Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Happiness in a handbag

Christina Medrano creates reversible works of art that hold your wallet and car keys

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas Christina Medrano is not your typical artist. She doesn't know how to draw, she doesn't know how to paint — but she does know how to sew and create her own unique graphic images, which she uses to showcase her talents.

This wife and mother of three sons is a Jarales native and Belen High School graduate. And while she is busy raising her family, she enjoys taking time out for herself creating eclectic and colorful handbags and jewelry.

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"I've always loved the arts, but I can't draw," Medrano admits. "I don't have a real defined talent, but I love to be creative."

Even though Medrano doesn't characterize herself as your typical artist, she says she does have an eye for the unusual and the unique, which has given her a niche in the art community. She also has gained inspiration from her best friend, Carolyn Flores, a local contemporary Spanish painter.

"We kind of got started together," Medrano says. "We always wanted to make stuff — this was before she started painting and before I started sewing."

With a passion for creating something — anything really, Medrano and Flores began making arts and crafts and taking their work to church craft shows. While they didn't make any money, the experience didn't discourage them from continuing to find what they were good at.

"(Carolyn) would make these little flower angels, and I would make these things called Santa's underwear, which were little long johns that you could stuff with candy for the holidays," she said. "I would make angels out of a denim pant leg and country-type items.

"We were making what we thought people would like," she said. "It was really basic, and they actually weren't very good. She (Flores) started painting and started working with (a graphics art program) on the computer."

Medrano had finally found something that she was not only good at, but also something that she really enjoyed. It was a way for her to put her creativeness to work.

She began making her own invitations — first to her children's birthday parties, cropping their images on different backgrounds. A few people who had seen her work asked her to do their invitations too.

With her newly found talent for graphic art, Medrano began designing her own images and placing them on jewelry and creating pinup patrons. Medrano's inspiration comes from Mexican and Latino art, which she utilizes on most of her jewelry.

The pinup patrons are a mixture of pinup girls and traditional retablo borders. The unique combination of the two art forms is explained in their titles, which include what they're famous for.

But what Medrano enjoys most these days, besides spending time with her husband, Diego, and their three sons, Emilio, Samuel and Miguel, is making distinctive handbags with distinctive fabric.

"I got a really great handbag for Christmas about two years ago, and it had Our Lady of Guadalupe on it," Medrano says. "It's very hard to find Latin-themed fabrics, and so I loved it. Someone told me that I should try and make it."

Without any sewing experience, she looked to her mother for guidance. Medrano said she made her own pattern of what she wanted the bags to look like and her mother taught her the basics of sewing.

After getting the hang of the machine, Medrano began making her bags, which she says are made of fabrics with pinup girls, Latino and Mexican themes, religious themes, Elvis and anything colorful and bright. She says she gets most of her material online because her taste in fabrics can't be found at your everyday fabric store. It's something that you don't see everyday.

But the fabric that Medrano really enjoys working with exhibits images of Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead.

"My sister, Teresa, really loved to collect Catrinas — fancy lady art," Medrano said. "They have the big hats, and she loved the style and had several ceramic Catrinas.

"But when you read about the Day of the Dead and how people celebrate death and that it shouldn't be feared though the traditions and art, I really understood and appreciated it," she said. "I just like the meaning — it's spiritual.

"I actually just sold the first two (handbags) I had ever made," Medrano proudly said.

She's also expanded her collection by using small plastic mercado bags that she embellishes with images of Spanish señoritas, Day of the Dead or other Mexican art.

With her newly found talent, Medrano has displayed and sold many of her pieces at different shows including at Tomé Gallery and at a recent show in Bernalillo called "Arté de Muertos." She's also traveled to Mesilla and other places around the state to display her work.

The next show she will be in will be on Sunday, April 19, at the Earth Day Celebration at 3600 Highway 528, the northwest corner of Corrales Road and Alameda in Albuquerque.

For more information about Medrano's art, visit TheFancyChola@etsy.com or her blog at TheFancyChola@blogspot.com.

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