V. 2 Casitas
Art from Latin American and what feels like home.
👋 I know, I know. It’s been a while. I’ve thought about you every month — I can say that in all honesty. I appreciate you being here and hopefully you’ll find it worth sticking around.
wyd,
Spring was a swivet and my summer has been packed until this month. I went to San Diego, California and Florence, Italy. During this time between work and traveling, I designed and taught an eight-week course for San José State University’s School of Information, which wrapped this month. But that’s a couple stories for another day. Now that August is winding down, I’m moving into the busiest time of the year at work.
After buying a couple paintings (again, to share another day), I started to think about art in the places I’ve called home, including my childhood home, homes of family members, and homes I’ve made for myself as an adult.
Casitas
When I was young, my mom traveled all over Latin America as a translator for a hydroelectric company. Besides traveling, it was a pretty dope job with a high tolerance for me being around during the summer. The big boss even let me use his office whenever he was out of town. To this day it was the nicest office I’d ever been in (balcony, huge desk, couch, etc.).
My mom brought back all types of ceramics and things like decorative boxes made out of wood. Ceramic houses — casitas — meant to be mounted on the wall were a favorite. We also had a couple small paintings from El Salvador, where she’s from, typically of the countryside.
Being so close to DC, we would go to Smithsonian Institution museums like the National Gallery of Art where my mom would buy exhibitions posters and get them framed to hang in our house.
The houses of my aunts and uncles are also decorated with similar art. Unfortunately the only casita I own — one my aunt brought back for me from México — is living in a box somewhere in my mom’s house. I’ve moved so many times; I still don’t live with all my things.
Toallas and Fernando Llort
The art that has become extra special to me can be found on toallas — towels — brought to the States from El Salvador by my grandmother on my mom’s side. These are highly coveted in my family. I don’t know what I did to grab two from my mom, but I’m grateful to have them. Only a couple of us have them and as I’m writing this, I want to have a toalla party with them to see the other designs.
The wood triptych nativity above and the brown towel below are both designs by Fernando Llort, a Salvadoran artist born in 1949.
Up until recently I was using them as beach towels, but they’re now retired and I plan on hanging them up in my house.
My Collection
My collection includes what you see in the photograph above, wooden and ceramic figures, and a couple religious statues that belonged to my grandfather. My collection is mostly hand-me-downs and a couple pieces I bought for myself from my various travels throughout Latin America and Spain.
Ceramics and other art from Oaxaca, México deserve a post all their own. For now, here are a couple piece I’ve picked up. Looking forward to reading more about them and sharing more thoughts.
My pottery from Oaxaca lives behind me while I’m working, so along with plants, they show up on screen when I’m in Zoom meetings. This is important because it creates familiarity, soothes my mind when I’m on screen in a meeting, which is usually the opposite of soothing.
If you made it this far, I appreciate it.
Nos vemos. Gracias, paz, salud.
jennifer