Watching Coco gave me a greater appreciation for my Mexican heritage. Since then, I’ve been trying to fill in cultural gaps leftover from childhood; like the appreciation and understanding of Mexican art.
One of those glorious art styles is centered on Día de Muertos. The riotous use of colors alone is enough to capture my attention, but combined with macabre imagery and joyous celebration, it’s definitely in my top 5 favorite art styles/themes.
First Attempt
Now, I enjoy combining my various loves, when possible, so it didn’t take too long for me to envision the glory of a Día de Muertos pen. I mean, how freaking awesome would that be? I could picture the riotous colors and skull and flower iconography, but who could do something like that?
A few years ago, after discovering his work, I reached out to Mr. Nakama of 18111 Pens for a custom pen. I’d originally hoped to get a Día de Muertos themed pen. After all, he had designs in various colors. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go with that theme because of technological limitations. His technique would not allow for tiny detail, especially not with any kind of sharp angles. But, that collaboration did result in my gorgeous Harley Quinn pen.
Second Attempt
Last year, I made inquiries with Brian Weaver of Iron Feather Creative for a carved Día de Muertos pen. After seeing his humming bird and octopus pens, I knew he’s do a fabulous job. I even started researching design elements. Ultimately, however, I decided on a different theme. When he gets to me on his queue, you’ll get to see it. I’m sure it’s going to be amazing.
Third Time’s the Charm
A few weeks ago, I came across the Mr. Cypress Instagram account. Jim and I spent some time drooling over the pens, but when the account shared the Shri Krishna pen, it hit me that this, perhaps was someone who could create a worthy Día de Muertos pen.
I’d never seen such intricate work, much less raden work. The peacock pen was, if anything, even more amazing to me. And, while raden wouldn’t allow the bright colors that typify Día de Muertos art, raden has a colorful beauty of its own.
So, after a couple of days of thought, I reached out to Mr. Cypress to find out if they were accepting commissions for custom pieces. Answer: yes.
I plan to chronicle this pen in a series of blog posts. Hopefully, Mr. Cypress will give me permission to share some imagery with you so I can write the next post soon. Otherwise, it will likely be a while before you hear more about my Día de Muertos raden pen.
