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August 2007 Collector's Corner |
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Welcome to my home! Mi casa es su casa! This is the entrance to my house and you are most welcome to enjoy my folk art collection on this visit. I can’t remember when I began collecting Mexican Folk Art, but probably it was in the late 40’s and early 50’s. My first focus was on pots and serving dishes, still a special love. I began collecting figures and other items in the 80’s. My favorite artist was and still is Josefina Aguilar of Ocotlan de Morelos, Oaxaca. I especially love the heavy Zapotec features on all her figures. One of my favorites is this “San Salvador”, 18”H, purchased at El Interior. |
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Over my dining room buffet is a hand carved Mexican mirror that I got from an import warehouse in Dallas in the 60’s. The Mexican style buffet was bought in Austin at about the same time. As an interior designer, I have picked specially mixed colors to compliment my folk art. |
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These Oaxacan clay rabbit musicians were found during various trips to Laredo—they always bring a smile to visitors with their charm and whimsy. |
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The wall of shelves in my living room is devoted to my collection of small figures and multi-figured scenes of Mexican life (juegos). These are also mostly from Oaxaca or the state of Jalisco. My love of greenery and the good lighting in my house enhances all of my treasures. |
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Shown is a small part of my collection of greenware. There are many serving dishes and tableware from Patamban, Michoacan, with classic bird and fish decoration, and I have some additional serving pieces from Santa Maria Aztompa, Oaxaca, I have purchased over the years from various sources. |
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A village scene: the painted church is
from Guerrero, purchased in San Antonio.
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Wonderful and colorful market ladies by Josefina Aguilar, all bought from the artist in her home some 20 years ago by a friend who passed them on to me. The wooden Mexican retablo with St. Francis de Assisi was found in Austin. |
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Colorful painted clay houses and bandstand, all from Jalisco. From left to right, the artists are the late renowned Candelario Medrano, of Santa Cruz de las Huertas, which I purchased in Laredo. The small house, carousel and bandstand are by the Ortega family and I purchased them at the Santa Fe flea market. The last 2 buildings are signed “Y.A.D.R.”, a member of the Medrano/Ortega/Ramos family in Jalisco and purchased in San Antonio and Laredo. |
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These unusual bullfight figures were found in a pharmacia in Nuevo Laredo, unsigned, and I have no idea of the origin. |
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I added Josefina Aguilar’s Virgen del Rosario to this brightly painted crèche I found in San Antonio. The large clay candlestick was bought years ago in Brownsville. |
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Shown is part of my large collection of unusual Mexican pots – on the left, a glazed sun-face pot, found in Austin. On the right is an unglazed swirled rope pot from the small village of Santa Maria Aztompa, which I found in a fruit stand along the highway near Brownsville. |
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I placed this grouping of Josefina Aguilar’s large nativity figures from El Interior on a huipile from Guatemala and a whimsical “Fred Flintstone” rock table by David Marsh. |
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My breakfast table is covered with a cloth from Guatemala and placemats from Nuevo Laredo. The candlesticks are by Veronica Castillo of Izucar de Matamoras in Puebla, purchased in San Antonio on one of my many treasure hunts in that exciting city. |
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A glazed Virgen de Soledad (Our Lady of Sorrows), 15” H, from Santa Maria Atzompa, a village just north of Oaxaca City. It is unsigned but I believe it to be by the talented Porras family. It was purchased in 2006 on trip to Oaxaca at the Mercado de Abastos, the largest Saturday market in Mexico, and one in which my friends and I spent hours looking at pottery and folk art. |
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A very old hand carved wooden church found in a tiny out of the way shop off the beaten track in Oaxaca. I never pass up a shop that might offer folk art possibilities even though from the street it doesn’t seem to have much going for it. You just never know! |
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Purple painted clay church from Guerrero, in center, purchased in San Antonio. I added this bright Virgin of Guadalupe by Josefina Aguilar. The candlesticks are by Veronica Castillo, all purchased in San Antonio. |
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This large market lady, 13” H, by Josefina Aguilar was purchased in a Oaxaca gallery and given to me by a dear friend. |
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This wreath is on my office door. It started out as a Christmas wreath I made with large tin ornaments but has become a sort of diary of fun times! I add items as I find them and the mood strikes me. The wreath grows larger every year and I can tell you the origin of each item and what it might represent to me in my life. |
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On my family heirloom revolving bookcase used as a bedside table is a church from the old Mercado in Nuevo Laredo. The unusual clay figure is dressed in a regional dance costume from Tehuantepec and was purchased in Oaxaca City on the 2006 trip. These clay figures are rare and depict various regional Oaxacan dress and I am planning to return to find and buy more of them. |
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A corner view of my office. These yarn Eyes of God were purchased in the Yucatan a number of years ago. Many miscellaneous straw and wooden figures and a collection of angels fill the bookshelf and give me a respite from the rigors of bill paying and other tedious business chores. |
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Surrounding my kitchen window is a sunface by Delores Porras, large clay Christmas bells found in Corpus Christi, and a green and brown Patamban tray. The clay “Creatures of the Sea” is by Adelina Martinez (sister of Heron Martinez) purchased from El Interior. The animal bell is by Irene Aguilar. Kitchen chores are greatly enhanced with visual delights like these to work around. |
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My refrigerator - covered with a collection of Mexican tin ornaments with a clay drainage tile wine rack that I created. |
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The “Rooster Choir”, all by Jose Juan Ramos Medrano, grandson of Candelario Medrano of Santa Cruz de la Huertas, Jalisco. Collected over time from different sources. I was just gifted with a tiny 1” H rooster which a friend recently purchased in Medrano’s studio in the Guadalajara area. |
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Above the door in my utility room – part of a collection of coconut masks found in a shop in San Antonio. |
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More of the coconut masks! The style,
color and shape of the coco masks are never ending in their variety. |
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A metal spider and web is by the late Les King, of Austin. The Huichol sun face was bought from the artist in Cancun. The small snake hanger is from Ocumichu in Michoacan. The decorative painted border in this utility room was designed and painted by me. |
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This is a corner of my garden room. The clay mermaid figure is by Luis Blanco, Teodoro’s son and was purchased in Santa Fe. It is sitting on a “comal”, a clay griddle used for cooking tortillas, bought in Austin. |
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On a garden room table is an old wooden hand carved nicho from Guatemala, found in Austin. The clay Virgin of Guadalupe is from the Mercado in San Antonio. The small hanging angels are by Irene Aguilar. A Mexican tin cross ornament and the old clay rosary form a composition shown here in the corner. |
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Also in the garden room forming another vignette is a black pottery figure from San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca. This was purchased from a fellow collector, and I surrounded it with several primitive painted wooden animals, and put them all on a Mexican equipale table. |
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Beyond my love for Mexican and other folk art is my passion for tropical plants and gardening and the clever, unusual and whimsical pottery I can put them in. |
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Another scene in my garden shows some of
my tropical greenery with a Mexican St. Francis holding a mercury gazing
ball, a collection of sun faces and an old wooden cross from Cerrillos,
New Mexico. My collections fill my life with
color and happiness. Each piece I have makes me smile and gives me
pleasure. My appreciation for the many and varied artisans and creators
of these pieces fill me with admiration and wonder for their creative
spirit and talent. My life would be less full without my treasures! |
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Do you know someone who loves folk art? CLICK HERE to send them a copy of this email and automatically enter them into the drawing!
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El Interior |
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