Chiripa is committed to promoting the artists who's work we carry. We often give customers copies of the photos we set by the beautiful crafts that we sell. One thing that sets us apart from other "galleries" who offer bios of artists is that we travel to the places where the artists work and live. That means long trips to remote places in Mexico. It's the heart of this business.
The following photo is one of my favorites from the Feb 2009 trip. The Juan Rosas Family in Capula, Michoacan has been featured previously on this blog. (See post from March, 2008.) This was the first time that the entire family was at home at the time we arrived.
I want to put names with faces. On the far left (on my right) is Juan Rosas, the father of the family. On my left is Lordes Martinez Reyes, the wife and mother. Behind her is Juan Manuel Rosas Martinez, or Chino. All three of them are master potters and/or painters. To Chino's right (behind me and Lordes) is Missael Enrique Rosas Martinez, a quiet boy who's learning English in school. He got to practice with the Gringos! And to Enrique's right is Jim M the "translator" of our group. In the front is Brian (Kobe) Rosas Martinez. Kobe, like most children we meet is fascinated by Jim L's white beard. Many think they are seeing Santa Claus as we tour Mexico.
That was one stop on one day in February. We hope there will be more visits with the Juan Rosas Family. You can find some of their pottery for sale on our website. That link will take you to pottery. Enter "Juan Rosas" in the search field and you'll see what we currently feature.
We were delighted to hear today that the shipment from that February trip is almost here. There will be a delay before I have time to post again.
It's no secret that the staff of retail specialty shops attend gift shows to find most of their merchandise. The look of a shop is determined by the "eye" of the buyer. Mexico has it's share of gift shows and a couple of them cater to handcrafted art and decor. We at Chiripa are always hopeful that we might find a new source of product when we attend one of these shows. Our preferred buying method is to go to the source, the people who make the product; but, that's not always possible.
The foremost handcraft show in Mexico is ENART held twice a year in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco. The exposition is held in this impressive structure of interlocking rooms and courtyards.
We've met wonderful people there who have continued to be our suppliers. We sometimes visit their workshops to meet the artists crafting the products. This is how we first met the owners of D'Casa described in the post dated August 2008.
This past February we attended a COFOCE exposition featuring artisan crafts of the state of Guanajuato. It was held in San Miguel de Allende which is one of our frequent stops when shopping in Mexico. So, we decided to give it a try.
The setting was enchanting. The exposition hall was a converted hacienda with fabulous gardens and courtyards that enhanced the goods for sale. (Remember, this was February when back home in Madison, Wisconsin it was sub-zero with blizzard conditions.) We found a couple new sources for products and met one of our regular vendors at this show. I'll post stories of some when I have the product in house and can show it better. But, the following picture is a preview of one of our new products: the traditional ceramic hanging peppers.
We like to share our sources because ultimately we want more people to appreciate the beautiful crafts of Mexico. The earrings in the next photo are an example of a product that we buy at ENART. We love the designs of Francisco Sanchez Sahagun sold through his company Citlali. Their website is lovely, but you cannot buy online. We have a good supply in the shop right now and a few samples of his work in the jewelry section of our webisite. If you enter the word "Citlali" in the search field, you'll get just those pieces.
Meanwhile, it's April 16 and we're still waiting for all of the product we ordered in February to come together in Guadalajara to be shipped here. Patience. I must be patient. . .
