Folk Tree Pasadena to offer Oaxacan jewelry trunk show June 4-6

THE FOLK TREE
217 South Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-8733
www.folktree.com


On Saturday, June 4 (10-6), Sunday, June 5 (12-5), and Monday, June 6 (11-6), The Folk Tree welcomes Los Angeles jeweler Carlos Gutierrez, who displays his Oaxacan style jewelry and demonstrates his artistry and technique throughout his three-day stay.

Gutierrez was born in 1964 in the Valle Central de Oaxaca, Mexico. His parents, Carlos Gutierrez Cervantes and Carmen Soledad Garcia de Gutierrez, have dedicated their lives to making jewelry, and it was from them that he learned his craft – as did 6 of his 10 siblings. Says Gutierrez, “I began learning the craft at the early age of 6 by observing my father working in his workshop. As I grew older my father would patiently teach the long and laborious process of creating a silver piece and the various techniques commonly used in jewelry making. He also challenged me to produce special pieces of significant meaning to our people. By the time I was 15 years old I was not only an apprentice in my father's workshop but was also making a living as a jewelry artisan and helping my family economically.”

In 1989, at the age of 25, Gutierrez settled in Los Angeles. He began working at local jewelry stores to earn a living and produced jewelry for Federico’s, art museum shops, and collectors.

Recently, he began creating his own line of Oaxacan style jewelry, which had been a long term goal. He says, “I love making silver jewelry. I find great joy at producing simple or intricate pieces that reflect my people's beliefs in the power and beauty of nature, gods and goddesses and the simple objects of everyday living. I think this is the reason you will find a lot of flowers, birds, animals as well as religious images in my pieces. I am also committed to and feel especially responsible for preserving and passing the Oaxacan jewelry tradition to the new and younger generations.”

The Folk Tree is located at 217 South Fair Oaks Avenue, minutes walking distance from the Gold Line’s Del Mar station, and just south of Old Pasadena. Hours are: M-W, 11-6; Th-Sat, 10-6; Sun, 12-5.