Catrina (No, Not The Hurricane)

~ San Antonio

11/28/2012

Holy Cow! - A Bride and groom showing how it really
 is in the marital relationship. The engaging art
representing the Calavera Catrina style.

In a burst of color that knocks one dead, the unusual  “skeleton art” at Taide’s Imports, is, in my opinion, a welcome addition to the art scene in the Monte Vista area. 

I found this gallery, located at the corner of San Pedro and W. Mulberry just north of San Antonio College, as I was shooting some of the “urban street art” along the San Pedro corridor.

Although it bills itself as Mexican Art and Decor, my thoughts are that Taide’s is actually more of a quirky little art gallery sitting on the dividing line between high culture and working class, with its tasteful presentation of  interesting pieces, including sculpture, metalwork, and glass works, that are out of the mainstream.

Colorful glass-art bowls form a splash of color on
one of the gallery display walls

I was at first attracted to the colorful display of glass impression-art bowls covering a large part of one of the walls, and then found, back in the corner of the store a  great collection of  what is known as Catrina Art -  after  La Calavera Catrina («The Elegant Skull») a 1910 zinc etching by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.

Gallery staff at Taide's Imports

This image and its reinterpretation, has since become a staple of Mexican imagery, and often is incorporated into artistic manifestations of the Day of the Dead in November, such as altars and calavera costumes, and forms the iconic basis of the Calavara/Catrina art itself.  

Knowing nothing about this style, I asked gallery staff, Jorge and Nettie, about the meaning of the art and was told that this imagery means many things to many people, one of which is that it causes one to consider that  death is the great equalizer.

My Take -  If you want to get something unique for your home or office then I think this is on place that should be on your list.


Taide's Imports
2322 San Pedro
Corner San Pedro and Mulberry just north of SAC

Fish Tacos to Die For

Well, what do you know. I found some FISH TACOS to die for. Of all places they are at Van’s Burgers in Mathis Texas.

A sleepy almost abandoned cotton town located about 100 miles south of San Antonio, Mathis is a step back in time with its boarded shops and one main drag, but located about one block off the main street this nicely appointed Sports Pub is a great place to eat for lunch. The fish is fried talipia put into small corn tortillas and topped with a wonderful green tangy-sweet avocado sauce and red cabbage.

I’ll let the picture speak for itself.

American Beauty

Art Is Where You Find It -Part 2

A little bit of urban humor now showing at the men's bathroom door.
Starbucks Quarry Shopping Center  ~ San Antonio Texas

I looked at this thing for 3 weeks before I realized the joke!  Props to the artist who created this little gem.

Coming Soon to a Table Near You

Wait for it Wait for It ~~~ Coming Soon

Roasted Vegetables with Rosemary

Over at friends house ~ His squeeze is making something good. Pics and recipe posted here after its done.

Ahhh ... The benefits of friends and having your camera with you everywhere.

Urban Colors - Art Exhibit

At long last - I have gotten some of my pieces up on the wall at a public venue. (Click on image to zoom)

These are images shot right in San Antonio. And who says that San Antonio does not have color.

2 pieces are 30 x 30. The other is a whopping 30 x 60!

BTW - The baby always needs new shoes, so contact me for unique prints or other media for your private collections or corporate wall art.

Spanging (aka "spare changing")

Travelers on their way to San Diego by way of wherever suits their fancy

Well, it didn’t take long for me to find something interesting to shoot. The day started out all right with me going to see a doctor about my shoulder pain and me telling him that one of the reasons that I love America  is because they do not have these MRI machine things  in Afghanistan ...but that, I suppose, is a story for a political editorial.

Ready for the Zombie Apocalypse

No, this time, as I was driving from my hovel, which is located uptown, down to the higher end of town , known in San Antonio as “09 territory” , where little bungalow costs as much as in Los Angeles, but which is about 5 times the price for that same bungalow anywhere else. And, even though you see yard signs in some of those million dollar lawns,  proudly proclaiming “ No Selfishness”,  we all know what those high prices keep out don’t we??? O crap- I keep going political.

Anyway, looking to my right as I rounded the corner, I see two people walking down the sidewalk, shouldering hiking style backpacks, and dressed in that funky European youth traveler style. Long skirt, fatigue jacket, campo hat with all of kinds of funk attached. For a minute, I considered just continuing on my way, but then the cameraman in me kicked in and I spun the car around to see if I could catch up to them.

What ensued was a lively and informative discussion about all manner of things, ranging from politics, to street art, to graffiti, to youth attitudes toward America. The travelers, who I will call Rachel and Justin, have come on foot and by thumb, from the Boston area, and are on their way to San Diego, according to no particular timetable other than what suits their fancy when they wake up in the morning.

As far a motivations for living this lifestyle, my take on things after talking with them is that it certainly NOT about working for the man for the rest of your life to wake up and find no pension, and all your savings gone, but instead a way of living outside the grid and unconstrained by all the chains that many people find themselves bound by. This is not to say that this lifestyle is that of a bum in the street, as these two appeared to know full well what they were doing and considered it all an adventure.

We discussed the police and how they treat people who look different, and they indicated that in the other areas of the country, they encountered a bit more negative reaction to their state of dress and manner, but, that in Texas, people seemed to be friendly and helpful. Well, that was everywhere except up near one of the NASCAR racetracks when they said that free bus tickets were being given away for the "undesirables" to get out of town.
br />Asking about how they got money along the way, Rachel said that they go "spanging", which is street slang for flashing for spare change. Flashing itself meaning pulling out those cardboard signs saying things like "Money needed for Zombie Apocalypse". Zombie Apocalypse being a metaphor for the mechanical suits that the world seems to be manufacturing these days. Mechanical suits being the term used to describe all the businessmen working their asses off for their piece of silver.

Another bit of insight was gleaned from Rachel, when we somehow got off on a discussion of Mitt Romney’s statement to me during a past interview at a local Starbucks, that the current generation will be fine, but the next has no idea of what is happening or what is going to hit them in the future.. Romney meaning that the baby boomers will be able to suck out of the system all the wealth and "benefits" that they have accumulated and earned, and that they will all have that Medicare, etc.; but that with the way things are going , that the 20-30 year olds will have nothing there when they go to use it because the government is giving free stuff and welfare to all comers.

This is where a new idea was posed to me - that perhaps the younger generation does not value things in the same way as the older generations, and that they will not care a wit about waiting 3 hours in the bread line, nor be the least perturbed about waiting 10 hours at the free clinic to get their government provided flu shot. ( Gee funny me, I thought that all those people in the bread lines in Russia were pissed off at being there, but maybe they figure it was all OK.)

So foreign to me, but then again this sentiment regarding the old work ethic has a familiar refrain which I have heard from other "youth".

I mean, what’s the difference, standing in line for 18 hours to get a new iPhone, or 18 hours for a government welfare check.???

Hey, I’m just sayin.

Art is Where You Find It

Aspiring young artist, Andy Padilla, shows off some of his works
he is taking to Austin for a Street Festival

As a street photographer you never know what you are going to come across, and today was no exception.

On my way to put up the flyer for my Urban Colors Art Exhibit at the Starbucks at San Pedro and Cypress across from San Antonio College, and I ran across a couple having a cup of coffee and looking at maps on their computer. Mentioning that my photographic exhibit was about graffiti spray-art, the young artist, Andy Padilla, introduced himself, and indicated that he and his girlfrield had come from Laredo and were on their way to Austin Texas to show and sell some of his art.

Intrigued at meeting a fellow artistic traveller, he offered to show me me his art, which he pulled from the trunk of his car. Andy’s art is colorful freeform consisting of acrylics, watercolors and pen line work, applied to whatever was at hand, be it cardboard, plywood, or other materials.

We discussed the various kinds of urban art in the cities and traded stories about some of the people we have encountered in our artistic journey. Good Luck to you Andy and let us know how things go at your show.

Gettin Juiced

Have you ever wondered if there was a natural alternative to all the sugar drinks and other carbs that are being foisted off on the public these days? Ever wondered about why all the aches and pains, the sleepless nights, the belly flab despite sweating your ass of at the gym?

Have you ever had that little tickle of an idea in the back of your mind that many of medical opinions and treatments, really amount to giving people pills to take away the symptoms of an underlying problem, rather than actually working to correct the underlying problem in the first place?

It really does make a difference what you put into your body.
 Good Fuel with MicroNutrients = Better Health

I wonder these things. Yeah, I know that I have availed myself of medical treatment from time to time (for example getting bionic eyes stuck in my head several years ago), and know that when I cut my left finger off because of bad chain saw karma, I will be going to a hospital where they have trained medical doctors, I still, from time to time, have this sneaking feeling that there are more threads to the tapestry of good health than the thread of running to the doctor's office to get a pill that covers up symptoms and itself creates even more problems.

If you are like me, and having these feelings that there is more to the total picture of health than the gym or the doctor's office, then you will be happy to know of Juicer Heroes, a janky little joint that I was turned on to a couple weeks ago.

Just some of the all natural ingredients used by JuicerHeroes

Run by 2 brothers who go by the street names of KaleMan and SuperFood, Juicer Heroes is a place where you can get a serving of healthy, natural, made-before-your-eyes juices filled with micro-nutrients, comprising anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, that can be used instantly by the body.

With names such as Great Green (spinach, cucumber cantaloupe, ginger) and Purple Power (collard, kale, beet, grapefruit, pineapple, ginger) you know instantly that you are getting something way different than the "juice" that sits on the shelf at the local supermarket.

"Padre" makes up some healthy alternatives to take you to better health

Dr. Boss serving up a helping of
endocrine interaction information at one
of his weekly "Better Health" info sessions

Not only can you get a great juice, but you can enjoy it while attending one of the informative weekly health education presentations given by Dr. Michael Boss who has extensive experience in Functional Diagnostic Medicine including Functional Endocrinology (Hormone imbalances), Functional Blood Chemistry, Functional Thyroid Balance and Disorders, Functional Brain and Neurotransmitter Imbalances, Autoimmune Disease evaluation and treatment, and Pre-diabetes/Diabetes evaluation and treatment, Inflammatory Disease evaluation and treatment, Menopause/Perimenopause/Andropause evaluation and treatment and more.

Located on the west side of 281, next to Discount Tire, Juicer Heroes is a place to include in your search for a group of people passionate about holistic approaches to health.

　
Juicer Heroes

15337 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, TX

(210) 233-9958

www.juicerheroes.com

A happpy customer gets
her daily dose of goodness

Disclaimer - I am an ex-engineer whose spiritual awareness was, for many years, at about the level of a slug. In zen-speak, I guess you could say that it was so bad that I was operating almost entirely out of the first chakra. In other words, if the conversation did not include the words, concrete, steel, bulldozer, calculus, then, as far as I was concerned, it was all just a bunch of girlie hooey. Fast forward after 30 years of that kind of grind, which, while it did have its benefits of putting food on the table, took its toll and lead me to re-evaluate.

Thus it is now that I take my omega-3's, my potassium, only eat one bag of Lays potato chips every 6 months, eat sauerkraut with my scrambled eggs ... and drink stuff made from veggies such as KaleMan Creation and CrossfitExtreme.

And no, like always, the only graft and corruption I have gotten out of writing this piece is the fun in taking the photos, talking with the people, and doing the write up.