Garden Art

One of the first things I ever bought in Oaxaca - about a 3 foot piece made my the Vasquez Family in Atzompa - I think Angelica's parents made this one.   Also when I learned that sometimes it is much more efficient to pay the extra baggage fee rather than ship something home with DHL.  All that trouble many years behind me and this ceramic wonder has graced many places in my home finally making it out to a part of my garden this year.  I think she, like me, is happy to be spending more time outside.
This year, for the October tour (which is full), we'll be visiting Angelica's hilltop studio and family home in Atzompa.  Her parents still make ceramics as does her son. We'll have a fascinating snapshot of three generations of artists and how they both maintain tradition and practice innovation. Plus her daughter is making us lunch!

(please note this low fire terra cotta needs to be protected from freezing temperatures)

Visiting Local Artists in Oaxaca

A big high point of the tour for lots of people was visiting with expat artist Jean Foss and her husband Chucho at their bright and beautiful home in the village of Huayapam. 

Any tour that starts with a beautiful garden and snacks and mezcal at 11 in the morning promises to be a good visit.

Jean's devotion to her work is inspiring and her love for all things Oaxacan shines through in her style which I might describe as a painterly, folk art version of magical realism.

She has a great website which gives you some of idea of the sheer output of her work. I was even more surprised to learn that she describes herself as someone who works very slowly. 

See more of her work by clicking here 

Saturday Night in Oaxaca

Pro tip - there's almost always a wedding or two on Saturday evening at Santa Domingo and they're almost always followed, rain or shine, by a calenda, a parade of sorts with puppets, and musicians, and dancers with canastas (baskets with flowers and sculptures carried on the head).

Here's a tiny taste spontaneously shot on the i phone.

How Many Rugs is too Many Rugs?

I don't have a store, and even when I did, I never had enough time to really sit down with the leisure it would take to buy the goods for retail when I'm out on a tour with a half dozen people who all want to shop.  So don't ask me how I ended up with a rainbow colored rug from Teotitlan de Valle.  Suffice it to say, I was so moved by the deep knowledge displayed in the natural dye demonstration that the mother of the family had just given us,and I loved that it was the eldest daughter, who was just getting old enough to weave, who had made the rug.  Of course I wanted a rug that showed the complete spectrum of natural dyes they were able to acheive in their home studio. In fact, had to have it. Funny how that goes.

Here's my rainbow colored rug in situ with Angelica, the daughter on the left, holding her handiwork with her mother Josefina. Typically Zapotecs pose rather stoically behind their work. They were all set to do that but I asked them to look at each other instead, which made them smile. Such a nice day and I'm so glad I have the rug to remember it all, although I have absolutely zero idea what I am going to do with it.  Currently it's a runner in the middle of my dining room table.

Loving the Little Ones

Speaking the universal language of grandmotherly love, two white haired women loving on a little one.  (and if you close in on the grandmother, you'll see she has a whole bunch of crocheted mushrooms hanging off her stroller because everyone's got something for sale).

More Handmade Textile Love in Oaxaca

If you're serious about textiles, no matter if you're a beginner or a serious aficionando, a stop to the textile room at the Belber Jimenez Museum on Matamoros is always delightful. Described as "a little gem" and " a lovely surprise" on Trip Advisor, we couldn't agree more. Sometimes there are short explanations with the work although lately not a sign in site.  This was the room we were in when someone asked me, "But do people really wear these?" and I answered, "Pretty much all the time you see people wearing regional textiles in Oaxaca". And it's true. Still there are some great pieces in this collection that you rarely see on the streets. Plus it's OK to gawk. Worth a visit.

Doll making in Oaxaca

Rogene is a great teacher and this year had us all sewing, stuffing, painting, and using paper clay to make dolls. They all had so much personality - - many of them with that bit of a spanish princess influence in their austere black garb. And then there was Jeannie's decidedly not Spanish princess -

It started out tame enough with just a hint of feathers. I think this is what Jeannie left with and then she went home and finished it up -

Word on the street is that more dolls are on their way from Jeannie!

(click here if you'd like to find out more about Rogene's classes)

Women at Work

  A quiet morning making art on the light filled patio outside our studio at Casa Colonial.

Chile de Agua in Ocotlan Market

Interrupting all things Art tour to bring you this foodie announcement.  There's a new chile in town called chile de aqua, unless you live in Oaxaca where it's been raised for hundreds of years.  I've read about it and I know there's a farm in Eugene growing them because one of their Oaxacan workers brought the seeds up so he could grow his favorite pepper.  So I was thrilled to actually see them for sale in the Ocotlan market.  Read about this heirloom chile and how it came to the American market.

Sometimes You Get Lucky or The Amazing Makers Fair We Stumbled Upon

(this woman could hold a long conversation with you and never once look down at her work, and her hands never stopped moving)

We got very lucky and were able to experience the last day of this two week Easter feria (fair) which  was happening on the alcala just past Santa Domingo. I bet 70 or 80 craftspeople were represented.  Each booth had two different makers with a sign saying the community, name of the artisan, and what they made. Of course a lot of them were keeping busy in their booths with some handwork.  It was off the charts.  Keep in mind, many of these communities are 8, 10, or 12 hours away from the big city and will come in just 3 times a year (Easter, Gueleguetza, and Christmas) to make a little cash and  sell their wares to the tourists - many, many of whom are Mexican tourists and also locals who live in the City.There was a huge concentration of work that would take you days, if not weeks, to survey out roaming the state. That's a lot of doors to knock on.

It's a great chance to talk directly to the people who are making the goods - about their community, their techniques, their ideas and experiences. There were embroiderers, weavers, spinners, sewers, leatherworkers, knifemakers, wood and gourd carvers - each more wondrous than the one before.

Above is one of my favorite designs from the Mixe region in northern Oaxaca.  We talked a little with these people about when their community sued the french designer Isabel Marant for plagiarism (click here for link)  Good for them. I think I'd only paid attention to the blouses and  never really realized how wide and cowgirl their skirts were.  And that belt. Plus our model could not have been any sweeter twirling her skirt for us. 

As always, doing our best to put our tourist dollars directly into the hands of the makers.  Here's Margie with her handspun, indigo dyed, raw silk throw she just purchased made in one of the last of the silk raising communities in Oaxaca, San Pedro Cajonos. The maker was kind enough to take a photo wearing a marigold dyed throw. Notice the beautiful knotwork at the end of her piece. (Click here to read more about the history of raising silkworms in Oaxaca) 

This feria happens during Christmas and July Gueleguetza too! Can't wait to visit some of these people in their communities.

And here's just a little tease to give you some idea of the magnificent quality of work on view and for sale - this is a kind of tree of life design (click here to read more about this particular design)

I did say one more beautiful than the next didn't I? Fun color play going on in this piece above plus my personal new, seeing it everywhere symbol, the zig zag. And yes you may tell me the design stands for a snake or a thunderbolt or the path we take in life but someone told me at this fair, in a much more prosaic vein, that the zig zag symbolizes the ups and down in a marriage. So there you have it - family counseling, marriage advice, and weaving all rolled into one.  

Our Latest Greatest Art Retreat

Just finished tour #7 with this group of awesome women.  That's me in the middle wearing black surrounded by a lots of smiling, white haired, margarita carrying, happy people many of whom are wearing a beautiful, handmade,huipile or mandile (apron) purchased on the trip. (And note the gorgeous brugmansia shrub we're standing in front of)  It's no exaggeration to say each trip keeps getting better and this one was no exception.  I've dabbled with this touring thing long enough to realize it's something I really enjoy and find it deeply satisfying to watch people learn to love Mexico in all her imperfect glory.  Which brings me to the big announcement which isn't exactly that I've sold all my possessions and am setting sail on a solo trip around the world to follow my bliss but it feels a little bit like that. After 25 years of running my flower shop and retail emporium in Eugene, I've sold the business and am heading off into the great beyond of organizing tours to Oaxaca.I have a zillion ideas and really want to do some specialized trips -  think birding, or a bartenders tour of all things drinkable, catholic churches and syncretic religions, ceramics and sustainability, anarchist green poetry, textiles, food & cooking, natural history, field sketching, and really whatever you can dream up, I can make happen for you if it involves Oaxaca.

Why go to Oaxaca?

Everyone seems to have their own muse calling them to Oaxaca. Some go for the mezcal, actually many go for the mezcal.  Others are searching out the magic mushrooms of Maria Sabina or a smoky hot chili found only in the northern hills.  Some go for yoga and surfing and the sun.  Some are grieving and want to know more about this land where the dead come back every year.   And there are those who go to eat or dance or make art or buy art.  Others find themselves scouring the mountain vistas in search of something ancient and authentic.

Old ways and new ways, tourists and locals all seem to be immersed in one constant dance known as Oaxaca. Whatever calls you,, I urge you to follow the voice. I'm just now finalizing dates for a 2018 tour in the fall and would love to have you join me.  Email me at jewel.murphy@gmail.com and I'll put you on the mailing list to let you know details as they arise.