... putting together an 85-piece jigsaw puzzle … from a stack of 500 bright, shiny pieces each calling, “Pick me! Pick me!”
One of the artists Linda Hanna will be introducing to the Feria this year is Alicia Leticia García Blanco who makes incredible muñecas(female figures/dolls) and is recognized for her work in Grandes Maestros del Arte Popular OAXACA. It’s a family tradition and her son, Fernando Peguera has won twice in the ceramic category in Friends of Folk Art’s (FOFA) competition for young Oaxaca artists.
On a lovely Saturday morning, the selection committee settled in around my dining room table to pick the 85 artists for Feria 2018. It was a marathon discussion of beauty, workmanship, history, folk art categories, consumer wants, overall fit and an illusive, but important, discussion of social conditions.
The mandate of the Feria is to promote and preserve Mexican Folk Art and Culture by providing traditional artists with market access and by generating awareness of their work. In order to do that, we bring in 85 artists each year from all over Mexico.
Making decisions with so many important criteria is not a simple matter of tallying up points to see who’s in and who isn’t. It took five hours to put the puzzle together, but we think this year’s group of artists is truly unique and exciting.
We will be introducing you to a few of the new artists in the coming issues of the newsletter. However, you can always explore the roster of artists on the website…2018 Maestros.
One of the artists Linda Hanna will be introducing to the Feria this year is Alicia Leticia García Blanco who makes incredible muñecas(female figures/dolls) and is recognized for her work in Grandes Maestros del Arte Popular OAXACA. It’s a family tradition and her son, Fernando Peguera has won twice in the ceramic category in Friends of Folk Art’s (FOFA) competition for young Oaxaca artists.
The technique used in creating her muñecas is to start with a base. After drying for three to four hours, she turns the piece upside down and begins adding the torso, arms and head. Finally, embellishments and decorative carvings such as flowers, people, skulls and other designs are laid on to the larger piece.
Alicia's larger figures take approximately 8 days to complete and an additional 15 days to dry with three hours in the oven. Her work is almost exclusively in natural terra cotta colors and she sells her work from her home and a cooperativa (ceramics marketplace) in Santa María Atzompa, Oaxaca. we are delighted to introduce her work at the Feria.
No comments:
Post a Comment