Manny Garcia is a talented folk artist from Tucson. After a career of 35 years as a meat cutter, he retired to Tucson and began painting murals and making his painted gourd birdfeeders and tejas (painted mission roof tiles). Denisa, his wife, told us she always knew Manny was talented, but it took retirement to bring out his talents. Although he received no traditional artistic training, his painting is clearly done in his own unique style. His craftsmanship is exemplary, and his prices are very modest for the time and effort that he pours into his work.
Manny’s Gourd Bird Feeders are great examples of a disappearing Mexican folk art. He searches out sturdy thick walled gourds from local growers. These gourds are much like those that were being used by indigenous peoples when Europeans first came to North and South America. He removes all of the fibrous inner material from a dry gourd, then cuts an opening in the front, drills holes to allow water to drain, and paints charming renditions of our common desert birds and plants onto the gourd. From cardinals to pyrrhuloxias, from hummingbirds to cactus wrens, from quails to roadrunners, from doves to owls, the birds are recognizable yet fanciful in Manny’s work. Finally, he hand fashions braided copper wire for all of the feeder hangers and perches. Each piece is marked with a tiny signature ladybug. $60.00 (Item #360)
Since these are designed and constructed as functional art by artists, our inventory is constantly changing. So if you are interested please call us and we'll tell you what is available and we can take a picture with the iPhone and send to you.
| Product Name |
Price |
Item# |
Mission Roof Tile (Teja) |
$60.00 |
307 |
Gourd Bird Feeder |
$60.00 |
360 |
Tejas or painted mission roof tiles have a long history that originated in the Mexican-American communities of the southwest. They are given as house-warming gifts and decorative markers that announce the names and/or addresses of the residents’ home. Manny loves painting southwestern desert scenes onto his one of a kind tejas. After he affixes a wire hanger to the back or the tile, it is ready to hang near the front door of a residence. He leaves room for the tile to be customized with appropriate names and/or addresses. $60.00 (Item #307)
Images are hand-painted on traditional 18-inch Mexican mission clay roof tiles. They make excellent housewarming gifts and may be displayed beside the front door, in the home or garden.
