They call themselves Amigos del Arte, this familia de artezanos by the name of Melgoza who produce hand-carved furniture with sills passed down from generation to generation in their native Mexico.
Two of the five Melgoza brothers -- Carlos and Jorge -- came to Tucson four years ago from Morella, Michoacan, with their American wives. They hoped that the interest in Mexican and Indian cultures and architecture here would mean a good local market for the handcrafted furniture that many people travel to Mexico to buy. Leonardo, Saul and Gamaliel followed two years later with their mother.
During their time in Tucson, the brothers have worked mostly with individual clients who hear about their work and visit their workshop in northwest Tucson.
Their pieces range form a leather-seated chair for $85 to an elaborately carved mesquite secretary that took about four months to complete and that sold for about $3,700.
Although they have many examples of their work to show and albums full of pictures, the brothers, who are Spanish-speaking, prefer that clients bring pictures of pieces they like, explains Sharon Melgoza, Carlos' wife and the spokeswoman and interpreter for the family. Sharon's sister Linda is married to Jorge.
Clients may bring in a photo of the exterior of a Mexican cathedral with its intricate carving or one of a table used in a huge European castle. The brothers can apply replicas of the exterior carvings to doors and chests, for example. They can also scale down a piece of furniture to an exact fit for the spot for which it's intended or just to make it fit the proportions of modern homes.
The carving, normally done on pieces form Mexico, is rustic, the Melgozas say, with facial features and other aspects of the designs left flat. However, the Melgoza brothers are also able to do the more sophisticated European designs such as Gothic or French provincial. Even their Mexican colonial work is a more polished evolution of the style.
The motifs are added to the furniture by one of two methods. Either the carving is done separately and applied on the surface of the piece or the carving is made into the body of the furniture. Other pieces are a combination of the two.
A 3-foot-high table, the top of which is about 3 feet by 6 feet, sits in the living room of Jorge's home. It is made of pine and the shell and lace designs on the support structure reflect what Jorge describes as baroque with Italian influence. The piece took him one and a half to two months to complete and would sell for about $1,700, Jorge says.
However, Jorge adds that he and his brothers are sculptors and artists rather than businessmen. It is hard for them to calculate the value of their work.
The process begins with a scale drawing of the carving, which is transferred to the wood. The men work with saws as they build the piece, but all the carving is done by hand with a chisel.
Sanding and finishing work is done by hand. A family formula is used for the stains and usually the finishing work is done with wax, explains Sharon Melgoza.
The goal is to make the pieces look old but have modern durability, the brothers say. For example, modern screws are hidden behind wooden pegs. The hardware is all forged by a blacksmith in Mexico and made to look old. The Melgozas dovetail the corners.
Photos from the above article:
The Melgozas' Mexican colonial double doors of
carved pine are similar to those used in Mexican cathedrals.
A small carousel horse, a tall pine chest and a
Spanish-style "treasure chest
The late afternoon in Fort Lowell Park [Tucson]
provides the serene lighting for the Mexican baroque-style
mahogany headboard.