Join IFAM for two days of workshops and pop-ups with artists Florencia Espinal Ramírez and Vicente Castillo of Olinalá, Mexico. Florencia and Vicente are known for their vibrant lacquered wooden boxes filled with depictions of flora and fauna, dancing skeletons, and ornate patternwork.
Each participant will be provided with a wooden base, where they will be instructed how to cover their wood with a paste-like base coat of chia oil and paint with earth pigments in order to create detailed and bright designs. Participants will take home their creations. Each workshop will also offer the opportunity to shop and support Florencia and Vicente’s selection of extraordinary lacquered boxes, masks, and trays. All materials provided, but bring your own apron if you’d like!
Unwind with us Friday night for our evening workshop, November 10 from 5 pm - 7 pm. Wine and light nibbles provided for free.
Or, spend your Saturday afternoon with us instead for our second workshop, November 11 from 1 pm - 3 pm.
Not able to attend, but still interested in seeing these beauties? Stop by for our pop-up Friday, November 10 from 12 pm - 7 pm.
Cost covers materials and honorarium for IFAM Artists.
More Information: “Our community is difficult to access, and it’s small,” says Florencia. “And yet, the name of Olinalá is known nationally and internationally; it is the Mexican capital of lacquer.” In this part of southwestern Mexico, located in the state of Guerrero, artisans use the same wood as generations before them: durable olinaloe and piñon varieties. After selecting choice pieces from local wood purveyors, the artists procure a special stone found in the hills surrounding Olinalá. They grind this down to a fine dust and mix it with chia oil to make a paste-like base coat which is applied all over the wood surface and allowed to dry. Next, earth pigments are meticulously painted onto the wood with a deer-tail brush. The dazzling lacquer coating on each one-of-a-kind box adds a spectacular luster. Though these boxes are suitable for holding treasures, in truth each one is a treasure unto itself.