Isabel
Mendoza
Straw Cuadras (Paintings)
To Contact:
This artisan’s page is part of the Feria Maestros del Arte website, a non-profit organization providing a yearly venue for Mexican folk artisans to come together to sell their work. If you wish to purchase the artisan's work other than at the Feria, you MUST contact them directly.
Andres Quintana Roo 1674, Col. Guadalupana Guadalajara, Jalisco 333 824 2041, 333 175 2600 cell mendoza.isabel71@yahoo.com.mx
javi_vv2006@yahoo.com.mx
The
land called Mexico has many moods and faces. Without a doubt, Mexico is
steeped in ancient Indian lore, seasoned with Spanish colonial customs.
The array of folk art and crafts in Mexico is simply mind-boggling. Each
region of Mexico has its own specialty, with villagers maintaining the
traditions handed down from countless generations.
One traditional
art form is straw art (painting with straw) developed by Isabel Mendoza's
grandfather. Like her grandfather, Isabel
takes ordinary wild straw, colors it, and then creates typical scenes
of the Mexico peasants, campesinos, in their villages or in the
country-side.
As with many art forms, patience is the most
desirable attribute for a master of straw but Isabel says she enjoys all
the parts that go together toward making the final art piece. She purchases
the wild straw that grows in the mountains of Jalisco from men who have
hiked into the mountains to collect it. Selecting the right size and thickness
is crucial to the final outcome of the cuadra (painting). The
leaves, dirt, and thorns are then removed and the straw is put into an
acid bath to allow dye absorption.
Next, the straw must
be dyed with insect or vegetable dyes. Dyes are made from the natural-found
substances shown below. Pulverized and mixed with water, each becomes
a unique color used in straw art.
DYES
USED in STRAW ART
Beige - Canyaigre
dock root
Blue - Lupin flower
Brown- Gambel oak bark
Green - Sargo brush
Orange - Yellow onion skin
Olive Green - Red onion skin
Pink - Sumac Berries
Red/Orange - Alder bark
Tan - Rabbit brush
White - Cactus flower
Yellow - Small snake weed
Red - Chinchilla insect
Next, the design
is sketched on paper or cardboard. The beeswax is purified by boiling
and straining it to eliminate impure particles and then a thin coat is
lightly spread over the design.
Then
the straw is gently placed on the wax piece by tiny piece and cut with
a tool similar to an Exacto blade. The straw crisscrosses in several directions
which provides texture and detail to the painting. Crisscrossing prevents
the straw from tumbling off if the beeswax should dry. One square inch
has approximately one to five hundred pieces of straw.
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