Mauricio Garcia
About Mauricio Garcia
Mauricio Garcia is an animistic perfumer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His work aims to nourish the relationship between perfume, people and the more-than-human world. Mauricio’s inspiration is born from the fragrant ecology of the Pacific west coast—the marine fog, redwood forests, and the golden grassland hills home to butterflies, coyotes and many other beings.
Rooted in perfumery’s ancient origins and ancestral veneration, Herbcraft Perfumery is a boutique fragrance studio that specializes in the creation of fine fragrances, fragrant enchantments and ritual anointments.
Mauricio draws upon 18 years of working with and learning from herbalists, medicine makers, master craftswomen of perfumery, spiritual practitioners and, of course, plants and spirits themselves. He is an advocate for perfumery’s stewardship of the environment and its reclamation as sacred substance.
The artwork for Cloud Cardamom was done by Evangelina Portillo.
Evangelina was born and raised in South San Francisco, California. After studying commercial art at the College of San Mateo, she worked as a graphic artist for 20 years, enjoying the darkroom and prepress work. In 2002, her father passed on his business, Alfredo’s Market in downtown South San Francisco, to her and her sister, Maria. Growing up in a family of 10, she had an interest in art from a very young age. Her father would alway tell her she had a gift—a “don”, and supported her in her dreams. On the other hand, her very traditional mother thought she was wasting her time, changing her mind after she sold her first painting.
Evangelina’s inspiration comes from the pride she feels for her parents and family, and her heritage: the music, traditions, celebrations, and food. She found herself telling stories with her paintings: stories about the past and loved ones, based on a song or a single flavor, festivities and colors. Eva’s art tends to focus on Mexican culture, its history and traditions, utilizing very festive colors to illustrate the scenes.
Day of the Dead and its beautiful multitude of celebratory styles is also a powerful source of inspiration for her, after she came to realize that it is not a celebration of death, but a true celebration of life, and how color is a reflection of life. She is a self‐taught artist, mostly working with acrylics on canvas and papier-mâché. She exhibits, sponsors events, and vends at local festivals and fairs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Her work can be found at fineartamerica.com and on Etsy.
Contact info: evangelina@mac.com
Instagram: @studioevangelina,