Art, Poetry and Life

My mother was an avid reader so I’m sure she knew whatever she had to know before making these Ojos.....or, Ojo De Dios...meaning Eyes of God. The God’s Eye is symbolic for the power of seeing and understanding that which we do not know or that is unknowable. The four corners are for the natural elements: earth, fire, air and water.

Originally, Ojos came from the Huichol peoples of northwestern Mexico. In this culture, when a child is born, the central eye is woven by the father and then one eye is added for every year of the child’s life until they reach the age of five.

The ones my mother made are quite small, all being around four inch square and were made specifically for Christmas tree decorations. She used popsicle sticks for the first ones she made, then she used short dowel rods. She made several larger ones too, a couple of which got destroyed in the two times I moved. I will take photos later of the few remaining larger ones I have.

I don’t know the meaning, if there was one, for the colors she chose in making her Ojos. She and I were much alike and maybe she just chose colors she liked. However, when I paint, I sometimes research the meaning of a certain color I’m going to use. I don’t know if she did the same.




I scanned these Ojos in as they are flat enough to go on my scanner, however, I’m a bit perplexed all the colors are not as they truly are. There is a pink one that is NOT pink. The color is more a fluorescent orange rather than pink. Not sure why the scanner picks up pink.

For storing these Ojos, I am going to have to start using some kind of moth repellent as a few of them are starting to come apart. It would be a shame to lose them.