Jul 17, 2012 | Latest Art Projects, Ravens & Eagles, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
“Eagle She Bear” acrylic on canvas is 50″w x 40″h
Since 1983, I’ve completed 50+ ceremonial robes in the Chilkat, Ravenstail and button blanket styles. I am creating a contemporary “mate” of each robe created in one of three mediums including acrylic painting, charcoal, or collage.
About 10 years ago the late Deloresa Cadiente commissioned a button robe from me; she was Eagle Teikweidee Bear Clan. This acrylic painting on canvas is the contemporary “mate” to the robe.
This painting is currently in a show entitled “The Spirit of Woman” which recently opened at the Wild Spirit Gallery in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Jul 1, 2012 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Class Act, Honoring Others, Ravens & Eagles, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Israel and Sue Shotridge's new gallery "Raven's Nest" on Vashon Island, Washington State
On my return to Colorado, I made it a point to take a jaunt over to Vashon Island and visit fellow artists Israel and Sue Shotridge who have been living in this small community for the past 15 years and are originally from Ketchikan, Alaska. I wanted to check out their gallery space and their workshop space because I have been invited by the Shotridges to conduct a class in button blanket making and possibly do a First Friday exhibit of my work in November this year.
Sue Shotridge stands behind a display case exhibiting her husband Israel's silver work in pendants, earrings and bracelets
After helping Sue load in some of her back room supplies and seeing this wonderful cozy gallery, and the way she has set it up, I could not help but want a gallery for my work too! hahaha! I never thought I’d ever hear myself say such a thing, let alone think it!
The Shotridges are arranging their schedule of workshops for this Summer into Fall. Check out their website for details on workshops and images of Israel’s work at: www.shotridgestudios.com
Or if you are in the Vashon Island neighborhood, stop by and check out their beautiful creations on the right side of the main drag in downtown Vashon!
May 20, 2012 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Ravens & Eagles, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
Clarissa lays out buttons onto recent "Eagle Raven Lovebirds" button robe designed by Preston Singletary, robe fabric choice and fabrication by Clarissa Rizal
Preston and I have finally collaborated on an actual art piece. We have worked together for a few years creating the Northwest Coast Native Artist Gatherings, and we’ve been working for the past who knows how many years towards creating a large glass Chilkat robe – maybe this robe is the impetus for actually making the glass robe come into reality real soon!
Lily assists in laying out the buttons while son, Louis checks out his mother's carefulness
Lily and Louis Hope helped do the button layout; it’s nice to have a family affair especially with cool kids!
Lily begins to glue down hundreds of buttons
Another version of Lily working on the robe while Louis naps in the Ergo baby carrier
completed button robe
The completed robe waiting to be packed up for the Native Art Market at Celebration 2012 in Juneau sponsored by the Sealaska Heritage Institute
Jun 19, 2011 | Latest Art Projects, Ravens & Eagles, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Drafting up a traditional Chilkat robe based on an old one. This one I call the "Lovebirds Diving Whale."
I’m working on a couple of Chilkat robe designs. One I just completed as part of my “robe-within-a-robe” series for a collaborative project with another artist; the other robe design is this one above. This design is a “diving whale” with an Eagle and a Raven, the Lovebirds. This is a draft of the robe I am preparing to weave, yet I am having second thoughts about re-doing the design so that it goes along with my “robe within a robe” series. My Chilkat robe-within-a-robe series are designs where there is a smaller Chilkat robe within the main image of the Chilkat robe. I have almost completed my first Chilkat robe within this series; it is called “Jennie Weaves An Apprentice.” The deadline for the completion of this robe is mid-July – however, I have been predicting the completion of this “Jennie Weaves” robe for the past two years; so what makes me (or others for that matter) believe me when I say it’s gonna be done by mid-July, huh?
Nov 17, 2010 | North Tide, Ravens & Eagles, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
The obvious "Split U-shape!"
Have you ever wondered how the unique Northwest Coast Tlingit form line art came to be? Ever wonder where and when it started? Look at the photograph above. The clouds were shaped like a “split U” against the forest. (Any of you who understand the terminology of the form line art will understand it when I say the terms like “ovoid” (the oval shape), “split U” (a shape of a U that has a split down its center), etc.} The split-U shape in this photo was the real thing!–As I have mentioned before, I do not tamper or enhance any of my photographs on my blog.
I have a theory about the origins of the Tlingit art. It is a “natural” theory – meaning: it came naturally through nature, just like the photograph above. My theory is Northwest Coast Native form line art evolved from Nature. The following is a story I made up to support my theory:
“There was a modest pile of split cedar logs near the campfire where he sat. He was relaxing after a full day of fishing. His belly was full of fresh salmon and herring eggs. The wife was putting the kids to sleep and she probably feel asleep too, or else she would have joined him by now. He stoked the fire. Identical colors of the sunset tied rolled in reflecting the same kind of fluid motion as the fire. As if sunset, tide and fire were one. As if the fire were imitating the sea’s sunset. As if the sunset were an act to be imitated! And as if the sea eve cared! – He was delighted and amused with the awesome view and his lazy insights.
His mind rolled with the tide, soft movements of wondering left no place for a thought to truly rest. he put some more wood on the fire. Just as he was about to place another piece into the flames, he noticed the grain of wood. It seemed no different than any other pieces of wood he had handled, he had built many, many campfires, yet for some reason, he was attracted to this one. he placed it on a rock before him. In the firelight, he could see the grain of wood layered as if the waves along the shoreline were intentionally imprinted: “What? ” He thought to himself, “Now the grain of this wood, the fire, the sunset and the ocean are all one?” He laughed. he stoked the fire with his stick. “How come the world has to be in unison, how come it seems everything is related, how come human beings seem to be the aliens? ” he began poking the piece of wood that lay between he and the fire.
With the end of the fire stick, he poked the ashes and doodled mindlessly on the split log...He just followed the grain...naturally...and before he realized, there was this form...hmm... now what does that remind you of?
The tip of the stick followed the grain, leaving a trail of charcoal following the lazy lines that he felt in his mind. he liked the fluid movement. He put the stick into the fire again, gaining more charcoal at the tip, and began darkening other areas, giving contrast to areas he hadn’t ever really noticed before. “Whoa! That’s cool, like, check this out!” he could see where lines widened, where they tapered, where they flowed in a motion around one another. He continued to play with making some areas darker than others as well as leaving some as they natural became, just lines and blobs. Suddenly, there was a cracking sound in the forest behind him. He froze. He waited for a few seconds. He turned slowly towards where the sound came but did not look. He arose slowly, walked a few steps inside his home where he felt safe in his nice warm bed.
In the morning, his children were poking at the embers. He remembered his “journey” from the night before and searched for the piece of wood. He thought he left it where he first set it on the rock between where he sat and the fire pit. Where did it get to? Huh, even the stoking stick was gone! He asked his kids if they had moved the piece of wood from the rock. The replied “What wood?” Confused, they looked about the rock; all they could find were a pair of footprint impressions in the sand, impressions like that of a Raven!”
Oct 29, 2010 | Honoring Others, Ravens & Eagles |
A Raven's very last rest
Buddy, the Pomeranian dog, was dashing out the door at noon for a walk before he jumps the twin-engine plane on the 12:30 flight to return home to his master in Hoonah. We didn’t get around the corner from the property before a Raven fell from the sky directly in front of us, it’s body bounced a couple of times before landing in the street’s grassy ditch. I thought at first it was playing hide-and-seek with us because it must have picked up on Buddy being a playful dog. Yet when I approached the raven, I watched as he gasped his last breath, tongue protruding sharply and with a sudden seizure he froze.
Buddy did not approach him. I looked around for other ravens who may be flying about the high winds and downpour – no one in sight. I looked up and down the street; looked into other neighbor’s windows – no sign of life – not even the common sounds of the neighborhood ravens. A wet silence approached from the ground up. Not knowing what to do, I took out my camera.
He lies in front of my parent’s house on this freezing, wet, windy day. I’m not sure how to handle the passing of a raven. I think of a burial, but that doesn’t seem right since they naturally die in the wilderness without a coffin! I think of leaving him there for a week, and imagine plucking its feathers, imagining creating a Raven headdress, but what if another animal drags him away and mutilates him? Its body is still warm; I walk away with Buddy running up ahead full of bounce and life. He did not make it on the 12:30 flight to Hoonah.
