Tlacuatzin is a son huasteco trio from Mexico and I had the good fortune of studying with all three musicians last year. Yuyu I have known since she was a girl, still living in her hometown and back then in Tepetzintla she was already playing son huasteco with another two local girls. Eloy was starting to develop his astounding approach to the jarana huasteca, a small five stringed guitar-like instrument, when we met in Xalapa about 10 years ago. Manolo became a dear friend last November when I was a guest in his house during the Day of the Dead celebrations in El Higo, Veracruz. In just over a month Toronto will be treated to 2 weeks of their music in a variety of venues and contexts.  It is fortuitous that they will performing on November 2nd at the launch of Lotería Huasteca, my book about the region they also celebrate with their music. More information here about the launch. 

This stencil will be reproduced on different colours of thin plastic rectangles cut out to resemble papel picado. I started this piece last week at a collective workshop organized to create the decor for the upcoming Day of the Dead celebrations at Artscape Wychwood Barns in Toronto. We still have a couple of weeks and other artists are contributing  so more images may appear on this blog during the next few days. 

A year ago I was preparing to leave for Mexico where I would learn the music and dance specific to Xantolo (regional variant of Day of the Dead) celebrations in the Huasteca. As for who to study with, Manolo Zavala was recommended to me by Eloy Zuñiga Guinea as well as Jorge Morenos.  Flaunting the recommendation of these two nimble jaraneros (A jaranero is someone who plays the 5 string jarana huasteca) I reached out to Manolo who lives in El Higo (The Fig), Veracruz and he welcomed me to stay and be part of the proceedings. The outcome surpassed my expectations and now I find myself preparing to celebrate Xantolo in Toronto with Eloy, Manolo and another of my teachers, Yuyú. Full circle! This image is a celebration of their imminent arrival in Canada.

Creating a papercut could be compared to developing a photo from a negative. From the blank page an image is slowly revealed. With some pieces it feels as though the image was already somewhere in the paper and all that I have done is reveal it. Fragility,  is another aspect of the process because the paper becomes increasingly delicate as the negative spaces are cut away. On the one hand I aim to create a strong image but in essence it is extremely vulnerable. 

When I represent a person in my work I prefer to know the person. In this case the final image is motivated by the visit I am organizing for a Mexican son huasteco trio to Toronto, called Tlacuatzin I stayed with the group's violinist last October in El Higo, Veracruz and he initiated me into the Day of the Dead traditions. While Manolo may not recognize himself in this portrait I feel it is imbued by the memories I have of the time we spent together immersed in the hypnotic melodies and vigorous line dancing that welcome the ancestors upon their return to the realm of the living.