, not just the 'Weber's Blue' for tequila, it's essentially fermented mash.
Michael deMeng was our instructor and once again delivered a delightful critique leaving us all feeling accomplished.
I am not done with this revisit of my trip and plan on adding at least one more blog to highlight some other art and artists. I hope you have enjoyed it and the "Rise of the Forsaken Toys" workshop.
