Lady of Life and Death

I'm so pleased to post photos of a new brooch I completed for an upcoming exhibition at Equinox Gallery, where my good friend and ECU metals MFA alumni, Laura Wood works at.

Lady of Life and Death brooch, 2011

Chased and repoussed coppper, powder coated copper,

spray paint, plexiglass, hand drawing of Catrina.

(Images not to be reproduced without consent of artist).

Lady of Life and Death brooch, 2011 - sideview.

Up close shot

Back of brooch, the roughness of the back

is in correspondence with death and decay of

what La Catrina represents.

Lady of Life and Death brooch was inspired by my trip to Mexico and the devotion and amusement of Mexicans for the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe and La Catrina (a symbol of death during the celebration of Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead).

Traveling through Mexico there is a church on almost every corner and the Virgin Mary charm or prayer hanging from almost every cab dashboard. When I researched references for my brooch I came upon a quote by Octavio Paz (Mexican thinker, writer and Nobel prize recipient) that had a lasting impression on me "When Mexicans no longer believe in anything, they will hold fast to their belief in two things: the National Lottery and the Virgin of Guadalupe. In this I think they will do well. For both have been known to work, even for those of us who believe in nothing."

I'll be shipping my brooch off soon - here is a brief description of the exhibition and idea behind it:

“The inspiration for La Noche del Broche came from an idea of having one night to commemorate the brooch and its art form in a festive atmosphere where Spanish Music and Dancers would collaborate to create an atmosphere of Celebration!!! Models would be colorful and adorned with brooches celebrating the human spirit. This exhibition is an opportunity for artists to honor and celebrate the art form of the brooch. For this vision to be appropriately achieved, we would need a large collective of brooches each one expressing the multiplicity and individuality of the creative essence. Equinox Gallery serves as a meeting place to showcase Jewelry and metalwork in San Antonio. Our Mission is to exhibit and educate the community by providing a Platform for the diversity in the field of Metalsmithing.” -Alejandro Sifuentes

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Mexico Post part 3

My posts about my Mexico trip are still coming in, there was so much beautiful and rich art to drink in - I couldn't help take photos of everything!

The second day Laritza and I were in Mexico we visited several museums, one of them had a very extensive exhibit on the history of Mexican art, from all mediums - textiles, clay, metalwork, sculptural and murals. The artwork spanned decades of traditional mexican art, such as masks (the ones you see here), murals, ceramic wear, textiles, jewelry - much of the work is around the fascinating and evolving religion. I've always been drawn to how humans and cultures manifest their belief system in art work - essentially cultural anthropology (my first degree).

The mixture of indigenous groups, such as Mayans with Spanish and European influences is so visually appealing. My main love affair is with the intense love affair with the Dead and spirit world. I could go on and on but here I will allow the photos to explain themselves.

Enjoy - and have a great weekend!

A ceramic Catrina doll. Craft is ridiculous!

Virgin Mary Catrina.

beautiful, the hand has such a morbid but cool aesthetic.

Mermaid skeleton - love it!

Lil' old Abuelita (Grandma)
dead and still smoking - kinda like the secretary in Beetlejuice!

Flying devil/trickster.
The interpretation of nighmares and evil spirits into
the devil and his faeries - not so uncommon around the world.

My brother would love these masks (he collects them).

Laritza absorbing this beautifully painted mural.

Gorgeously repoussed silver crown and cups.

These pendants remind me of replicas my Abuelita has.

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Old world Mexican jewelry

The first full day Laritza Garcia and I had in Mexico we spent most of the day visiting museums, the Franz Mayer museum and the National Art Museum, where we saw the old world jewelry below.

It's quite detailed and beautiful. During my entire trip through Mexico all I could think was - how the artists were able to craft such amazing pieces out of very basic yet multi-use tools whereas nowadays we have tools for very basic things...we are so spoiled!

I apologize I don't have names/dates for the jewelry, there was so much to drink in but I hope you like what you see as much as I did!

Thanks for visiting.





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David Huang bowls

Luminous Relic 724

Sensual Radiance 866

Whorled Flow 877-2

Whorled Flow 877-4

I was recently browsing new work on Crafthaus and spied a new bowl from David Huang. His chasing and repoussee work is amazing. He creates entrancing swirls on his bowls and then applies gold leaf on the inside as well as gorgeous patinas, like the blue/green one above.

As I've worked on my copper vessel, I'm becoming aware of how the metal moves and behaves according to the type of hammer I use and how I want to manipulate it. Looking at David's work, I'm challenged to stick with this new technique and not be tempted to give up when I'm frustrated.

Hope you enjoy his work as much as I do - and thank you for reading!
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