Metepec

Our little group, led by Rick Hall, La Clandestina DF, spent most of a day in Metepec, southwest of Mexico City. Rick knows many of Mexico's finest artists personally and they welcomed him and us into their homes and workshops with heartwarming grace--and lunch! In Metepec we visited Tiburcio Soteno and his family, creators of ceramic "trees of life." These sculptures have left any strict tree shape behind them with over-the-top imagination.

I can't find a truly a good image of Tiburcio's work even online, or one that brings forward all there is to discover in the work. You have to be able to lean in and absorb all the details in person, from all sides. Here's one of his simpler creations in the kiln; it's maybe four feet tall, with a Nativity at the bottom and God and the earth above, and legions of angels:



Someone gave similar attention to decorating the chimney of the kiln, and even the walls around it:

In the Soteno shop were all sorts of other pieces. I particularly liked these two chalices, hell and heaven:





Was this a special commission to recreate Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, or a ceramicist just going for it?



This time of year in Mexico, Catrina figures of all sorts are everywhere. In an exhibit in Metepec we liked this fairly traditional one:



And found this one taking the form in a new direction:



More market time in Metepec!



I love the cheek-by-jowlness of all the things on offer:





Chicharron!







We feasted on some green and red chorizos in excellent tacos:



Those are french fries in the middle of this range:



And yes, they go on the tacos, yum!



I think US markets have underestimated the design potential of wheelbarrows for displaying goods:









And back home, this wheelbarrow on would be on its way to the dump, but here it's just on break:



Our group made off with our fair share of bottles from the shop of this liqueur maker. In his workroom, aguardiente flavored with various local herbs runs through these filters, cotton or nylon, I think, that come to look like wool with enough use:





A watchdog kept an eye on us:



A last wave for now to Metepec: