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Nov

A Cultural Encounter with Mexico’s Calacas

by Janine Boylan on November 26, 2012

Oaxacan artist Carlomagno Pedro Martinez, whose calacas (skeleton sculptures) provide a cultural encounter

Sculptor Carlomagno Pedro Martinez adding texture to a skeleton’s shawl
© Janine Boylan

Symbols Abound in Skeleton Sculptures of Oaxacan Artist

Sculptor Carlomagno Pedro Martinez leans over the wooden table and meticulously adds texture to the wailing skeleton’s shawl. Loose bones, skulls, and other skeletons are scattered on the table around him.

At a cultural exhibit of Oaxacan artists in the Bowers Museum (Santa Ana, California), Martinez, the featured sculptor, is working with the unique black clay he brought from his hometown near Coyotepec in Mexico.

Once Martinez’s figures dry, he polishes details with a quartz stone and then, using a centuries-old technique, kiln-fires his creations to obsidian black with gleaming metallic-like designs. Read more...

Janine Boylan Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Cultural Symbols/Mexico/The World's Art & Design

Nov

Food Carving Puts Creative Expression on Your Plate

by Meredith Mullins on November 1, 2012

Jack-o'-lantern faces, made by food carving

Pumpkins carved into jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween
© Thinkstock

It’s OK to Play with your Food

Doorsteps, stores, and fields bask in the glow of orange at the moment. It’s pumpkin time again. Good for pie making. And good for carving.

The art of creating scary jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween has been a longstanding tradition for food carving fans. But pumpkins are just the tip of the garden. Now I see creative expression in a whole genre of food art, and it’s evolving at a rapid pace. Read more...

Meredith Mullins Comments

The World's Art & Design

Oct

Creative Ideas in a Cornfield

by Janine Boylan on October 29, 2012

Get Lost in a Wisconsin Corn Maze

Angie and Alan Treinen’s corn maze in Lodi, Wisconsin, is, well, aMAZing. I had to find out how they make a field of stalks into the perfect canvas for their creative ideas.

The Kernel of the Corn Maze Idea

About twelve years ago, the Treinens wanted to expand their third-generation farming business. Families already came to their 200-acre property in the fall for hay rides and a pumpkin patch, but the Treinens considered adding a corn maze to draw more teens and young adults. Read more...