He is inspired by music to create works of art with traditional bules

José Ignacio Contreras Medina is an artisan who has resumed his love for painting and oil techniques with their nuances to capture them in the traditional huajes (bules), which have been of ancestral use in the municipality of Escuinapa and to which he has given them an added value to create works of art that distinguish the Escuinapenses.  Raw material The artisan from Tecualilla explained that huajes are produced in the countryside, through vine plants. The ancestors used them to store water to drink and take it to the work of the field, to carry coffee, since they function as thermoses, and they are also used as tortilleros in homes.” My interest in resuming this activity is to transmit to the new generations the love for creating beautiful crafts that distinguish us and represent us as escuinapenses, and that like the barcina, the bule remains within the historical and cultural riches of our municipality, “said Contreras Medina.The huaje is a vine and a single seed generates several guides that produce three to four bules. It lasts approximately 2 meters and lasts two to three months for its development. He mentioned that the bule has to be cut from the plant when it is in a shade between green and yellow, it is cleaned of the seeds inside, hot water is poured so that it is ready in case it will be used for water storage. Special treatment When the bule will be used for handicrafts it also has to be given a special treatment on the outside to remove the layer of skin, it is sanded and ready to start the artistic creation.    “I decided to give an added value to the bules and since I was a child I learned the techniques of oil painting and drawing, I began to create these crafts that have liked very much the escuinapenses, the people who visit our municipality,” said the also teacher by profession. He said that when he is creating his works of art, his inspiration is taken from music, which includes the son of the tambora with El escuinapense, to capture regional art. For the commercialization of his products, digital platforms have been of great help, which is where he has exhibited his already completed works. Project The cost of a bule depends on the size and the paint that is reflected on its exterior. It ranges from 300 to 400 pesos. He added that currently, the bules are bought in the Escuinapa market or in other municipalities, such as Cosalá, but his project in the coming months is to start planting huajes, to be the generator of his own raw material and thereby expand his production of handicrafts. He added that the techniques in painting he uses is oil and in some wood engraving, which gives it a touch like screen printing. Creating these crafts takes four to seven hours, depending on the design you capture on the bule. We recommend you read: Profile José Ignacio Contreras Medina
artisanAge: 31 years.
Place of birth: Palmillas, Escuinapa.
Profession: Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Administration and master’s degree in Marketing. He is currently a professor of the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, at the Technological University of Escuinapa.
Free time: Painter and craftsman. VIDEO. Is it really forbidden? Guards prevent XV year session in Fine Arts

Original source in Spanish