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by Marianne Carlson (Founder and Coordinator of Feria Maestros del Arte

Mexico has many moods and faces and is, without a doubt, steeped in ancient Indian lore and seasoned with Spanish colonial customs. The array of folk art and crafts in Mexico is simply mind-boggling. Each region has its own specialty, with villagers maintaining the traditions handed down from countless generations.

Popotilla, a rare and marvelous art form, is also known as straw painting or straw mosaic. This art form is one of Mexico’s most ancient, generally believed to date back to pre-Hispanic times. Andrés Mendoza, now deceased, is one of the straw artists credited with reviving this ancient art. Today, his granddaughter, Isabel Mendoza, carries on his tradition of “painting with straw.”

The creation of a straw painting takes a very long time, requires great patience and an incredibly steady hand, and is perhaps one of Mexico’s most meticulous popular arts. The very intricate designs of the past took as much as two hours per square inch to create. Today, some artists use larger and longer pieces of straw and less shaded coloring, thus taking less time and skill, however, the Mendoza family has remained true to the old tradition.

The straw Isabel uses in her works of art is taken from chaff growing wild and is cleaned and acid-bathed to improve the absorption of the dyes used to color it. Her grandfather used to gather his own straw high in the surrounding mountains of Guadalajara, however, Isabel purchases her straw from men who search for and dye the straw as a living. The dyes are made from the natural-found substances shown below. Pulverized and mixed with water, each becomes a unique color used in straw art.

DYES USED in STRAW ART

Beige - Canyaigre dock root
Blue - Lupin flower
Brown- Gambel oak bark
Green - Sargo brush
Orange - Yellow onion skin
Olive Green - Red onion skin
Pink - Sumac Berries
Red/Orange - Alder bark
Tan - Rabbit brush
White - Cactus flower
Yellow - Small snake weed
Red - Chinchilla insect

The antique popotilla motifs were intricate landscapes, churches, Mexican historical landmarks, images of Christ, folklore dances, religious and village scenes, and indigenous portraits. Several of the few artists who practice this art have moved to more contemporary themes although once again, the Mendoza family stays true to the old ways and subject matter.

The design was, and is today, initially sketched in pencil on cardboard; a thin coating of beeswax is then applied as evenly as possible on top of the sketch. The popotero then gently lays his piece of straw across the surface of the piece and cuts it within the design lines with a tool resembling an exacto knife. Originally, the completed pieces were sealed with egg whites, sugar and water, but eventually varnish and most recently enamel finish have succeeded the natural formula, which in time did little to hold the straw in place.

Isabel says she enjoys all the parts that go together toward making the final art piece. First, she must search for the wild straw, selecting the right size and thickness. Then the straw must be dyed with insect, vegetable and chemical dyes. The beeswax must be purified by boiling and straining it to eliminate impure particles. Next, she draws his design on a heavy cardboard and finally she cuts and presses the straw into the beeswax piece by tiny piece. The straw crisscrosses in several directions which provides texture and detail to the painting. Crisscrossing prevents the straw from tumbling off if the beeswax should dry. One square inch has approximately one to five hundred pieces of straw.

As with many art forms, patience is the most desirable attribute for a master of straw. Making one square inch of mosaic takes hours. The beeswax and the straw preparation consume many days. The straw is gathered and prepared only once a year in the summer. Popoteros are pretty much confined to southern and central Mexico. If you want to purchase a popotilla you may discover they are not readily available, even in Mexico. To further complicate the export of this art, they are rarely distributed to any of the border towns or tourist destinations, nor are they to be found in the northwest of Mexico or western US. However, popotillas by Isabel Mendoza will be available at Feria Maestros del Arte.

For information contact Marianne Carlson at (01152 from outside Mexico) 376 765-7485 or email mariannecarlson@gmail.com

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