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Hi everybody!, first blog ever so let's see how it goes...hahaha.

Today I want to share with you why I decided to use paper mache for "Essence" collection.

Paper mache is a very popular technique used by artisans in Mexico. I still remember when I was looking at all those colorful and beautiful piñatas hanging from the ceilings of the markets while walking holding hands with my mom. And don't ask me why, but it was a very popular art assignment in elementary schools when I was little (several decades ago).

According to Wikipedia, paper mache is: Literally "chewed paper", "pulped paper", or "mashed paper". Composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with and adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste.

Does it have a meaning for me?, the answer is...yes!. I was 9 years old and I had to make a puppet as an art assignment, we could make any figure, as long as it was molded in plasticine, covered with paper mache and painted with acrylics. I was struggling for quite some time trying to figure it out what to do, until one day my life as a little girl was full of sadness. I had a dog that was too big and my parents decided to send him to a farm where he could be free and be happier. He had a very little space to run in a populated city. It was the best for my dog, but I was devastated. I watched my dog leave my house in the back of a truck knowing that I will never see him again. I was crying and my only escape and comfort was to start my art project. Feeling the plasticine in my hands at that moment was the best feeling that I ever had, I didn't have any picture or drawing to follow I just let my hands go free. I finished my project. Was a black dog with a white spot around one of its eyes, totally opposite of what my dog was. I found what my passion was. Cutting newspapers and applying those in several layers with liquid baked starch was the most fun thing I ever did, it brought me happiness. My art project was a success, my puppet ended in the hall of fame at my elementary school until the school year ended.

And coming back to the present :), since this medium is so representative of who I am and since I'm showing Prehispanic masks, why not put everything together with an special twist. Paper mache made of paper bags to achieve an even consistency in all the layers which makes the mask stronger. Plaster applied, sanded and primed on the top, finished with acrylic paint. I combined influences of my indigenous ancestors, Venetian masks, Alebrijes, and Yayoi Kusama's patterns.

I'll post some pictures of the process in my social media accounts. See you in the next blog!