One A Day – 1057 – Alfombras Uriangato
On a bed of moist sawdust, use a stencil and press colored sawdust, seeds or sand where you want.
To cover spots from work, use a shaker with base color and press into surface.
Beans, lentils, salt, corn, and colored sawdust.
Stunning. Seeds, sand, and sawdust with highlights.
You guys are so much help…
Details in the sand, color on black
Laying a stencil on black sand over a sawdust bed.
Filling in sketched details a pinch at a time.
Filling a stencil with a shaker.
Hand sketching.
Entry to the La Loma district
Details
Roll Out the Carpet
Team Ristorante y Pizzeria de Totino
At the entry to the garment district – Boopsy Jeans
On a paper stencil.
Comite Plan de Ayala
Fantastic Pastels
Just perfect color
It takes a neighborhood
Swan with Flower
Spraying the alfombra to keep it sharp.
Streamers in the Sky
Streamers – Ribbons on String
Side by Side
Yes. The kids are into it too.
More and more color.
Uriangato Rainbow
- 2do Encuentro Internacional de Alfombristas
- Uriangato & Moroleón, Guanajuato, México
- October 6, 2017
- Copyright, all rights reserved
Here I am again, sitting at my desk and editing photos. In many ways, this is one of the hardest things I do. I sit here, looking at a set of hundreds of photos I took while I was excited about new vistas and new things. Then, I cut them down to the the essence of what I want to say. It isn’t easy. A lot falls by the wayside, and many of those I know could be great, but they don’t follow the path I’m charting for this posting, photowalk, and project. So, they don’t get flagged for editing and when I do the editing pass and see exactly where a set is going, more get dumped.
I mentioned recently that I am opening a Patreon page and that will be happening next week. It is almost ready, but I need to give the people who are working with me a pass at it and get it edited to include a Spanish translation. Right now I’m telling the story here because you are my most loyal friends and fans. You look through the whole page when I put it up and you read all the way down to the commentary at the end. That’s why you are reading this now. And I mention it now, with these photos from Uriangato because this is a part of what I want to do with the opportunity that I have in front of me.
Uriangato and Moreleon are an interesting case. The two towns have gone through a lot over the decades. They were a regional agriculture center but as farms consolidated and people moved to the US for better opportunities, they transitioned to the garment industry. For a while the towns did very well, but then the mills and garment business moved on to Asia and most of the larger firms moved out. You would think that would decimate a area like this, but it isn’t what I saw when I went to the alformbristas fair. Instead I found two linked communities working together to bring a vibrant, beautiful experience together with an international cast of artists. There is a story there, I know there is. As you look at these photos, look at the people working side by side, painting their houses, and weaving carpet out of sand, sawdust and seeds. They are making ready for an event that lasts one day and then is gone. This is a community that is successful, strong and overcoming many adversities – while bringing everyone together in a positive way.
Honestly, I don’t know everything I should about what is happening in these cities because the ideas were only coming to me while I was looking at it. I want to extend the Retratos project I started years ago with some photowalks and photos of jazz concerts into a platform I can use to tell positive stories about the life I see around me here in Mexico. There are enough negative stories everyday just about Mexico to fill several newspapers – and they do. But, I chose to live here and I’m not alone. Those of us that live here – that live happy, fulfilled lives with friends and experiences we never want to leave, deserve an opportunity to tell the other side – stories of how people manage and thrive despite some difficult circumstances. I think there are lessons for everyone in that. I think it would be something valuable.
What I’m going to be asking for is small, monthly contributions. Other than the opportunity to help get this story out and be a part of the team that does it, what is in it for my patrons? This is one example of something that is going to be happening next year – we’re going to take a limited group of top sponsors on a trip to see the alfombras in Uriangato. There will be travel from Morelia, a couple of nights hotel in the Centro of Uriangato with a long tour of the alfombras, meals, and shopping in the garment district (and it is something you want to do believe me) and the trip back to Morelia. Along the way, we can talk about what we have learned about the community and for those interested, the art of photography. But like I said, that is just an example.
What is coming is a continuing series of projects, each highlighting different communities and different situations. The emphasis will be on positive stories in photos and text that help people to understand what these communities do to solve their problems successfully and sustainably. That’s important to me. I’m not looking for short, one-off examples of something that happened by accident. I want to show that communities can work together and find ways to improve their lives and make things better for everyone. I want to use my skills and art to tell compelling stories. And yes, I have seen several examples already that I want to highlight. But to make this happen, I’m going to need help for expenses, assistants, and supplies. We’re going to need to exhibit and bring people to see and understand the stories. It is going to take time and dedication. We’re going to need people to be involved.
So please, if this short (??) sketch sounds interesting – think about it and be ready to join us next week if you can. I’ll put links here and all over when I release the Patreon page believe me. But, what I really need is a few people willing to help us kick off successfully. Thanks.
And yes, I’ve got one more post of photos from this trip….