I am in El Norte and one of my tasks is to assess the Oaxacan art I've amassed over the years. It is fun work, but much of it is boxed up, so it is turning out to be a big job. It makes me recall why I got so hooked on the place to begin with. I remember reading that if I ever went to Oaxaca I could meet the "Picasso of woodcarvers,
Manuel Jimenez." I thought that sounded like a cool thing and so... I did. He was an wonderful character and I ended up buying a few pieces from him and his sons over the years. This buzzard perches in my kitchen.
Maestro Jimenez passed in 2005, but his sons, Angélico and Isaías, continue to carve in Arrazola.
After a few years of collecting carvings, I starting commissioning pieces and, as a musician, it made sense to have the carvers make music stands. It was a ten year project and I have over sixty of them and not only are they unique, they are also some of the best examples of their creativity and genius. Here are a couple by
Agustín Cruz Tinoco.
There is a funny story behind these. They took a while to make and part of the deal was that I would trade some musical instruments for his sons. I was a music teacher so I knew what brands to get, the best, and eventually headed down with a valve trombone and a clarinet for the boys. So when I showed up, Dad was not there and the boys were not sure what to do. However, when the saw and played the instruments, it was all over. "He'll kill us, but let's do it." It was a blast watching them play. The clarinetist was really good and their smiles were so big they could barely play!
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