{"id":19973,"date":"2024-04-12T14:03:13","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T20:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/?post_type=product&p=19973"},"modified":"2024-08-30T14:35:05","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T20:35:05","slug":"espanol-tito-puentes","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/shop\/espanol-tito-puentes\/","title":{"rendered":"Tito Puente"},"content":{"rendered":"
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My painting is all about \u201ccoming home.\u201d\u00a0 I returned to Mexico to live in the early-90s because, though I lived in the U.S. for 60 years, raised my family, and had a \u201csuccessful\u201d life as an attorney, I never felt at home. Often while running in the fields near my home in Northern California, I would cry with the feeling, \u201cI just want to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The colors of my work celebrate Mexico, trying to reflect the heart of Mexican culture \u2013 a blend between Huichol (brilliantly colored yarns pressed onto bees wax) and Alebrijes (brilliantly colored dot painted carved wooden animal figures).\u00a0 \u201cColores de Mi Corazon\u201d (Colors of\u00a0 My Heart) is the name I chose for my work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Last year while Patrice was in the U.S. I found a mesquite chair in the house. On the terraza I began dripping paint on to the chair, then dots began to take form. When Patrice returned from her travels, I showed her the painted chair.\u00a0 She asked excitedly, \u201cWhere did you buy it?!\u201d\u00a0 When I told her that I had painted it myself she was astonished.\u00a0 It was that enthusiastic, loving and appreciative response that launched me.<\/p>\n

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I bought the most brilliant colors I could find or mix \u2013 turquoises, yellows, greens in 4 shades, blues in 5 shades, rosa mexicana, purples and I began painting the dining room chairs in our home.\u00a0 When I posted them on Facebook, they all sold in an hour. Nobody even asked what they cost!\u00a0 Amazing! Two years later I have 11 hues of blue, 8 purple, 8 green, 3 yellows \u2013 a total of 51 colors so far; limited only by finding container<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Since I can\u2019t draw, I just do dots and lines.\u00a0 I have absolutely no idea where the designs come from, they just emerge from the juxtaposition of colors and the process of losing myself in the process.\u00a0 About 90% of my painting is done with toothpicks and sawed-off paint brush handles.\u00a0 My favorite base colors (upon which I apply the lines and dots) are dark green, dark blue, purple, and black. I use Mexican built chairs and I just follow the shapes of the wood.\u00a0 I never start with a design in mind. Often, about 1\/3 of the way in, I get a strong feeling that the work isn\/t working.\u00a0 I have learned to smile because they always explode into more beautiful patterns and designs. As a result, I have no fear of \u201cmistakes\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I have learned to wait until the piece emerges.\u00a0 Also, I have no concept of \u201cfinished\u201d\u00a0 I just paint until the piece tells me that it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m inspired by Patrice\u2019s constant support \u2013 she\u2019s never complained that I get up\u00a0between 1:30 and 4 a.m.<\/span>\u00a0and work most days (except for eating)\u00a0until 4 p.m.<\/span>\u00a0 I\u2019m also inspired by the enthusiastic praise I\u2019ve received from friends, customers, and artists I respect.<\/p>\n

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About 4 months after I started painting at 70 years of age in September 2019, we were visiting the famous alibrije town of San Martin de Tecaltepec outside of Oaxaca, visiting Javier Hernandez, a 4th generation Alebrijista.\u00a0 Patrice showed him photos of my chairs on her IPhone.\u00a0 He kept sliding the screen back and forth. \u201cTu eres me competencia!\u201d he exclaimed. (You are my competition!)\u00a0 To receive such a high compliment from a revered Mexican artisan sent me to the moon.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Jerry Rife<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Another inspiration is that I humorously say I have 2 prices:\u00a0 \u201cExpensive and free.\u201d At a December 2019 Abrazos Christmas party one of the children sat all night on one of my children\u2019s chairs.\u00a0 When I asked if she liked the chair, she shyly answered \u201cSi, mucho.\u201d \u201cEntonces es un regalo para ti\u201d (Then it\u2019s a gift for you).\u00a0 The big chairs pay for all supplies and the baby chairs.\u00a0 As of February 2023 I\u2019ve given away 21 baby chairs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0I hope to give away 50 chairs as gifts before I die; it will be a grateful thank you to the Mexican people celebrating my return to a land, culture, people and place I love. I\u2019ve never been happier and my painting expresses my \u201calegria,\u201d my joy!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My painting is all about \u201ccoming home.\u201d\u00a0 I returned to Mexico to live in the early-90s because, though I lived in the U.S. for 60 years, raised my family, and had a \u201csuccessful\u201d life as an attorney, I never felt at home. Often while running in the fields near my home in Northern California, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_cat":[155],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-19973","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-ernestos-hand-painted-art-maracas-limited-editions-originals-pintadas-a-mano","first","instock","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/19973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=19973"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sanmigueldesigns.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=19973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}