Arizona

Sitting in another airport one might infer that I was on some exotic tropical vacation, not sitting at Gate 6B in the Phoenix airport waiting for the return to Houston.  This is one of those trips that does not directly involve diving and yet does impact what we do and how we do it.

Families are an important part of our business and sometimes we get so involved in working with everyone else’s family that we forget our own.  Ann and I have to remember to take time and spend time with our families as well.  Of course by the time Christmas arrives we are totally worn out so a change of pace certainly helps to recharge our batteries.

It is funny.  Every time I come out here to visit, I am reminded why Ann loves to shop for native handicrafts around the world.  Growing up in Arizona, she learned to appreciate the craftsmanship native jewelers, pottery makers, and weavers spun into their creations.  They created functional works of art linking the present and the past.

Unfortunately, with the low cost production in far off places, finding passionately created pieces by local craftsman are becoming harder to find.  The Navajo basket weavers are all but gone; many of the jewelers have gone to turning out mass produced pieces using lower quality stones and you can even find “Indian jewelry” made in China.

But there still are people holding on to tradition and the ways of their ancestors.  You just have to look harder and know what to look for.  Of course it helps when you have a knowledgeable shopper, Ann, and numerous friends like Jan Phares.  No trip to Scottsdale is complete without a visit with Jan at Gilbert Ortega’s Galleries, Museum & Trading Post.  Like the founder of the Company, Gilbert Ortega, Jan has been at this a long time and is always willing to teach.  I have learned a lot about Native American jewelry and pottery from both Ann and Jan.  (I now want to learn more about Navajo rugs – they are simply spectacular but out of my current budget; I have a rebreather to pay for.)

This year we met Goyo, a leathersmith, who will tell you simply “I make the belts.”  But there is more to belt making than just cutting leather and sewing it together.  He hand cuts each piece of leather to fit the dimensions of the buckle and components so they will not twist.  His eye for the right leather for the buckle was also greatly appreciated.  The final product — outstanding.  He was patient and explained how the buckle componets work and how the design of the buckle and the retainers are planned so they compliment one another.  When you talk to someone who really cares what his work looks like as well as how it functions, you have found more than a guy who makes the belts, you find a craftsman.  If you are ever in Scottsdale, be sure to visit him at American Leather Company in Old Town Scottsdale; but be sure to tell him I sent you.

It is amazing how you look at things when you understand the labor and love that goes into creating things.  No machine can ever duplicate the spirit that resides in each piece.  Each item tells a story, sometimes known and other times unspoken.  In looking at the jewelry and pots, it is also surprising how people from cultures around the world have taken their needs and transformed them into something beautiful; and, how similar yet unique they are around the world.

This is the beauty that we have come to love in the baskets from the Philippines, the wall hangings from Haiti, the wood carvings from the Solomon Islands, Micronesia and the Bahamas to name a few.  The care that a Thai puts in carving and decorating a statue of the Buddha is also seen in the Kachina dolls created by the Hopi and the Zuni tribes.  People around the world pour their hearts and souls into their crafts and you have to just stop, look carefully and listen to the stories these artists are telling.

It for this reason, I like coming to Arizona and visiting with Jan.  There are so many stories and sometimes you need a friend to help you find a way to hear just one.