Luz Maria Salinas
Straw Paintings
Mexico City, Mexico
Luz Maria Salinas is an artist living and working in Mexico City. She has been practicing the folk art form of popotillo painting, or straw painting, since she was seven years old, carrying on the tradition of her parents and grandparents.
The origin of straw painting extends back to the time of the Aztecs. In this tradition, the artist creates images and designs from dyed popotillo, a type of native Mexican grass primarily found off the shores of the lakes near Mexico City. The dyed grass is carefully adhered to a surface covered in beeswax to create colorful images of Mexican life.Luz Maria sells her artwork in an open-air craft market in Mexico City, which is where she first met Isaiah Zagar over twenty years ago. Isaiah asked if she could make a straw painting based on one of his drawings and she agreed. Together, they have collaborated on hundreds of popotillo paintings!
Example:
Detail of “Raymond Isadore He Made a World of Broken Plates”
Location: Currently in storage