~~LA CATRINA FRIDA~~THE CATRINA FRIDA~~

Here we have Frida the Eternal, creating her mortal self. A thought provoking image...the Huichol people believe that as they create their artworks they are creating the world that is represented in the image...or should that be 're-presented'?
                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Aqui tenemos La Frida Eterna, creando si misma mortal. Un pensamiento curioso...la gente Huichol creen que mientras estan creando sus obras de artes, estan creando el mundo que esta representado en el imagen...ó deber ser 're-presentado'?

~~TASTOAN MASK~~2013~~MASCARA TASTOAN~~

Just got back from our Summer buying trip with a special prize...the newest addition to our selection of "Played" Tastoan masks. It's from the festival this past July. I've attached a link to our more extensive article on the Tastoanes in the PV Mirror of July this year.


http://pvmirror.wordpress.com/endless-discovering/july-2013-●-the-dance-masks-of-the-tastoanes/


We also have 2 previous "Tastoan" posts on this blog that you may not have seen....¡Pásele...take a loook!

~Jaguar Mask with Milagros~~Mascara Jaguar con Milagros~

"Grrrrr....get in here & find out what you're missing!"says the Jaguar. Hand-carved from avocado wood, covered with magical milagros (miracles), a perfect guardian for your folk art collection.
                                                                          ~~~

So What’s With The Skeletons!?!
   We hear this question all the time. In the rest of North America, bones conjure up fear, are used to scare children, and no good christian-minded soul wants to be reminded of death. Then, here they come to Mexico and find skeleton figures in all the art and artesania shops. There’s even a children’s cartoon named Huesita, or Little Bone. Why?  The answer is complicated, as different cultures tend to be, and Mexico’s culture is complicated indeed. The indigenous people of Mexico were conquered by the Spanish some 500 years ago, but they were not killed off or driven onto reservations. For the most part they were put to work. Over the centuries, the cultures of conqueror and conquered have melded in fascinating ways.   One of these ways is the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos, a two day festival honoring our ancestors. Every year our departed come to visit, to feast and party with the living. The next day all go to the cemetary, where the party continues into the night. Then the living go home, and the dead await the next year. Though the Catholic church was able to move the date of this celebration to coincide with All Saints Day and All Souls Day, this is where Christian influence mostly stops.   It’s good to keep in mind that most of the cultures of Meso America were interrelated, the same ball courts can be found in ruins near Phoenix as are found on the Yucatan peninsula. They also shared their religions. An integral part of that religion was the depiction of many gods as skeletons. Skeletons were considered good luck and were a symbol of fertility, the dicotomy of life. The god Quetzalcoatl was said to have stolen bones from the the god of the underworld to create the different races of mankind. It was believed that the god Mictlantecuhtli and his wife presided over the world of the dead. They are always portrayed as skeletons. This helps to explain the use of skeletons in the Dia de los Muertos celebration, and why we see them so often in ordinary life. In Mexico, bones are simply not something to be afraid of.

Tom Swanson & Marianne Menditto can be reached at  

http://www.ColibriDesignVallarta.com

~NEW WEBSITE FOR THE BLOG~

I've been away from the blog for awhile now because I'm working with my web designers at Griffin Graffix. The new web-site will also host my blog. Hoping to get it up in a couple of weeks.
The tile shop aand the gallery will have their own sections and LOTS of pictures!

Meanwhile, look at our temporary page for a sneak peek at our new signage.

www.ColibriDesignVallarta.com
E-mail: sales@colibridesignvallarta.com

~MASCARA TASTOAN~2012~TASTOAN MASK~

Here is our latest bad boy, collected in Sept. of this year. It was "played" in the 2012 Dance of the Tastoan.

The "Dance/Battle/Fiesta" is celbrated each July 25th, the Feast Day of Santiago in the streets of Tonala, Jalisco.

                ~~~~~~~~~~

Aqui esta nuestro tipo malo mas nuevo, coleccionado en Sept. de este año.
Lo fue "jugado" en La Danza de Los Tastoanes de 2012.

La "Danza/Batalla/Fiesta esta celebrado cada 25 de Julio, el Dia de Santiago en las calles de Tonala, Jalisco.

~LUPITA P' URHEPECHA STYLE~~LUPITA ESTILO P' URHEPECHA~

Greetings, all...just back from a tour of our favorite treasure hunting areas... central and southern Mexico. Lots of work yet to do in the shop, getting everything in it's place.

We're proud to showcase one of our latest finds. SHE IS AWESOME!!! I was soooo excited to find her!!! Another one of the very special ones...a masterpiece in the "Naif" style of the native Michoacan carvers. She stands 22" high, 10" wide, carved from a well cured Michoacan pine slab 4" thick.

She's even more beautiful in person...come by and adore her. She is at Calle Aldama #190, between Juarez & Morelos in colonia Centro, Puerto Vallarta.

                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saludos a todos...acabamos de llegar desde un tour de nuestros lugares favoritos para buscar tesoros...el centro y el sur de Mexico. Tenemos mucho trabajo en la tienda, todavia para poner todos en sus lugares.

Tenemos mucho orgullo en presentando uno de nuestros  mas recientes hallazgos. ¡¡¡ ELLA ES ASOMBROSA!!! ¡¡¡Yo fui taaaaanto emocionada de encontrar la!!! Una otra cosa muy, pero muy especial...una maestra en el estilo "Naif" de los grabadores indigenas de Michoacan. Ella tiene 55cm de altura, 25cm de anchura, grabada de una tabla de Pino Michoacano, bien secado que tiene 10cm de grosor.

Ella es aun mas hermosa en persona...ven a ver para adorar la. Ella esta en Calle Aldama #190, entre Juarez y Morelos en col. Centro, Puerto Vallarta.

~KEN EDWARDS' PAINTERS & THEIR 'CHOP MARKS'~

With this handy guide, you can see who painted each piece of your beloved Ken Edwards Stoneware...provided they were working during the last decade. I don't remember exactly when we were presented with this lovely gift, but it was shortly after the turn of the new century. This one was painted by 'spiderman' Victor Pila Frias.

~MAGIC...HAND CARVED~~MAGIA...GRABADO A MANO~

This was one of those great finds that you wish for on every buying trip. We bought this one in 2006 for "Casa La Piña". I imagine this beautiful architectural detail as having been part of a sign for a juice bar. It's quite old & hand carved of very hard Mexican pine, a slab 5 inches thick...wow!

We found it in Michoacan. They still do a lot of similar work there, but now days it's mostly of High Density Fiber Board. It resists warping and of course it's not so thick, so it's lighter. The wood grain is not an issue to be dealt with and they can use electric grinding and sanding tools. It makes for some very beautiful and practical furniture. There's plenty of that in "Casa La Piña" as well.

I'm posting some pictures on our sister blog "Azulejos Colibri", of the fanciful tile work there. Some of this furniture makes it's way into the act also.


http://www.azulejoscolibri.blogspot.com

~HANDMADE PAPER COLLAGE~~ COLLAGE DE PAPEL HECHO A MANO~

One of my babies. She's made of cotton fiber with wool, mica, rubelite and pigments added into the pulp.
                                                                   ~~~

Una de mis bebes. Ella esta hecho con fibra de algodon y con lana, mica, rubelite & pigmentos añadidas en la pasta del papel.

~PANCHO'S VILLA~~VILLA de PANCHO~

               This beach home featured a revolutionary era style bedroom that was dubbed "El Cuarto de Pancho"! We also had the "El Cuarto del Tequila", "Cuarto de Dia de Los Muertos" and I got to design the "My Wildest Fantasy in Tile" bathroom. The tile work throughout the house was very fun to design and to watch as my guys brought it to fruition. As the muchachos were putting on the finishing touches, we took the owners on a grand shopping expedition to several of our favorite furnishing & accessorizing destinations thoughout Mexico! Way cool!!!

               After a hard day of revolutionizing, old Panch' kicks back on the porch relaxing to a superb sunset on the Sea of Cortez! Yeah, we know he didn't drink...but we know he WOULD have, if he could have been HERE..."¡Cerveza Victoria...por supuesto!"

               For a welcome into the courtyard our clients wishes were transformed into a custom mural by one of the great muralists of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. I drew it up and sent it in to our pal Rene & he had his best guy on it. PERO, pero....find the boo boo....I think old Cayo was a little too much in the spirit when he was installing it. I couldn't take the chance of breaking it (the one tile) to have it re-placed correctly.  Well...as the old saying goes..."Only God is allowed to be perfect".  For more views of awesome tile, visit....
            www.azulejoscolibri.blogspot.com

         

~EXTERIOR VIEW~~VISTA EXTERIOR~

                     OUTSIDE OF THE "THEATRE" SHOWING THE DOOR-STOP HOLDER

~DETAIL SHOT~~FOTO del DETAILLE~

                                   
                                         A CLOSE-UP OF THEIR PLAYBILL.

~UN PAR de SINVERGUENZAS~~A PAIR WITH NO SHAME~

The title doesn't translate TOO badly! Literally translated "without shame". I love Spanish...so expressive. So many definitions/inferences within just a single word. "¡SINVERGUENZA!" An exclamation to express shock or out-rage. It is to say that some one is shameless or brazen.

I was looking through old Mexican movie posters online to explore the relationship between angels and devils in Mexican culture when I can across this title, "Un Par de Sinverguenzas". The storyline of the movie does not deal with devil and/or angels, but the title struck me as perfect. The angel supposedly does nothing to be ashamed of...the devil supposedly feels no shame for his deeds...how perfectly ironic! How fitting...as my premise was to explore their similarities.

I just finished this story box yesterday. 'Asemblage' is my favorite medium. I find many intriguing tidbits on my travels, file them away until I find the proper container. Then, the story wends it's way like a meadering river. I usually craft or modify the accessories to suit size and esoteric requirements. Putting a story box together is like creating a 3D puzzle. I like a complex tale that involves the viewer's imagination, that has many facets to the imagery.

Since moving to Mexico 12 years ago, I'm finding more mystery and inspiration than ever.

~STAR PINEAPPLE~~PIñA ESTRELLA~

A ceramic pineapple in the mid stages of creation. La señora Laura had it slow curing beneath a old shirt. Imagine my thrill as she rolled it up to reveal this special beauty! Their creativity is so amazing! How do they keep thinking them up?They work every day in their shady courtyard studio. I'm reminded of several quotes about inspiration..."Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working."~Henri Matisse. From Johannes Brahms~"Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind." This innovation, dedication & craftsmanship is what makes the Hernandez Cerrano family number one in our Piña loving hearts.

~TILE & STONE VANITY TOP~~CUBIERTA en PIEDRA & AZULEJOS~

This is an example of my 'collage style' tile designs. Here I use tile from 2 tile houses of Guanajuato with sink and accents cut from Saltillo tile along with cut & formed stone from Durango.

The shower uses these same elements, as does the built-in pedestal bed headboard and side tables. I have started a blog dedicated to our tile & tile projects.

Click the link below or on the right...Azulejos Colibri

www.azulejoscolibri.blogspot.com

~HUMMINGBIRD at the DOOR~~COLIBRI en la PUERTA~

Our finishing touch to a home re-model in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. Hand-cut ceramic tile and glass drops, all made in Mexico!

~ANNOUNCING~A September 2012 opening!  A tile shop/design center annex to Galeria Colibri. We're making our preparations and looking forward to our next adventure in artistic tile. We'll be bringing in ceramic, glass and stone tiles from our favorite tile houses in Saltillo, Lerdo, Dolores Hidalgo, Tonala', Puebla & Ciudad Mexico. There are some truely amazing tiles out there, in diverse styles to fit every taste & budget.  I love collaging with all the colors, textures, finishes & patterns.

~ENCHANTING SHAWL~~REBOZO ENCANTADOR~

Another example of 'Love Incarnate' and the richness that infuses the daily lives of the wonderful artisans and their family members. Notice the adorable 'animalitos' inhabiting this beautiful cross-stitched wool rebozo from Michoacan. It's handwoven wool with cross-stiched designs. very snuggly & comfey. I've even worn mine here in Vallarta, enjoying my morning cup on the deck, watching sunrise color our world.

~¡JAGUARES MAGICOS!~~MAGICAL JAGUARS!~

These beautiful jaguar masks were made by one of our favorite families of Alebrige crafters. La familia Joaquin Vasquez Hernandez from San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca.

Jaguars have been revered in Mesoamerica since time immemorial. They are truely amazing creatures. These largest of cats in the western hemisphere are only in the Americas, descendants of the Asian leopards who crossed the Bering Land Bridge and evolved to their new environs. Their prowess and strength earned them a Godly status with the early human inhabitants of the New World. They have yet to relinquish their thrones.

~PERFORMING SQUIRREL~~ARDILLA AMAESTRADA~

Our urban squirrels just LOVE to tease the neighborhood cats!

I just HAD to share this one. I actually have a slideshow of the little imps doing their high wire acts! I roll it out at times, just for a laugh! I just LOVE their little toes!!!

Squirrels have long held a special place in my heart. Growing up in the mountains of Southern Calif., my friends & I would entice them to take peanuts from our hands on our deck railings. We loved them so much that when we found the inevitable car victims, we'd give them funerals in  little shoe-box coffins. What a surprise to find so many of them living here. I now realize how much I've missed them.