Tz’utujil painting

The Maya Tz’utujil village of San Juan La Laguna where my daughter and I lived has a particular style of painting, Vista de Pajáro or Bird’s Eye View , which is an overhead perspective of usually a market or a kayak filled with flowers, fruits, and the crowns of a group of locals.  Years ago, the Spanish invaded the town massacring many villagers, but a dozen were able to escape into the surrounding mountains.  Their spirits turned to birds and flew back over the village to witness the violence.  These Bird’s Eye View paintings were originally a visual record of horror they saw.  Now, they are an idealized bouquet of village life, combining bold colors and safe scenes, usually women selling produce and flowers in a market.  

I commissioned the Bird’s Eye View painting on the cover of my book from Gloria Cholotio to represent the journey my daughter took with the community. Gloria Cholotio is a gifted artist, a small business co-owner of a gallery with her husband that showcases works of other local artists; an educator; and a mother. Some of her works can be seen at this link.

Another artist of note is Benedicto Ixtamer. He created a new style of painting he calls Fish Eye View, which is a dreamy underwater perspective. Benedicto has periodic exhibitions in the Pacific Northwest. A portion of the proceeds of his paintings are used for local social service projects. Here’s a link to a video of Benedicto painting a Bird’s Eye View painting on Facebook.