Tibet is a nation with a cultural and religious tradition that reaches back for thousands of years. During its long history, and what makes this country truly unique, is the poeple's combining of daily and religious life. In Tibet, it is not only the monks and nuns who spend their days meditating and reading scripture but also the farmers and mothers whose everyday begins and ends with a quiet journey towards spiritual understanding and enlightenment. So, when putting together the Tibet Collection, the artwork we selected could not help but follow this theme; combining the spiritual with the secular.

And in Tibet, art and religion go hand in hand. Tibetan art is largely anonymous, and this custom of artistic anonymity is grounded in the Buddhist belief in working toward the elimination of the individual ego. The Tibetan attitude to a work of art is that when it is successfully completed it has an existence of its own and an inherent power to help the viewer come to spiritual realisation. It ceases to be the property of the artist when it leaves his studio.

Tibet is known for its many types of craftsmanship: sculpture, weaving, painting, and carving. Though many spiritual objects are commissioned by monestaries and are created under strict guidelines of form and balance, decorative arts are also very popular. Tibetan artisans are highly skilled and love to make intricate, elaborate pieces of silver and bronze as well as use exuberant colors in woven textiles. Silk brocades and richly worked robes, pearls and precious stones, ritual vessels and incense burners, gilt images and lacquered goods, all found their way into the homes of the aristocracy and into the monasteries. Wood is also widely used, intricately carved for entrances to temples and for interior pillars and in covers for scriptures in monastery libraries.

Unfortunately today much of the Tibetan culture is in danger of becoming extinct due to the take over of the Chinese government. Tibetans are not allowed the freedom to practice and live their lives according to their own traditions, but are constantly being squelched by the Chinese. The non-violent people of Tibet, along with their exiled leader His Holiness, the Dali Lama, ask that leaders of the Western World help in their fight for freedom from the Chinese, lest their traditions and people die off.

We hope that you enjoy this collection of antique and contemporary craftmanship from Tibet and its surrounding Buddhist neighbors. Let these objects bring a sense of spiritual understanding to your home and open up yet another door on your journey. For more information about Tibet, please visit our links page.

From Pre-Columbian times to the Spanish invasion to moden day, the arts have been a center point of Mexican culture. It is no surprise that as one walks down the streets of Mexico City artisans of every medium and talent line the sidewalk selling their wares. In nearly every town across this vast country you will find small museums, shops, artisan studios, and churches that display and celebrate the Mexican arts. Contemporary Mexican crafts are especially beautiful, and often combine the past with the present as well as focus on the celebration of life. Natural materials, tribal patterns and shapes, vibrant colors, and simple lines give the carfts a deeply magical and passionate quality. That is why we chose to categorize our collection with the headings Elegant, Bold and Rustic. What we found hard to resist were these three elements, which respectively could be described as: simple beauty, fiery, passionate expression, and a return to nature. The other very important part of understanding th Mexican art and carft in this collection and throughout Mexico is recognizing the perfected skills and techniques applied to every piece. Families producing fine handmade crafts pass their techniques through the generations. And traditions do not die easily. Take for example the town of Santa Clara del Cobre where some of the worlds most beautifully hand hammered copper has been made for hundreds of years. Today, as you walk through the center of town each storefront is a celebration of the time-honored skill. A sense of pride instead of production prevails as you listen to the sound of hammer hitting copper in a small workshop in the back as the shop owner hovers eager to answer questions and show you more. Felipe Ortiz Tajonar Miguel Garcia Calderon May we introduce Felipe Ortiz Tajonar and Miguel Garcia Calderon, a painter and a weaver both shown in our collection, who work solo into their older years expressing the magic of Mexico through their work. You can find Felipe in Mexico City selling his paintings of simple innocence in the open-air art markets on Sundays. And Miguel, a master weaver, creates in a small shop pedaling his loom most days in the town of Patzcuaro. These are only several examples of what exists of the important arts landscape of Mexico. Our collection, though small, gives you a window onto the beauty and vibrancy that is out there. Though it is best to go Mexico yourself and live there among the people for a time to really experience the place, we hope that you can take from our collection what we hoped to give...a taste and respect for the country and the art that it produces. See also our links page for further information about Mexican travel, recipes, culture and more.