“Sugar and Spice” and everything nice at the Artist Fair Isla Mujeres, Mexico!

Kate Abbott and Yazmin Aguirre Rivera

With a name like Sugar and Spice Bakery, we just had to stop at their booth during the Artist Fair in the Square on Isla Mujeres. Yum! Katie Abbott and Yazmin Aguirre Rivera had stacks of cupcakes in every colour, flavour, and style.  

I really wanted one of each variety, but taking photographs while eating icing-slathered cupcakes was a recipe for disaster. 

Although photos shot through a smeared camera lens might have created an interesting effect, an ethereal soft-focus with a finger-licking-good taste.

One of the early Artist Showcases outside Barlito's

This colourful affair is the brainchild of Tiffany Yenawine Wareing and Brad Wareing. It started modestly a couple of years ago, set up outside Barlito’s Bakery on Hidalgo Avenue.  During the high season, Tiffany invited a variety of local and visiting artists to sell their jewelry creations, paintings, or photographs on the first Thursday of every month.  

Alison Sawyer Current - multi-talented artist

Eventually, the municipality told Tiffany that she needed a permit for the successful art show.  She replied, “No problem. What do we do to get a permit?  And by the way, why don’t you give us a hand with this? We’ll make it bigger and better.” After a few meetings and negotiations, the municipality joined Barlito’s Bakery as a sponsor, along with Fayne’s Bar and Soul de Isla. The improved event has been relocated to the square in 

Centro.

As we roamed around the fair, greeting various island friends, we recognized familiar faces. Always smiling, Alison Sawyer Current was there selling her books in support of the Isla Animals Society.

Damien Lemee - Droldoizo.com

Alison is better known as The Dog Lady, as she works tirelessly to improve the general health and well-being of local and mainland pooches.  Alison is a multi-talented artist. Besides organizing spay and neuter clinics, and rabies inoculations, she writes books and makes beautiful pottery.  

When I think of Alison, I think of an old quote by Lucille Ball: “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do.” That is Alison!

In other areas of the fair, we enjoyed seeing the other artists’ handiwork. Damien Lemée from Montreal, Canada, dangled his quirky tropical birds created from recycled vehicle tires. A few of our friends have his whimsical creations hanging in their homes and on patios.  

Isla Beading Co-operative

Across the square from Damien, the Isla Women’s Beading Co-operative had a great selection of items for sale, all patiently made by hand. I can hardly see the tiny glass beads, never mind actually stringing them into intricate creations.  

Nearby, Eileen Regn showcased her sea glass and sea heart jewelry collection, while Gladys Galdamez and Gunther Hepner had a variety of clothing and jewelry, including earrings made from colourful feathers.  

Glady Galdamez & Gunther Hepner

The feathers were donated by their two pets: Codie and Rosa.  (Do the birds get an extra ration of treats for dropping such gorgeous feathers?) 

There were many more contributors, but Lawrie and I spent a bit too much time socializing. By the time I realized that I hadn’t seen everything, the light had changed, making clear photos difficult. Ah, well, there is always next month! 

Eileen Regn with sea heart and sea glass jewelry

Hasta Luego          
Lynda and Lawrie

Grab your copy today!

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

The art of basura! Artisan Antonio Fabre, Isla Mujeres!

Entrance to palapa workshop

There is a funny little palapa structure that appeared, a year or two ago, south of Villa la Bella on the Caribbean side of Isla Mujeres. 

First, it was the location of a refreshment stand, offering cold drinks to passersby, then it changed into a workshop area with all sorts of unusual things hanging or lying around. 



Purchased by friends

Passing it regularly, we never thought to investigate. Then, about three weeks ago, Robyn and Al Crump showed us a table that one of their sons had purchased from the artisan who works in the palapa.  Wow! His name is Antonio Fabre.  Originally from Cuernavaca near Mexico City, Antonio has lived on Isla Mujeres for about five years. He creates beautiful things using stone, interesting woods, recycled metals, and other unusual items. 



The largest table in Antonio's display store.



Al and Robyn said we absolutely had to see the bigger coffee table in the shop on Hidalgo, where Antonio displays his work. 

Okay, let's go. We hopped into our car and zipped down to Centro around ten in the morning on a Wednesday - only to find the store closed. 

We hung around, waited, had a cold drink, waited and finally Al called Antonio on his cell phone. The store was closed for the day, but Antonio said he would be there in ten minutes. He was. The table was lovely. We needed it. 


Recycling a wooden gate into a table.

We also wanted a second, smaller table for our outside sitting area. Leaning against an outside wall of our house was a wooden gate, from another house, that had been replaced by an aluminum gate. Lawrie had rescued the gate, thinking it might, in the future, make a good coffee table top. 

We showed it to Antonio, and he said, Sure, I can make you a coffee table out of this. 

Great! A couple of days later, Antonio dropped by our house with a choice of three designs for the second table. We picked one, settled on a price for the two tables and left it at that.



Antonio and Max setting up new table

On Wednesday, February 1st, he delivered both tables. We couldn't be more pleased with the results.  The one made from the recycled gate has been painstakingly inscribed, line by line, with the lyrics of a very old song, "Vive" by Jose Maria Napoleon, and rewritten by Antonio's friend Efrain. 

He also added our favourite saying: no regrets, no bad memories. The base is a beautiful slab of Macedonia limestone from the Mérida area, also called Crema Maya, set into a huge block of Zapote, a beautiful and tough tropical wood. The larger table has a base made from an old anchor, with a porthole accent and carved fish swimming across the surface of the gorgeous tropical wood.

Beautiful lamps at Angelo's Restaurante

When I quizzed Antonio about his work, he said he trained as an architect in Mexico City for two years, then, when the teachers went on strike, he moved to Barcelona, Spain, for a year to study photography. 

With his creative mind, photography was excessively two-dimensional, so he switched to creating beautiful things from wood, metal, stone, and glass. 

Other examples of Antonio's work include the signage at Angelo's Restaurante, Casa Crump del Caribe, the large street-side mobile at Villa la Bella, and the gorgeous multi-coloured lights at Angelo's.



House name for Casa Crump del Caribe

At times, Antonio is difficult to locate.  He is often in Cancun, Merida, or other parts of the Yucatan, buying materials for his current creations. 

Here's his cell number
998-128-3060, and his email address is antoniofabre@hotmail.com! 

Don't despair! You will find him, and it's well worth the effort. Antonio takes discarded items and turns them into works of art.

Hasta pronto, Lynda & Lawrie

Grab your copy today!

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky