viernes, 11 de marzo de 2016

Mark's Modus Operandi

HEREBY I WANT TO REPORT THE ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF A U.S. CITIZEN BASED IN PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO, MEX. THIS IS MARK PATTON, A FORMER HOLLYWOOD ACTOR (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET II, ETC.) WHO HAS COME TO OUR COUNTRY TO COMMIT FRAUD AGAINST HIS NEIGHBORS, A TYPE OF FRAUD THAT WE BELIEVE HE WOULD NOT COMMIT IN HIS OWN COUNTRY, BECAUSE THERE HE WOULD BE SUBJECT TO JUSTICE. HIS FRAUD HAS BEEN TO ILLEGALLY REPRODUCE AND SELL OUR HANDMADE CRAFTS TO UNSUSPECTING TOURISTS, THEREBY DEFRAUDING BOTH US AND THE TOURISTS ALIKE


THESE ARE THE FACTS: MR. ALBERTO TREJO GARCÍA AND MYSELF, MAURICIO VARGAS RUIZ, FORMED A SMALL PAPER MACHE CRAFT WORKSHOP IN 2006. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING CONTINUOUSLY SINCE THEN IN THE MAKING OF PAPER MACHE FIGURES AND OTHER HANDCRAFTS. THESE HANDICRAFTS COMBINE SCULPTURE AND PAINTING. THE TRUE MAGIC OF EVERY PIECE IS THAT EACH ONE IS HANDMADE, EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. I LEARNED THE PAPER MACHE TECHNIQUE MANY YEARS AGO FROM MY FRIEND’S UNCLE, WHO CAME TO OUR CITY TO PERFORM AN SMALL PUPPET SHOW. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SUITCASE WITH HIS PUPPETS GOT LOST JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE SCHEDULED PERFORMING. SO HE QUICKLY ORGANIZED A GROUP OF STUDENTS AND TAUGHT US PAPER MACHÉ TECHNIQUE, AS WE HELPED HIM TO REMAKE THE LOST PUPPETS. IT WAS EXCITING TO SEE HOW KIDS TALKED WITH THE PUPPETS AT THE PERFORMNACE, THE SAME PUPPETS WE MADE WITH OUR HANDS. HERE I PRESENT SOME OF THE PIECES THAT ALBERTO AND I HAVE MADE THESE YEARS OF WORKING DAY BY DAY WITH THIS TECHNIQUE:
OUR FIGURES ARE 100 % PAPER MACHE, HANDMADE AND PAINTED ONE BY ONE, WITH EACH ITEM BEING UNIQUE. WE HAVE BEEN SELLING THEM AT GALLERIES HERE IN PUERTO VALLARTA, AS WELL AS IN TEMPORARY EXPOS AND FARMERS’ MARKET. THE PROBLEM BEGAN WHEN WE SOLD OUR HANDICRAFTS AT LALO MORALES GALLERY, THE BUSINESS BELONGING TO MARK E. PATTON: WE OFFERED HIM OUR FIGURES, HE ACCEPTED THEM IN HIS GALLERY AND EVERY ONCE IN A TIME WE TOOK MORE PIECES TO THE GALLERY AND PICKED UP OUR EARNINGS. THE MONEY WAS SPLIT 50% -50% (GALLERY – ARSIST); EVERYTHING WENT WELL UNTIL, AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, WE REALIZED THAT THERE WERE MORE PAPER MACHE CHIHUAHUA DOGS THAN THE NUMBER WE HAD TAKEN TO THE GALLERY AND THEY WERE EXACTLY THE SAME AS OURS: THEN WE REALIZED THAT MARK HAD BEEN CLONING OUR FIGURES WITH A 3D SCANNER/PRINTER MACHINE IN GUADALAJARA, FOR A MINIMUM PRICE HE GOT THE SAME FIGURES MADE IN PLASTIC, BY A SCANNER/PRINTER, HE JUST HAD TO COVER THEM WITH NEWSPAPER AND SELL THEM AS OUR CREATIONS: CREATING THE FALSE IMPRESSION THAT THEY WERE MADE OF PAPER MACHÉ AND WITH NO MACHINES, BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE. WHEN WE REALIZED THIS, WE CONFRONTED HIM, ASKING FOR AN EXPLANATION. HE ADMITTED THAT WE WERE RIGHT AND OFFERED US 50% OF THE PROFITS. WE REFUSED THIS STRONGLY, BECAUSE IT WOULD ONLY BE A CHEATING OF THE CUSTOMER AND AND A CHEAPENING OF THE QUALITY OF OUR PIECES. MARK PATTON DIDN’T LIKE WHAT HE CALLED OUR “THIRDWORLD” REACTION, AND SO HE REFUSED TO PAY US ALL THAT HE OWED TO US. WE STOPPED BRINGING HIM MORE PIECES, OF COURSE, BUT WE KEPT SEEING MORE AND MORE CLONED, MASS-PRODUCED DOGS IN HIS GALLERY. OUR CREATIONS HAD BEEN PIRATED, AND SOLD WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION AND, OF COURSE, DAMAGING OUR QUALITY… WE SADLY REALIZED THAT TO RELY ON THE GOODWILL OF THIS GALLERY OWNER COULD BE THE WORST DECISION WE EVER MADE.. THIS SITUATION HAS TRULY HURT OUR MORALE, BUT WE ARE STILL WORKING. HERE I SHOW YOU THE PHOTO OF ONE OF THE PIECES CLONED BY MARK PATTON AND SOLD IN HIS GALLERY IN PUERTO VALLARTA’S ROMANTIC ZONE. HE KEEPS TELLING HIS CLIENTS THESE ARE OUR DOGS, EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT TRUE, THESE ARE PLASTIC COPIES:
YOU CAN SEE IT IS THE SAME DESIGN, BUT WITH MUCH LOWER QUALITY, AND MUCH LIGHTER TOO, BECAUSE OUR PIECES ARE MADE WITH STEEL WIRE INSIDE. THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE INSIDE OF OUR DOGS, YOU CAN SEE IT IS SOLID WITH PAPER AND HAS THIS WIRE STRUCTURE:
WE WORK MONDAY TO SATURDAY, OFTEN 10 HOURS A DAY, AND IN THAT TIME PRODUCE THREE DOGS EVERY WEEK. HE MAKES DOZENS OF DOGS EVERY WEEK, HIS INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IS SPOILING OUR SALES, JUST A FEW CLIENTS HAVE REALIZED THE FRAUD. HERE I SHOW YOU THE IMAGE OF THE MESSAGE MARK PATTON SENT ME IN WHICH HE SAYS HE CAN CLONE THE DOGS AND SELL THEM “VERY CHEAPLY”:
HE WRITES THAT “OF COUSE (SIC) THIS IS NOT MY INTENTION” BUT WE CAN SEE IN HIS TWITTER PAGE HE IS SELLING THE CLONED DOGS, EVERYBODY WHO WALKS PUERTO VALLARTA STREETS CAN SEE OUR DESIGNS IN HIS GALLERY, BEING SOLD “QUITE CHEAPLY” TO THE DETRIMENT OF OUR ECONOMY. THIS IS A PICTURE OF HIS TWITTER PAGE ON FEB 22:
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS AN ATTACK TO OUR WORK WHICH WE HAVE BEEN CREATING WITH LOVE AND PATIENCE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT IT IS ALSO A HOAX AGAINST ALL HIS CLIENTS, BECAUSE THEY ARE DECEIVED BY BEING SOLD SOMETHING THAT THEY THOUGHT IS HANDMADE AND WITH RECYCLED MATERIALS. IT IS ALSO A HOAX AGAINST ALL THE CRAFTSMEN IN OUR CITY, BECAUSE WHEN THE CUSTOMERS FINALLY REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF DECEPTION, THEY WILL GENERALIZE THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF MEXICAN HANDCRAFTS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY THAT THIS COMPLAINT DOES NOT INTEND TO GENERALIZE. I DO NOT PRETEND TO SAY THAT ALL AMERICANS LIVING IN PUERTO VALLARTA ARE ACTING IN THE SAME WAY, IN MY EXPERIENCE, MOST FOREIGN RESIDENTS IN PUERTO VALLARTA BEHAVE IN A CIVILIZED AND RESPECTFUL MANNER, BUT THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS. IN FACT WE HAVE RECEIVED SUPPORT AND HELP FROM MOST OF THE AMERICAN RESIDENTS IN PUERTO VALLARTA WHO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS CASE. BEFORE I FINISH, I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT I CAN VERIFY THAT OUR WORKSHOP IS THE UNIQUE DESIGNER AND CREATOR OF THE PIECES WE MAKE. WE CAN PRODUCE A PIECE IN THE PRESENCE OF EVERYONE WHO WANTS IT, ONLY WITH OUR HANDS AND A FEW MATERIALS. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT IF MARK PATTON WERE ASKED TO DO THE SAME, HE COULD NOT EVEN DO THE FIRST STEP. IT IS BECAUSE, THE ONLY ANSWER TO HIS AMBITION AND LACK OF TALENT LESS IS THE STEALING OF OTHER’S DESIGN IN ORDER TO MAKE MONEY WITH IT.
REFERENCES:

OUR PAGES:
THE ORIGINAL PAPER MACHE PAGE IN FB:   https://www.facebook.com/Papelmache
OUR WORKSHOP WIX PAGE:   http://mauriciovarg.wix.com/papelmache

MARK PATTON’S PAGES:
THE FB PAGE WHERE HE SELLS OUR ITEMS:  https://www.facebook.com/ChicaRitas/?fref=ts
TWITTER PAGE WHERE HE SELLS THE CLONATED DOGS FROM OUR DESIGNS: https://twitter.com/Chica_Ritas

ANY COMMENTS, PLEASE SEND TO ME: mauriciovarg@hotmail.com


THANK YOU

MAURICIO VARGAS RUIZ