Art & Soul 2018: Catrina class

This year at Art & Soul, PDX, I had the good fortune to teach two lovely classes.  In this post I present to you the Catrina class of 2018!  What a wonderful group of students!  They brought so much character and life to their Day of the Dead dolls!  I am always amazed at the inventiveness and creativity, and I feel so inspired by my students.  

Many, many thanks to Karen, Kim, Mary, Suzanne, Kathy, Rebecca, Amy, and Teresa!  You ladies rock!

Kim's Catrina

Karen's Catrina - woo hoo!

What a Doll!

With apologies - this post was supposed to be uploaded a long time ago but my computer was giving me fits.  Take a look at this wonderfully expressive work!

Besties Eleanor and Frances came to take a doll class and were joined by Linda.

So fun to see everyone shining in their strengths and enjoying learning new things!

After the dolls were made, the photo shoot began.  Frances and Eleanor had a blast posing their new dolls!

Linda's delightful doll - love her expression!

Guess who just happened to be dressed like Linda's doll?

Thanks for all the fun, Everyone!

A Flurry of Activity - Part 1: Dollmakers VI show

The fall leaves that catch my attention so vibrantly and dance on the wind remind me of the flurry of activity that's been going on in the studio - so much that I barely have time to catch my breath and reflect!  I will attempt to recap, ever so briefly, what I've been up to lately.  But only briefly, because the next round of projects and deadlines already loom!

Right after participating in the Beatle's themed show at Cactus Gallery, I was invited to be the featured artist for the gallery's Dollmakers VI show!  It was such an honor that I couldn't say no, so that meant I needed to hustle to create something new.  Inspired by a Spanish story book I was reading, Diario Secret de Pulgarcito (Secret Diary of Tom Thumb), I created not one but two of my first ever wire armature figures.  The author, Philippe Lechemeier, had written the most delightful description of an ominous character who had twice the normal number of teeth, and all of them sharp.  This inspired me to sculpt the teeth, and then create the face that would hold them.

La chica de muchos dientes

I had so much fun creating all the details for this doll, right down to the finger nails.  A cage-like structure served as the lower part of the figure's body, allowing for a full skirt, and a place to trap Pulgarcito, pobrecito!

hand detail

Pulgarcito y la chica de muchos dientes

Poor Pulgarcito!

Off they went to Los Angeles!  Rob and I flew down (after a wonderful week in Minnesota during the BIG state fair!) for the opening.  This was my first time to be the featured artist in a gallery!  Sandra Mastroianni, the owner and curator, did such a wonderful job on the display.  Such a thrill to see my name on the wall!

Some of the display at Cactus Gallery, Los Angeles

Several of my favorite dolls sold at the show, and so I must bid adieu to Camille, CeeCee, Sister Superior, and the Little Match Girl.  I wish them well in their new homes!

I'll miss you, babies!

Up next, Part 2: Fun times in class!

People (and things) certainly come and go quickly around here, Toto!

Things have been busy in my little workshop, with projects coming and going before I have the chance to document them, so here is a little backtracking.

The High Fiber Diet art quilt group's next annual show will be "Heatwave" - its only requirement is the inclusion of the color orange, hence the nickname, The Orange Show.  Ideas came and went, the most tenacious one to do an orange nude looking back over her shoulder.  She would have been a representation of Reina Agüero, a character from the book The Agüero Sisters by Cristina García. Feisty and passionate, she would have been a very apt symbol of Heatwave, but before I ever got around to cutting into my beautiful collection of orange fabrics, it occurred to me that she would end up looking too much like one of those paintings of a nude on black velvet that people sell in empty parking lots.  I rolled up my large charcoal sketch and put her away, opting instead to finish this quilt that I started last year.

I call it Memory of a Tibetan Door - Metaphor for an Unplanned Life.  The Tibetan door memory is a photograph I saw in a book long ago that has always stuck with me: brightly painted and weathered boards that were found and nailed together haphazardly to block the wind from entering someone's home.  I loved every chip, crack, and happy accident of color in that door.  As for the unplanned life metaphor, I leave that to your imagination.

Small color experiments from a class with Rosalie Dace last year were included.  Machine stitches, hand stitches, wandering bits of thread - as I put the bits and pieces up I fall in love with everything that fabric is and does and just want to catch its natural tendencies.

Happily this quilt was almost finished except for a few final touches and deciding how to mount it (you wouldn't want to bind it and trap the edges!).  Good thing, because then a request came from Cactus Gallery to participate in The Love You Make - a Beatles-inspired show.  Cactus owner Sandra Mastroiani invited me to participate and send a piece down in two weeks time!  So the quilt was quickly finished in time for its deadline, and then onto researching Beatles' songs.

Participants were asked to choose a character from one of the songs.  Looking over the list of already picked characters, I saw that my first choice, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, was already taken.  I pondered Lovely Rita Meter Maid and Sweet Loretta Martin (who thought she was a woman, but she was another man), and decided on Lovely Rita.  A bit of research went into the making:

British meter maids from the 1960s

Go-Go boots!

Twiggy!

All research done with the aim of getting the right flavor for a meter maid the boys might have been attracted to back in the day!  Here is my Lovely Rita.

Close up with a hint of a smile added.

Those British meter maid hats are the best!  It was fun figuring it out!

Rita's ticket book

I made her some zip on go-go boots!

The whole she-bang!  (Surprise!  How do you like her London britches?)

Rita is currently visiting Los Angeles and staying at Cactus Gallery, 3001 N Coolidge Avenue, Los Angeles 90039, until August 5th.

Next up: I will be the featured artist for Cactus Gallery's Dollmakers VI show in September.  I'm busy exploring new-to-me techniques and liking the results so far.  Here's a peek:

More later!

The Joy (and Challenges) of Teaching Art (Part 1)

Last summer I finally decided to see about becoming a teaching artist in the school.  I applied and was accepted to work with the local organization, The Right Brain Initiative.  After orientation and some training sessions, I waited.  And waited.  As it turns out, this is de rigueur for new artists on the roster.  But then this spring things started hopping, and soon I had residencies lined up.  Reflecting on this first year, it was busy, hectic, crazy, wonderful, and full of challenges.  I learned a LOT along the way!

Residency #1 was out at a little country school.  Although far from my home, it was lovely to be out there with all the green fields.  For this residency I would be working with the entire K-6 student population.  Normally residencies are set up and planned for about a month or so in advance, but for this, my very first residency, I only had two weeks to get ready.  Lesson #1: this is NOT enough time to get ready for a whole school residency!  We had a great theme to work with, "How do I show my mathematical thinking?"  I decided that designing quilt blocks would be a good fit, and it was, but each grade level had a different math focus, so that meant designing 7 different block projects.  Seven different sets of lesson plans, with different templates to design and copy, and lots of different pretty papers to buy!  Thank goodness for sales on scrapbooking papers at JoAnn (but do they have to scan each individual sheet?  I had to photocopy my receipts and boy, were they LONG!!!)

The daily schedule was pretty crazy, too.  I was wheeling my cart to 4th grade, 2nd grade, 6th grade, kindergarten.  I learned very quickly that in the future I would need to request grouping the grade levels in the schedule.  But how WONDERFUL it was to work with the students!  The biggest surprise was how fun it was to work with the kindergarteners.  We searched for patterns everywhere and played pattern games, and then they created the flying geese strips.  They were so capable and cooperative!  They really could have done so much more.

The fifth grade block

Fifth grade was also so much fun to work with, mostly because one of the fifth grade teachers was really into art and she'd had her students paint their own custom papers.  For fifth grade we worked with the coordinate plane in math, which turned out to be an awesome fit for plotting the points to create the quilt block pieces and laying them out.  Their project turned out so gorgeous!

In the end I hung up all the finished blocks in the school's library.  Nice work, everyone!

Part of the finished "quilt"

Cuteness and Light

I seem to be running at full steam from one project to the next lately - so much to catch up on!  I will attempt to get to it over the next two weeks.  For tonight, a peek at a personal project for an overdue gift giving.  Presenting, Three Lil Critters:

I haven't made any Lil Critters in a long time, but I'm hoping they will be loved by the young recipient.  After practicing painting this style of face again, I chose my favorite three, and then had fun in the fabric stash picking out just the right pj's!  Above, this is what they look like before the bodies are stuffed.  And now, here they are finished!

Oh, dear!  Sometimes I like my little characters so much I want to keep them for myself!  But I know they are going to a good home.

xoxo, lulu

Happy Easter!

Yesterday I should have working on my taxes or prepping for classes tomorrow, but I had this idea...

I started painting, and stitching, having fun with the colors, finger painting, free motion stitching.

A mixed media creature was waiting to be born!

The right Easter eggy fabric jumped down from my shelves.  Rapid quilting ensued.

So many urgent things to be done, but the Easter Bunny would not be denied!

Happy Easter!

xoxo, lulu

Learning to Paint

The beauty of Art & Soul 2017 was that not only did I get to teach, I also got to LEARN!  I signed up EARLY to be able to take classes from two teachers that I greatly admire: Jenny Doh and Jesse Reno.  Both of these artists teach what I call process painting - the building up of layers and then pulling something out from it.  Their styles and techniques are very different, though, and it was very valuable to me to take both classes.  But CHALLENGING!!!  I find process painting very fun but very difficult in the latter stages.  It's hard to see your canvas go through some really ugly stages.  My canvases were SO ugly sometimes that all I could do was laugh, and push on.  It's also hard to let go of some of the marks that you like, but you know that if you don't do it you won't reach the maturity or the message or the potential that you believe is there.  I have a long way to go, but it is good to begin.

My first canvas in Jenny's class went from this...

...to this.  Still unfinished, but I like the energy as is.

My second canvas had humble beginnings...

...had some nice additions...

...some major changes...

...and ended here.  It was a very emotional roller coaster ride, very expressive of feelings I was working through.

Jenny Doh is a fabulous teacher, very knowledgeable, discerning, and encouraging.  I very much appreciated that when we asked for help, she drew from us our own thoughts, feelings, and concerns before making suggestions.  I would love to learn more from her!

JesseReno was fantastic, too!  He oozes with his own passion for painting and expressionism.  His techniques are immediate and raw, and he brings out a sort of mysticism or spirituality replete with symbols that I enjoy.  Humor-wise Jesse was on fire that weekend!  It was a super fun class. 

I feel so lucky - both classes were full of students who were so engaged and positive.  What a great atmosphere for learning!  Bravo, Art & Soul, for having such wonderful teachers!

Here's Jesse demonstrating how he blocks out parts he doesn't like to bring out the parts he does like.

I was lucky to get a "good grab" on my first painting, but then I didn't know where to go!

So I went a little crazy!

And then I pulled it back and ended it here.  For now.

Painting number 2 went through some major changes, starting with this first grab, which I also liked a lot, but I needed to go somewhere.

So I climbed a tree for a different view.  (See Wolfie's tail is now part of the tree, like a secret entrance?)

Turn the canvas sideways, save some of what you liked, add more, block out again...

And this is where I finished.  It's not a fully matured painting, but a good example of how to use some of the technique's we learned.

Now to find the time to do more, more MORE!

xoxo, lulu

Reflections on Teaching at Art & Soul

Art and Soul in Portland, 2017, took place last week.  It was my privilege to teach several classes again, two classes fitting into this years pirate theme, and a reprisal of my Super Mini You class.

What a pleasure it is to teach people who have come together to share in the joy of creativity, wanting to learn something new or to refine skills, to challenge themselves, and to just plain old have fun!  I am grateful to my students who share their passions as well as their vulnerabilities.  I love encouraging them, giving them permission to explore and to learn from mistakes, holding their hands if they need it, and cheering for them when they discover that they can do something they thought was challenging.

I'm grateful, too, for Glenny Moir, Marie Kennedy, Liz Kettle and the whole crew who bring Art & Soul to life every year and allow me to be part of it.  I'm looking forward to next year!

Captain's Log-A Pirate's Journal

Pirates and Mermaids

A couple of jaunty pirates made during class

Willa's mermaid

Mary's Super Mini You - too cute!

Sew Tina Givens

As mentioned last time, I've recently been asked several times if I knew of Tina Givens sewing patterns.  Oh yes.  In my quest to recreate all the romantic looks of mori and Magnolia Pearl and Les Ours, etc. etc., I came upon Tina Givens patterns.  Loose, funky, flouncy.  Me like.  I signed up for her newsletter and now like to buy her patterns when they're on sale.

Here is a pattern I have bought and made, The Mila tunic:

front

I hope you can see the detail of the beautiful fabric, designed by Geninne Zlatkis.  As you can see from her blog, Geninne is a fabulous artist and designer!  I've been admiring her work for a number of years, so when she designed this fabric, I had to rush out and buy it.  The light, flowy voile was perfect for this pattern!  I adore the line drawings and the moody indigo color.  I found an indigo yarn that went perfectly with the fabric and knit up the scarf you see here (the fanciest knitting I've ever done!).

back

Here on the back of the dress I added a pocket.  Funny place to put one, I know, but isn't the Japanese bunny adorable?

Shhh!  I went undercover to buy the whole bolt of this fabric to split among my friends!

I have a long list of Tina Givens patterns I'm longing to make, but I think the next one will definitely be the Marcella dress, because I've just found the perfect fabric for it!

More adventures in dressmaking to come - I'd love to know what YOU'RE stitching up!

Tactile love

Yesterday morning in a state of grogginess I suddenly remembered I had a regional SAQA meeting to attend.  I threw on some easy clothes and fled the house, leaving my mocha behind.  I arrived about 10 minutes late and heard the group in the middle of sharing what they LOVE about making art quilts.  When the question came to me, I found my own answer inarticulate and lacking, which, as always, caused the question to circle around and around, and this is what I WISH I had said:

I LOVE dipping my hand into the color and texture, I LOVE manipulating the material and watching the colors play and dance as I place them together.  I LOVE the tiniest details of frayed edges, a straggling thread, a sketchy line, embroidered X’s and French knots in a wobbly row.  I LOVE a mix of folklore and modern abstract.  I LOVE a LOT of things about making textile art!

I realize one of my biggest joys is the TACTILE.  Do you remember that tiny scene in the movie Amelie when the narrator is telling us all the things Amelie likes, and one of them is dipping her hand into a big sack of lentils?  That is me.  I LOVE to touch things and enjoy their texture!  Lentils are especially delightful, but I also like running my fingers along rough brick walls and tree bark, and I LOVE holding smooth river rocks.  I am obsessive about touching, squeezing, and nuzzling soft yarn.  Truly, when I hear knitters talk about yarn porn I know exactly what they mean.   It’s embarrassing.

ok, so in this image she's not dipping her hand into a sack of lentils, but she IS about to tap tap crack the crème broulée, conjuring up all sorts of sensory pleasure, including the tactile!

Going all the way with luscious yarn!

I’ve been losing myself on Pinterest for the past couple of days – it’s my escape from the daily political news which has been making me insane and irritable and irritating to others.  I whisk myself away to wander in the forest of the mori kei – the lovely Japanese idyll of quiet girls living in nature with layers and layers of fabric that probably wouldn’t do so well in the real forest.  My love of the mori kei style began before I knew that it was a style, several years ago when I bought like this dress from REBE at Crafty Wonderland and combined it with a polka dot skirt and cute boots.

Rebe dress with Goodwill polka dot skirt

  I was up and running with something that was very me.  Shortly after that purchase I saw a pattern book at the Japanese bookstore inside Uwajimaya called Stylish Dress Book and found that I could make a similar dress, and then I found out about mori

mori kei

And lagenlook

lagenlook style

And Magnolia Pearl

magnolia pearl

And NOW Östebro!

Östebro

And Une Fée dans la Citrouille

Une Fée dans la Citrouille

And whatever THIS piece of gorgeousness is!

Be still my heart!  evdokiyah.livemaster.ru

At the end of the SAQA meeting yesterday another member asked if I knew about Tina Givens patterns – it was the second time in a week I’d been asked the same question!  She said I could model for them, based on what I was wearing – the easy clothes I threw to rush to the meeting!  This is what I wore, on the left, and look what I found on Pinterest this morning, on the right!

My outfit on the left: layered dress from Mexico, petticoat from an estate sale, sweater was on sale in a shop on Haight-Ashbury, about 4 years ago.  (I knit the scarf.) On the right: Une Fée dans la Citrouille

Oh, and YES!  I do know about Tina Givens!  But I will save that for another day!

Say it with heART Valentine show!

This past winter I had the good fortune to participate in a holiday show where I was able to reconnect with textile artist Judee Moonbeam.  She invited me to participate in her annual Valentine show and sale, Say it with heART!

Needless to say, I am having lots of fun stitching up a variety of heARTful goodies for the sale.  These fabric collages are on their way to becoming journal folios.  I'm also working on some sweet little stitcheries:

Did I mention there will be a FREE drawing for a gift basket full of art?  WOW!  We'll also be collecting canned food items for the Oregon Food Bank, so please consider bringing a contribution for that.

If you'll be in the Portland area on Feb 11 & 12, please come on by to pick up some sweet art for your sweetheart!  Judee Moonbeam's studio is located at 4546 NE 47th Ave., Portland, just north of Prescott Ave.

Feb. 11: 10:00 to 6:00

Feb. 12: 10:00 to 5:00

Big fun in the Patchwork Pony class!

What a treat to teach a group of creative women this weekend!  We had big fun here at lulumoon studio making Patchwork Ponies.

Here is the group gathered around the work tables, machines whirring.

Brand new to stitching, Carole works on her romantic pink fantasy pony.  I love teaching new students how to sew!

Here's Sally getting the ears ready for her blue pony.

Kellye was our productivity super star, stitching up THREE ponies during class!

Here are two of Kellye's ponies.  Her kids will be the very lucky recipients!  (The third one is a surprise for someone else - can't show it!)

Time to start stuffing!  Opening a fresh box of Poly-fil is as much fun as Jiffy Pop Popcorn!

Here's one of Janet's beautiful ponies, almost finished!

WOW!  I just LOVE how Sally's pony is turning out!  It's so much fun to see how different all the ponies are depending on the fabrics the students choose!

Janet and Sally

Kellye and Janet

It's always fun to take classes with your besties!

My zebra is ready to ride off into the sunset!  Thanks to my wonderful students for such an fun day!!!

Pink Power

I'm late in posting this, but can I just say how proud I am of all the women who came together to protest peacefully?  Truly.  You are an inspiration.

communal snowman

This morning as I head out to walk the dogs in the Big Snow, there was a large round lump across the street by the side of the road.  I thought it was a shrub covered with snow and walked on.  When I came back, I noticed two smaller lumps on the ground near it, and a girl examining it.  She was looking disappointed.  "I wonder if it was a snowman," I said.  "It was a snowman last night," she replied.

I took the dogs in to dry them off and get them their breakfast, then pulled my snow pants and boots back on. "A-mending we will go!" I sang.

It was not just a matter of piling the smaller lumps back on top.  They needed to be plastered on with fresh snow.  While I worked I got to say howdy to a mom taking her 4-year-old to the park to ski down the tiny bunny slope.  And at the same time, a neighbor popped out of his house to bring a carrot and two rocks, just in case I needed them.  I DID need them!

Mr. Snowman is back!  He's huge!  As tall as a man!  And now I get to look at him out my window, and watch the families stroll by and smile, take a picture with him.  A lovely collaboration for this big snowy day!

patience and intention

Last night the LOLAS gathered to celebrate friendship, Christmas, and the Winter Solstice!  Upon Sonya's suggestion, we lit a miniature fire and set our intentions for the coming year.  I am always hoping to find my true path.  My intention is to continue seeking it.

Sometimes things of great beauty require great patience.  

I am feeling inspired by so many different things right now.  I have an idea, but I don't know if I have the patience required to bring it to life.  We shall see.

CASA

Yesterday I posted about two of the venues for the International Shibori Conference that was held in Oaxaca during our visit.  Today I will share my impressions of CASA - the Center for the Arts of San Agustin.  Located in San Agustin, Etla, a short ride outside of the city of Oaxaca, this former textile hacienda built in 1883 is palatial.  Founded by José Zorrila Trapaga, the location is also known as Vista Hermosa - Beautiful View - and oh my goodness, does it ever have the most gorgeous views of the mountains and valleys!

I am in love with the architecture of the place itself, with wide open floors that used to house the textile manufacturing business.  Can you imagine weaving here, with these views!  A few remnants of the old weaving concern still remain as homage to the building's past.

The former industrial weaving floor, now the best dance hall ever!

Downstairs from the old weaving floor was another expansive space, and here is where the  biggest exhibit from the shibori conference was held.  Work by contemporary textile artists from around the world represented the best in shibori, ikat, boro, and other surface design techniques.  I'll share just a sampling of the artwork, with apologies again to all the artists whose names I neglected to write down.  Here are some of my favorites.  Enjoy.

Dyework on velvet by a Swedish artist.

Paper airplane folds make for the most interesting shibori patterns! by Ana Lisa Hedstrom

I loved how color and pattern showed through the transparency of these cloths.

Love the title of this piece: Boro rebelde - Rebel Boro!  by Argentine artist Paulina González Villán

Neha Puri Dhir of India created this piece, Melange Wrap.  It's also reminiscent of boro cloth, with machine quilting and sashiko stitching.

View of one end of the exhibit, all in shades of indigo

And finally, some parting shots from CASA and San Agustin.

The folly, located outside the main building of the hacienda.

One of the beautiful hand-dyed shibori kimonos on display inside the folly.

The hacienda's pink water fountain

And more pink, on the door of Las delicias de Sherezad (the delights of Sheherezade) - the restaurant where we had the most delicious lunch served by the Syrian French chef.  Exquisite!

Textiles in Oaxaca

(FINALLY I have been able to rescue some images from my phone and now I can post this!)

One of the highlights of our trip to Oaxaca was being able to peek into the goings on of the International Shibori Conference that was taking place in various parts of the city.  It was exciting to see the conference attendees - people from all over the world, including a large contingency from Japan, and ESPECIALLY thrilling to see all the beautiful textile art work!

The three main venues were incredible: the Cultural Arts Center and the Oaxaca Textile Museum are next door to each other and near the main zócalo of the colonial center.  Both were new to me: bright, modern, sophisticated spaces for the study of the arts.  Many of the conference classes and presentations were given in the Cultural Arts Center.  With its soaring ceilings, the space was also an ideal place to exhibit work, especially LONG pieces like this!

Indigo-dyed art dress

The Textile Museum held several stately exhibits.  The main one highlighted the cross-cultural connections of textiles through the centuries that utilize shibori and ikat techniques.  I've always been intrigued by the similarities of symbols, techniques, and tools that can be found throughout the ancient cultures of the world.

Japanese ikat

African shibori

Mexican shibori

Another exhibit we LOVED at the Textile Museum was called To Spin the Wind - The Plumed Weavings of Mexico.  In this exhibit contemporary artists wove a variety of feathers into the most intriguing art works.  I wish my photos were better!  (And I apologize for not having noted the artists' names.)

I just loved the quote woven into this piece: "Las plumas vuelan en el aire y las palabras en el tiempo" (Feathers fly in the air, and words, in time)

It was fun to see all the indigo and shibori that people around town were displaying, including our very own Jan!

Jan and her first time ever shibori indigo-dyed cloth

A conference attendee modeling her shibori and ikat garments

And finally for this post, a sampling from another exhibit in town: Postcard Weavings.  People from all over the world participated by weaving a tiny tapestry and attaching it to a standard size postcard, then mailed them to the show!  The venue was El Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca (the Oaxaca Philatelic Museum) - an appropriate place to display postcards!  

Front side

And back!

My thoughts exactly!

They make you want to weave again, don't they!

Tomorrow: the big exhibit at CASA!

Revisiting Mi Corazón: Oaxaca

I've just come back from a trip to Mexico, the trip that my generous friends sent me on.  The LOLAS do Mexico, one more time!  This time we went to Oaxaca, a place that held many magical memories for me 11 and 12 years ago.  The city has GROWN!  But it is still filled with beautiful sights.  I am always in awe of the architecture, both ancient and colonial.  But I was especially taken by the glorious sky vistas.  Here are some of my favorites pics from our first few days.

In front of Santo Domingo

The courtyard inside Santo Domingo

View of the botanical garden

My beautiful friends Sally, Wendy, Janet, Jan, and Diane

At Monte Alban

Temple at Monte Alban

Big blue sky over the temple

Drama etched in the Oaxacan sky

More to come!