In preparation for this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration in Longmont, the Firehouse Art Center presents Catrina Painting Days, a series of events that offer people the opportunity to paint their own Catrina.
The term Catrina refers to the Calavera Catrina – a zinc etching made around 1910 by the Mexican printmaker, cartoon illustrator and lithographer José Guadalupe Posada. Posada painted the original Catrina as a satirical portrait of the Mexican natives who, Posada felt, were aspiring to adopt European aristocratic traditions in the pre-revolution era, a Facebook post by the Firehouse Art Center explains. “La Catrina has become an icon of the Mexican Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
According to Elaine Waterman, executive director at Firehouse Art Center, Catrina Painting Days “are a fun way to celebrate Día de los Muertos as a tradition and get the community together to do something creative.”
Each of this year’s Catrina Painting Days will limit the number of attendees to 9 due to social distancing efforts. However, artists of all ages and skill levels are welcome to join in on the fun.
There’s a wide range of people that come and paint at Catrina Painting days according to Waterman, from serious painters to groups of 7-year-olds. As a result, all the paintings “are very different looking,” she said. “I’d say most of them tend to be very colorful and vibrant – we’ve had people put gems, feathers and all sorts of crazy things on (their paintings).”
All of the 3’ by 6’ Catrina paintings made during Catrina Painting Days will be auctioned off virtually through an online auction event between October 9th and 18th. The proceeds support the non-profit Firehouse Art Center.
“This gives (artists) the opportunity to use their creativity to help support the Firehouse’s mission to provide art experiences for our whole community,” Waterman said.
Before people who buy paintings from the auction can take them home, the Catrinas will be viewable by the public at the Family Fiesta on October 9th and the Farm-to-Table dinner at Ollin Farms on October 16th.
