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New Arrivals $10 and Under |
With its rich palette of colors and intricate design, a "Tree of Life" is certain to catch the eye of anyone passing by. Within a few moments, one can begin to interpret the story hidden within the myriad of clay details carefully fused to the main branches of the tree. The themes are varied; the life of Christ, a love story, spring time and even death. Sometimes, they are even created with a purpose: to show the genealogical lines of a family or even to pass on a recipe! It is no wonder they have achieved international fame.
Like a majority of Mexican folk art, Trees of Life are created mostly from clay. Interesting enough to mention, the clay from the valleys of central Mexico, where the majority of the Trees of Life can be found is especially hard, so the chunks extracted from the ground are laid on the road where passing vehicles grind them to dust. Once the ground clay is swept and collected off of the road, impurities are removed using a fine sieve. Plumilla from the tule flower is added to make the mixture more malleable. The artist then begins to form the miniature pieces he will use to depict the narrative in mind. All "foliage" of the tree is hand shaped with an expertise that only someone with years of experience can master. When the pieces are fully dry they are smoothed with a rasp and placed in a kiln for several hours. Before beginning the arduous work of weaving the foliage to the tree, the artist paints each and every piece with tiny fine brushes using natural colors enhanced with earthen pigments. Most artists are comfortable with creating a "Tree" of medium size and a few dozen pieces. But only a few are able to create stories webbed with such detail and color they leave the viewer in stunned awe and yearning. |
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