A Visit with Carlos Montano

I needed to go to the other side of Atlanta yesterday to pick up something from Casa Montano, which is the studio and shop of Carlos Montano.  I was only slightly familiar with Carlos' work, and had never met him in person.  What an incredible adventure it turned out to be!

After getting only a little lost on the way, Patti and I arrived at Casa Montano, which is a cinderblock building in a very "mixed" neighborhood of small businesses and residences.  Once inside, however, one is immediately captivated by the artful soul of the place.

Every surface of this industrial space is covered with exquisitely beautiful objects, whether they are Carlos' own work, those of his late colleague Christine Sibley, religious icons from his native Mexico, or giant prints of classical works of art.  Since I am very tactile by nature, I was like a kid in a candy store!

Carlos is very soft-spoken, and very humble about his work.  At the same time, he excitedly moved from room to room in this rabbit warren of rooms,  pointing out the tiniest items and trinkets....rocks from his hometown in the mountains of Mexico that remind him of his roots, a fragment of an ancient arrowhead he picked up on a walk in Guatamala,  a tiny piece of gilded molding from a demolished building in Paris......each item picked up clearly has a strong emotional value for him.

In any case, I picked up the things I needed to get, and then started to shop for myself.  If I had been carrying a credit card with me, I definitely could have gotten into trouble!  Patti was as bad as I was.  (The plaque in the top photo is hers).  Here are some photos from yesterday's adventure.  Once I've hung the treasures I bought for myself, I'll post more photos.

If you are in the Atlanta area, you owe it to yourself to visit Casa Montano, which is in Fairburn, GA.  Since Carlos doesn't ship, those of you in other places simply need to get in the car and drive down here!