Apr 11, 2012 | Honoring Others, Showing Off, To Market To Market |
Stroller Pack - invented and created by John Ingalls of Juneau, Alaska
Back in the early 80’s, John Ingalls had a shop where he designed and manufactured these Stroller Packs – a stroller that can glide over sand, snow, rock, gravel, wooded paths, tundra and any other Alaskan terrain. This stroller easily converts into a back pack (see photo below showing the straps). This is the most coveted stroller by mainly Juneau families who enjoy the ease of traveling with their toddlers in the great outdoors of Alaska.
Stroller Pack label
John Ingalls is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the great grandson of the great-grandpa Ingalls who was a co-inventor and best friend to Ben Franklin. John is a musician; he plays any kind of flute there is and also constructed large Andean panpipes made from titanium; pretty dang cool. When John’s kids were young, John saw the need for real stroller, one that can collapse and fits into the overhead compartment on the jet, one that can travel in any terrain whether natural or man-made, maneuvers and turns on a dime and one that is considerably lighter than any other stroller of its magnitude. So he began creating this stroller and pretty soon everyone in town wanted one. Then before you know it, the business took off. I consider John to be the “Godfather” of Juneau – my definition of a godfather is not the normal definition. My definition of godfather is the man who watches out and over the community in which he lives. A man with few words, he pays attention to the distinct characteristics of all the locals. Although known as being an eccentric, John has a heart of gold.
Stroller Pack - back showing the shoulder straps and waist strap
The Stroller Pack company was a family affair back in the 80’s. He designed and re-designed them, ordered all the fabrics, ordered all the parts, welded certain pieces together, and my son was the “fitter”, the guy who put the framework together, my Ex did the logo design, brochure layout, photography, etc., and I sewed all the parts that could be sewn.
Where can you buy one of these strollers or at least try one out? Well, if you live in Juneau and you see someone with one, stop and ask them about their StrollerPack; most owners are delighted to share their experiences. I also have this one in the photographs. I bought this one after I quit working for John on my move out of Alaska to Colorado back in 1993. I figured I would use it when I became a Grandma, however, 19 years later, now that I’m a 4-time Grandmother, my children would rather have me use their fancy $450 3-wheelers that are so stylish these days – the design and function of the Stroller Pack does not appeal to them. What!?–you mean there is such a thing as “stroller fads!?” Who woulda known!?
I cleaned out the entire attic’s worth of 18 years of family member’s piles. The Stroller Pack has been up there collecting dust; never been used but maybe once. If you are interested or know of someone else who is interested in this Pack, feel free to contact me. John no longer manufactures them anymore; I’ll let this one go for $350.00! Come on; go for it!
Apr 4, 2012 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Hand-silkscreened limited edition of the Old Timer's Basketball Tournament poster, Juneau, Alaska - 1983?
Holy Moly! I just found a couple of copies of this original, hand-silkscreened poster I designed back in the early 80’s – 1981, ’82 or ’83. The image depicts a Raven and and Eagle each grasping a basketball with their claws with a basketball hoop between their heads
I am willing to let go of these last two originals – they are in excellent shape; they are hand-printed on red cedar-like paper and cut in a diameter of 20 inches; this limited edition is signed and numbered – for $495.00 each
As I mentioned, I only have two available; if you want one, then better contact me real quick!
If these don’t sell beforehand, I will have them available for sale at the Sealaska Art Market during Celebration 2012, Thursday through Saturday, June 7, 8 and 9, in Juneau, Alaska – come take a look at other prints and paintings I’ll have available!
Apr 1, 2012 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, For Crying Out Loud, Honoring Others, Relationship Overdrive, Showing Off |
“Big Blue Whale” was his full name; we all called him “Big Blue” for short. A pale blue-green, 1965 Ford pick-up, ¾ ton sporting a 351 engine (coveted by mechanics knowing the value of this type of engine), Big Blue was “born and bred” in Georgia and made his way up to Alaska in the early 80’s driven by the original owner, an airplane mechanic who kept this babe in great shape. Big Blue was happiest humming down the highway at 85mph best with a ton of gravel – his engine “purred!” I bought Big Blue in July 1985 for my landscape company when he was just 20 years old. It was love at first sight!
Firefighters put out the last remaining life of "Big Blue" - photo by Ursala Hudson
27 years later, Big Blue passed away today on April Fool’s Day. When my son-in-law was going up the hill towards home, suddenly the truck died and when he jumped out to check what happened, suddenly the engine began to smoke and burst into flames – luckily Chris had not had the chance to open the hood!!! 911 came to the rescue and put out the last life of Big Blue. When all had died down, the fire chief examined the engine and showed us the broken fuel line figuring this was what started the fire.
The passing of Big Blue was very sad; for me it was the completion of an era allowed to live only once. As I mentioned earlier, when I first saw this truck many years ago, it was “love at first sight.” My personal experience of “love at first sight” is a feeling of deep gratitude upon the sight of something, or someone, or somewhere. This feeling has nothing to do with want, lust, desire, must have; it is full body experience of being in awe, feeling a deep appreciation of what is before me. I loved this machine at first sight in 1985.
I was a landscape gardener; boss of my “Kahtahah Landscape Gardeners”, every season I’d hire a new group of adventurous young folk who didn’t mind working hard in the Southeastern Alaskan weather from April 1st through October 31st in wind, sleet, snow flurries, rain (of course!), and yet any fine, rare sunny day, we were out and about, we soaked up the shine, all of it! Kept in lean shape sportin’ mighty fine tans, we did, yessirreee!
Instead of buying a company truck, I rented one from June Dawson’s vehicle rental company. (And if any of you living in Juneau remember June, she was a hoot – one of the happiest redheads I’ve ever known – a generous woman who implored me to dig up the best peatmossy loamy soil on this side of the planet! (which happened to be located in what is now the Lemon Creek Industrial area where COSTCO and all those other brand names hang out together…we hand-dug truckloads and truckloads to the Sealaska Corporation plaza’s garden beds – there were nights I couldn’t sleep cuz I had threats by passer-bys who were coveting the soil – I was never sure if I’d return to work the next day and find the piles gone, so we quickly worked the soil into the poor soil already existing at Sealaska.
(Why did I rent a truck instead of buying one? I was waiting for the right one to come around. I didn’t want just any ole truck; I wanted a specific type. And the moment I wished for it out loud, not even 5 minutes later, there he was at the garbage dump in all his fine glory! Hallelujiah!)
My 1985 crew members included 5 neighbors. They had just moved to Juneau from Nebraska and Kansas, looking for the “Alaskan experience” and were out looking for a job. Being the kind of neighbor that I am, I asked them if they were interested in working for me. They jumped for it. One day, the five of us were jammed packed into the cab of the truck heading to the garbage dump to look for an old refigerator to use as a smokehouse. One crew member asked: “Hey Clarissa, when are you going to buy your own truck?” They all chimed in: “Yeah, you’ve got to get your own truck, how come you gotta be so picky, like what kind of truck do you want?”
I replied: “I want an old truck, one from the 60’s, can’t be older than ’69. I want a Chevy or Ford pick-up, you know, the kind with the rounded fronts with a big bed, not one of those ½ ton, but ¾ ton. I want him in excellent condition…I’m waiting for the right one!”
Everyone’s reply: “oh golly, that’s wishful thinking, where you gonna find one in Juneau, those types are rare, especially those without any rust in excellent shape…!?”
Within 5 minutes of the conversation, as we had come around the corner, there at the dump, was “Big Blue!” – the owners were visiting the dump too! My crew members and I gawked “Clarissa! There’s YOUR truck!” — and sure enough, there was a “For Sale” sign on the rear window!
The rest is 27 years of history and fantastic memories.
Mar 29, 2012 | Health and Wellness, Latest Art Projects, North Tide, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Adding the Devil's Club leaves to the black & white Chilkat robe design - acrylic painting on canvas measures approximately 24" h x 38" w - Clarissa Rizal; March 2012
I was commissioned by the NNAAPC (National Native American AIDS Prevention Center) in Denver, Colorado to create an image for this year’s convention. Of course the theme is based on the awareness and attendance to health, healing and prevention. They asked for a traditional image that would reflect their theme. I couldn’t think of anything better than of course, Chilkat!
Added the traditional colors of yellow and blue along with the green leaves of the Devil's Club
If you’ve studied the older Chilkat robes of the past 200 years, you will notice there are robes that have similar designs, where there are slight changes between each robe, yet distinctly they are related – like a variation on a particular theme. I am doing this with my “Chilkat robe within a robe” series. Although I have designed a couple of robes with this same theme for a couple of my students, my very first one that I designed and wove was called “Jennie Weaves An Apprentice” (which I finally finished weaving last August 20122), which is what this painting is based and of course I changed some of the design elements (i.e. smile faces as opposed to grims, etc.), yet the design description (described below) is very different than that of “Jennie…”
Almost completed - just need to add the Devil's Club berries, give the painting a more "painterly" effect, and a coat of matte medium
Native Americans used Devil’s Club both as food and medicine. The plant was traditionally used by Native Americans to treat adult-onset diabetes and a variety of tumors. Devil’s Club is employed as a blood tonic, used in salves for skin ailments, rheumetoid arthritis, cuts and bruises. For spiritual protective purposes, the stalks were shaved of their thorns and placed above doorways, made into beads and worn on the person, and shaved stalk were placed in bowls and placed around the house. Sometimes, Devil’s Club was dried and burned like an incense during certain spiritual ceremonies. In vitro studies showed that extracts of Devil’s Club inhibit tuberculosis microbes. Because Devil’s club is related to American Ginseng some think that the plant is an adaptogen. The plant has been harvested for this purpose and marketed widely as “Alaskan ginseng”, which may damage populations of Devil’s Club and its habitat, which is why many Alaska Native peoples are very protective of our Devil’s Club population; we do not want the plant to disappear because of capitalist exploitation. We consider this plant very precious.
The plant is covered with brittle yellow spines that break off easily if the plants are handled or disturbed, and the entire plant has been described as having a “primordial” appearance. Devil’s Club is very sensitive to human impact and does not reproduce quickly. The plants are slow growing and take many years to reach seed bearing maturity, and predominately exist in dense, moist, old growth conifer forests in the Pacific Northwest, which is why we will harvest only what is needed. There are times we will harvest the entire stalk if the need calls for this, otherwise, we will take a small cutting at the lower backside (the part that does not face the beach or face of the forest). We never harvest the entire plant. To ensure the continuance of the Devil’s Club, we dig a small hole nearby the area we have harvested and we place an “offering” of tobacco, cedar or sage – we are “giving back” and paying our respects. Many Native American people consider ourselves “stewards of the land and sea.”
Devil’s Club generally grows to 3.5 to 5 feet tall; however, instances exist of it reaching in excess of 16 feet in rainforest gullies. I have literally walked under “forests” of Devil’s Club. The spines are found along the upper and lower surfaces of veins of its leaves as well as the stems. The leaves are spirally arranged on the stems, simple, palmately lobed with 5-13 lobes, 8 to 16 inches across. The flowers are produced in dense umbels 4 to 8 inches in diameter, each flower small, with five greenish-white petals. The highly poisonous fruit is a small red drupe 0.16 to 0.28 inches in diameter elongate in clusters.
Devil’s club reproduces by forming colonal colonies through a layering process. What can appear to be several different plants may actually have all been one plant originally, with the clones detaching themselves after becoming established by laying down roots.
This species usually grows in moist, dense forest habitats, and is most abundant in old growth conifer forests. It is found from Southcentral Alaska down throughout Southeastern Alaska to western Oregon and eastward to western Alberta and Montana. Disjunct native populations also occur over 900 miles away in Lake Superior on Isle Royale and Passage Island, Michigan and Porphyry Island and Slate Island, Ontario. I personally have seen Devil’s Club here and there in the higher elevations in marshy areas of the San Juan Mountains surrounding Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The plants are not as large as those in Alaska, but then again, Alaska grows things big.
The completed "Chilkat Devil's Club" painting on canvas for NNAAPC by Clarissa Rizal - March 2012
Design Description of the painting entitled “Chilkat Devil’s Club”
The stylized Chilkat ceremonial robe design depicts a smaller Chilkat robe within a larger Chilkat robe which is part of a series of Chilkat robes portraying “a robe within a robe” image. This particular theme is one that tells the story of the transference of indigenous knowledge healing methods from one person to another, or from one tribe to another, from one community to another, of from one culture to another; this is shown by way of the main human face (the Creator) who has gifted us the Devil’s Club and is flanked by the human faces on the top and left corner of the main robe who are holding the smaller robe (center lower half outlined in the yellow/black border) showing the recipient (smaller human face) of the healing knowledge and simultaneously the recipient of the healing modality. In this case, although the Devil’s Club signifies the ancient healing methodology of the indigenous peoples mainly of the Northwest Coast across the Northern part of the U.S. and southern Canada to Ontario, because of small cottage industries in Alaska and Canada who are creating healing salves, teas and tinctures, the healing properties of Devil’s Club is available to anyone in the world.
Mar 21, 2012 | Latest Art Projects, North Tide, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
The beginnings of Clarissa's "argillite" done in charcoal
Well,…not only am I finally getting around to posting new posts on my blog, I am finally getting around to doing more work in charcoal – in this case, a charcoal done on raw canvas. I call it my “argillite carving.” (What is argillite? It is a black stone from the British Columbia area suitable for carving.) When completed, this piece will be approximately 30 inches wide x 6 feet tall. I’ll post the finished product when I complete it – stay tuned!
Mar 19, 2012 | Honoring Others, Showing Off |
"Low and Clear" Documentary by Tyler Hughen and Kahlil Hudson
My son, Kahlil Hudson and his life-long friend, Tyler Hughen directed and produced their most recent film “Low and Clear”, a documentary currently making its rounds in the Film Festivals around the country and internationally. Check out the trailer at: http://www.kahlilhudson.com/trailer.html I am happy for my son who is living his livelihood backed by a wonderful wife, Mikiko and his daughter, Violet Sol. Yeah, Tyler and Kahlil, and all those who made this film happen!
Mar 15, 2012 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Showing Off, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Clarissa's portable office
I originally purchased this Samsonite laptop briefcase for my daughter so she could have a “portable office” when she conducts presentations and also just to keep the business part of her life in order while raising two small children.
Daily planner "The UnCalendar" fits perfectly into the front pocket
This case came in two colors: red and black. I chose the red because I knew she would have chosen it. However, her laptop didn’t fit; it was an inch too wide! Nooooo!
3-ring binder with pocketed dividers holds latest projects, homework papers, etc. - and in the back holds a replaceable writing tablet
I didn’t want to return it, so after a long 5 minute fit of frustration trying to make a 15-inch laptop fit into a 13-inch case, I decided that it would be mine even though I didn’t want a red briefcase. I tested my Macbook, sure enough, it fit. Obviously meant to be mine.
(I still want my daughter to have her own portable office; we’re searching online for one. If you have any leads, let us know asap.)
Side pockets hold Worldventures and Clarissa Rizal brochures, business cards, etc.
I transferred all that I had in my plastic binder; everything fit beautifully. I love the versatility, compactness and I’ve grown to even like the color for a briefcase.
The iMacbook fits perfectly into the separate zippered compartment
And now that I’ve been using this thing for the past couple of weeks, I’ve totally enjoyed it…and guess what? It matches my red boots. So if you see my red boots walking briskly in the snow, my little red portable office is tagging along too!
Nov 11, 2011 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Class Act, Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
nDigiDreams videography class - Institute of American Indian Arts - Santa Fe, NM September 2011
Spearheaded by Jennifer Coots, Business Program Professor, the Institute of American Indian Arts Indigenous Studies Department sponsored a class, for those of us interested in being introduced to creating 5-minute videos. Each of us told a personal story related to our cross-cultural upbringing and experiences leading to how we were led to attend The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.
Our teachers were Carmen and Brenda from nDigiDreams. nDigiDreams conducts community-based digital storytelling training workshops. “We believe our diverse cultures, identities, histories and stories hold enormous strength and beauty and we seek to train and empower indigenous individuals and communities with new media tools to realize optimal health and wellness.” Carmen and Brenda have conducted workshops in Indian Country; think about hosting a workshop in your community. You may check out their website (and view other storytelling videos) at: http://www.ndigidreams.com/
Brenda Manuelito, Jennifer Coots (IAIA Business Professor) and Carmen Rodriquez
You may view my very first video entitled “Generations of Love Made Visible” along with some of the students’ videos on U-tube. Cut and past this link onto your browser: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBF1FA84C49C930F7
Thank you very much for visiting!
Oct 29, 2011 | Honoring Others, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Cecil Touchon in his studio - February 2007 (photo courtesy CecilTouchon.com)
Interviewers and others have asked how and when I came into creating contemporary paintings and collages with Northwest Coast Native art imagery. I refer them to my friend and fellow artist Cecil Touchon at www.ceciltouchon.com. Back in ’93 Cecil and I met in his then gallery he had recently opened in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. His daughter Brittany was drawing at the drafting table and his wife (and assistant), Rosalia was just running out the door to do an errand. After a lengthy conversation about art, families and life as an artist, I purchased the first item sold from the gallery: an antique wooden hat form. That was the beginning of our life-long friendship.
After visiting me in my studio working on button blankets and a Chilkat robe, Cecil thought it would be cool if I did Northwest Coast imagery in contemporary works in paintings and collages. I thought I’d give it a go; I spent a few days in his studio where he taught me the essence of cubism without even realizing it. Finally, about 5 years later in 2000, I got off my duff and created a painting based on one of my button blankets called “Wrestling With Angels” and created my first 10 collages that I immediately sold at the Santa Fe Indian Market. Since, I’ve been having fun with exploring Northwest Coast Native art in cubist-style paintings and collages.
Cecil's exhibit opening Friday, October 28 in Atlanta, Georgia
Last night Cecil had a show opening in Atlanta, Georgia. Click the link to view his show:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/sets/72157627876660361/show/
Check out the variety of Cecil’s work and writings on his website’s blog: http://ceciltouchon.blogspot.com
Sep 24, 2011 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Latest Art Projects, North Tide, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
"Raven Knows Its Light" multi-media collage with faux pas painted frame - Clarissa Rizal
It’s hard to believe I actually got enough material together for a half-way decent show of some of my contemporary paintings and collages! The show opened on Thursday, September 1, 2011 at the Stonington Gallery in Seattle, Washington. My works were in good company with a couple of other friends of mine, Chloe French and Preston Singletary. Yes, all the works are for sale via the Stonington.
Stonington Gallery show opening - September 1, 2011
"Totem Theories Revisited" acrylic painting on canvas by Clarissa Rizal
Stonington Gallery show opening September 1, 2011
Tlingit World Series #092 - Clarissa Rizal - 2011
The above collage is a series based on the original painting “Ravens Prepare for Next Ice Age.”
"Jennie Weaves An Apprentice" Chilkat pattern board (for the Chilkat robe of the same name) - acrylic painting on canvas - Clarissa Rizal
If you are in the Seattle area, check out the show or…
Read about the opening show article in the Seattle Times – Friday, September 23, 2011: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2016289325_ar23tlingit.html?syndication=rss
