Wardrobe Change Up Mexican Style

No, this is not Miss Emily.  This is Yvette with earrings from San Miguel de Allende and handbag from Jalisco

Today I want to share some photos of incredible handmade fashions.  We took a selection of Mexican clothing, jewelry and beautiful hand tooled leather bags to hotel El Angel Azul here in La Paz, Baja Californa Sur.  Hotel owner, Esther Ammann graciously allowed us to use her sumptuous courtyard for our photos.  We also stopped in at Allende Books for an intellectual kind of background.

                                                                           
So please enjoy these photos of the lovely Miss Emily modeling some of our wearable treasures all made by hand here in Mexico lindo.  I hope you are inspired to add some ethnic fashion to your wardrobe.

See you at Las Manitas soon!   Summer hours are 10 until 2 - stay cool!!

Our all time best selling bag is elegant, goes with everything!

               

Totally Mexican color - turquoise bag, orange blusa

Ultimate luxury - hand tooled overnight bag

Hand embroidery, vivid color - what's not to love?

Absolutely stunning sterling earrings from Guadalajara

Mexican Lacquer Work
Artist: Juan Vasquez Minor

Several painted gourds by Juan Vasquez Minor

Contrary to the assertion of some historians, the art of lacquer is originally from Mexico, regardless of the tradition of the Far East. Mexican lacquer work consists of applying successive layers of a fatty substance and a mixture of limestone powder and colorants, which may be natural or synthetic. Each layer is immediately polished to shine. This forms a smooth surface color, fully integrated to the base, generally a gourd or a wooden object. The fatty substances are extracted from an insect and chia oil, a plant, both are from the American soil and have been used since prehispanic times. Recently, linseed oil is being used, but it is generally considered to be of lower quality.

Being concerned about the decline in quality due to the substitution of materials, Bancomer Cultural Foundation sponsored a series of three meetings between industry artisans from different states of the Republic. These artisans shared experiences and techniques and it was  agreed to supply raw materials to the centers where it was lacking.  Currently the production sites of lacquered pieces are: Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas; Olinalá Temalacatzingo and Acapetlahuaya, Guerrero, Uruapan and Patzcuaro, Michoacan. There is a small production for non-commercial use between indigenous Huichol Tepehuano in Durango and Jalisco.

In the fine detail only natural colors are used.

                                                                                                                                       
Juan Vasquez Minor was born in Temalacatzingo, Guerrero 39 years ago. Son of artisans, Juan's mother was influential the vocation of rescuing the use of chia oil and natural pigments.  The resulting painted gourds are decorated entirely with natural mineral and plant colors and finished, inside and out, with the traditional chia oil. Juan recently won 2nd place in popular painting, within the National Handicraft Award, the city of Toluca, Mexico State.

Las Manitas is fortunate to have several examples of his work for sale.  These magnificent painted gourds are examples of the very finest Mexican folk art.  A gourd of this quality is something to treasure for a lifetime.

                     

Ceramics of Oaxaca - The Aguilar Family

                                             

These whimsical folk-art pieces are fine examples of a time-honored traditional handicraft called muñecas.  The Aguilar / Alcantara family are world renowned clay figurine folk artists from the village of Ocotlán, Oaxaca, Mexico. These artists capture the joyful celebration of everyday life and cultural traditions of pueblo life in Mexico.

All of the family members are in important collections of Mexican Folk art all over the world, including many museum and university collections. The family includes matriarch Dona Isaura Alcantara Diaz (deceased); her daughters Guillermina, Josefina, Irene, Concepcion; son Jesus, and grandsons including Demetrio Garcia Aguilar and Jose Juan Garcia Aguilar. Other family members including Josefina’s husband Jose assist and or make their own clay art as well.

Jose Juan Garcia Aguilar in his studio

                                                 

Josefina’s mother was Dona Isaura Alcantara Diaz who died in 1969 at the age of 44. She was the innovator of an important and delightful genre of ceramics. Departing from the utilitarian objects such as bowls, vessels and pots produced by her contemporaries in her village of Ocotlán de Morelos, she introduced decorative human figures. These imaginatively captured the daily life, passionate expressiveness and cultural richness of pueblo life. Her highly detailed, colorfully painted human figures embodied their traditional lives’ vitality, depth of emotion and pulse.

Isaura Alcantara was recognized as a major artistic figure by significant collectors of Mexican folk art such as Nelson Rockefeller and Alexander Girard. Isaura had a profound influence on the creative lives of four of her Daughters: Guillermina, Josefina, Irene and Concepcion ( from eldest to youngest) and her son Jesus. While all of her children are well known, her second daughter Josefina in considered a master and is one of the most collectable folk artists in Mexico. Josefina may be foremost among Dona Isaura's daughters, due perhaps to picking up the skill at such an early age, and working under Dona Isaura for 7 years, before her mother's early passing.

Josefina Aguilar Alcantara, a serious and dedicated artist, is deeply involved in her outstanding work as a ceramist in her mother’s tradition.  The second daughter of Isaura, Josefina creates "muñecas" human figures in a vast array of activities, venues and costumes.

Josefina's skill began to be noticed when she was quite young, and by the time she was in her early twenties, articles about her work began to appear in European and North American journals. In 1985, she and her husband José traveled to the US. Since then, interest in her work has continued to grow, as has her stature as a major artist in ceramics. Josefina creates figures which are very spontaneous, and with a touch of humor. Josefina regards the faces and especially the noses of her figures as her trademark and emphasizes her practice of making different faces on each one.

Sirena by Guillermina Aguilar