Candy. Found Art Tuesday

After finishing this piece I thought it looked like a shoe advertisement you see in magazines, like the ones my dad used to make.  I remembered how when I was about 8, my dad opened a brand new shoe factory. All my life I had seen my dad around shoes, he worked for a very big shoe company in Mexico City, andrea, he was the marketing manager of the brand and one day he decided he was ready to make it on his own and be his own boss, so he got himself a few second hand shoe making machines, leased a place and he was all set.  For months there were  women shoes everywhere in my house, shoes he had bought because he was in the process of coming up with new designs for the ones he would be making in the few machines he had bought. One of the new designs was named "candy" and it came back to me when I was thinking of the word. The factory was an hour and a half away in the second story of an ugly aluminum covered building. The windows were tinted and looked like mirrors, so you could not see anything inside, stray dogs were always outside and there was an open door that took you directly to a stairwell with a sign that said "To the shoe factory, second level" this is what I recall the name was, "Shoe Factory"

In the mornings when he left for work, he wouldn't say "I'm going to work" he would say "I'm going to the factory" and I was always intrigued by this place. He was so proud of this new venture, he was always there, although sometimes he looked tired of it all.  The shoes were very pretty and I spend a few summers helping out with the clients. I can still smell the leather and the rubber cement, it was something you had to get used to. The idea was to make this factory a place where people would come in, browse around, take a catalogue and sell the shoes to their friends.

I would like to tell you it was a big success and that the shoe factory is still operating from a bigger building, in a better neighborhood. The things is, still now I don't understand the whole picture, but I guess it takes more that a few shoe making machines and pretty shoes to make a successful business.

The employees took the machines as payment after the bankruptcy. My dad kept the collection of the shoes he designed. I remember particularly the green one with feathers, inspired by the Brazil Carnival.

Please take a look at this week's participants for the Found Art Project:

Kathy LaRocco

La Mirada de Pierina

Comments

[Kathyl]

Your drawing is so neat. And the history behind it was very ineresting and sad too. I remember when I was 18 I visited Mexico. I bought a pair of sandals similar to the ones you drew...really. I loved those sandals. I was entering college and you can imagine how romantic Mexico city was to me. That was in a time (early 70's) when things were a little simpler...

k

[georgina]

esto es una de las cosas que me gustan del arte: como una palabra, un color, "algo"... nos lleva a cada uno a distintos lugares. Me encanto tu historia, me gustan mucho los zapatos y desde hace unos años comence a comprar las hormas de madera que se usan como moldes. (ahora ya no se hacen de madera). He conseguido alguna y las pinto. Ya vas a ver algunas cuando termine mi tienda online :) Un beso!

[Pacha]

oh, what a cute and sad story. like straight out of a book! nice drawing, too! :o)

I'll be in for the next found art round! I PROMISE! :o)
I have a small show opening tonight, wish me luck!