Jan 6, 2011 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
"Northwest by Southwest" 6'w x 5'h - Private Collection, Portland, OR - 1999 Clarissa Rizal
Since 1983, I have designed and made 50 Tlingit ceremonial robes in the hand-appliqued button blanket, and hand-woven Ravenstail and Chilkat. The following are my favorite button robes. (Please contact me if you’d like to use these images for educational purposes only).
"Having To Look Closely" 58"w x 48"h - Private Collection, NYC - 1999 Clarissa Rizal
During 2011, I am working on the manuscript for a book of my “first fifty.” The book will also include images of my contemporary paintings that match the robes. I thought I would publish the book this year but I have to complete 50 paintings first – so the publication of the book is being put off for a little while!
"Thomas Schulz Bear" 6'w x 5'h - Private Collection, Seattle, WA - 2005 Clarissa Rizal
"Frog Storyteller 4 Directions" 58" w x 48"h - Private Collection, Burns Lake, B.C. - 2007 Clarissa Rizal
"Frog Speaks" 58"w x 52"h - Private Collection, Juneau, AK - 2002 Clarissa Rizal
"Frog Speaks" (all-button version) 58"w x 50"h - Private Collection, Vancouver - 2007 Clarissa Rizal
"Following Our Ancestors' Trail" 66"w x 58"h - Private Collection, Austin, TX - 1992 Clarissa Rizal
"Wrestling With Angels" 58"w x 50"h - Private Collection, Juneau, AK - 1992 Clarissa Rizal
"Emergence" 68"w x 58"h - SEARHC (Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium), Sitka, AK - 1992 Clarissa Rizal
Dec 6, 2010 | Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
Lily and Betty stand before Clarissa's showing of her latest paintings on canvas (with a few prints)
I didn’t walk Juneau’s Gallery Walk last weekend; instead I exhibited my latest paintings. There’s a first time for everything. I haven’t shown any of my Tlingit-influenced contemporary works on canvas until this past week. First I displayed my work at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market during Thanksgiving weekend, then a few days later at Sealaska’s Annual Holiday Fair, and then the next night at the First Friday Gallery Walk in Juneau. Three shows in one week. That’s enough for the year. I’m wiped out. Yet, I am energized by the public response to my paintings. I received three main responses: either folks loved the colorful images, or were taken aback and wondered what the heck I was doing, or they paid it no mind. All the responses were acceptable – if I had no responses, I think the work would be considered “dead.”
Clarissa with her Limited Edition of dolls entitled "An Ocean Runs Through Us"
I began working in this contemporary style about 10 years ago when i started making collages influenced by my friend Cecil Touchon (www.ceciltouchon.com). He encouraged me to take our hand-silkscreened reject prints and make collages. I had been saving the rejects for about 15 years and knew some day that I would put them to use and create collages. Then this past year, like Cecil, i began making paintings based on some of the collages.
Mary and Roz's "Trickster Visions"display their hand-crafted copper, abalone and Mother-of-Pearl earrings
Daniel Buckscott's photographs are a backdrop for his wife Jennifer's table of home-made jams and jellies along with home-made soaps graced with photo images of Daniel's Alaskan images
Perseverance Theatre were giving away tickets to "This Wonderful Life" if you answered pertinent questions of the classic play - opening night was the same night as this evening's Gallery Walk, Friday December 3rd - the play will run each weekend through December 26th (except Christmas Day)
Many thanks to fiddlers Lis Saya and her son, Lief who played Classic Christmas songs for several hours
First-time viewers of Clarissa's contemporary Tlingit-influenced paintings on canvas
Girlfriends since they were their children's present age, Miah Lager with son, Indie and Lily Hudson with daughter, Betty
...and with a Grandma...
Tlingit language teacher, Marsha Hotch with linguist Alice Taft and Clarissa
Grandma Kathy Hope Erickson with daughter, Kelsey and grand-daughter Isadora, and Lis
Lis Saya (again) with Irene Robinson and her daughters Katy Harman and Jacqueline Harman Tagaban
Nov 28, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
Clarissa's Booth C-4 at Alaska-Juneau's Public Market displays her recent acrylics on canvas, Limited Edition Giclee reproductions, hand-made dolls, last of her greeting cards and hand-silkscreened prints, and a few copies of her Chilkat Weaver's Handbook
The last time Clarissa did the Public Market was back in 1989 where after her move back to Alaska from New Mexico; she had a booth in the center of the lobby and introduced the then intriguing dream catcher to Juneau. The Market was fun back then as it is even now!
Limited Edition Giclee prints and original paintings include "Rain", "Tlingit Jedi", "Totemic Theories", "Good Thing I'm Crazy Else I'd Go Insane", "Gray Wolves", "Frog Speaks" and prints of her "Tlingit World Series" collages
Clarissa's mother, Irene Lampe and brother, Rick Lampe pay a visit to the booth
“Across the street” is Jack Tripp, Jr.’s Mt. Juneau Trading Post featuring Native drums, moccasins, carvings, rugs, jewelry and the best collection of antique shell buttons I’ve ever seen! He’s turning 49 today – we’re just gonna have to beat those drums, sing Happy Birthday Tlingit style and shake a leg!
Mt. Juneau Trading Post's booth at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market "across the street" from Clarissa Rizal's
Fabulous Northwest Coast Native art (and regalia-making supplies) at the Mt. Juneau Trading Post
Jack Tripp, Jr.'s fabulous display of Tlingit art - check out the Chilkat wool rug handwoven in Nepal (no, it's not a traditional ceremonial robe - it's a rug!)
Nov 26, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
A portion of Clarissa Rizal's "Frog Speaks" acrylic painting on canvas - In this photo, the painting is not quite finished but it will be finished by the Public Market opening Friday, November 26th at noon - it measures approximately 40"w x 52"h
A few places I’ve exhibited my work are in Banff and Vancouver Canada, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Seattle, Washington; and have done demonstrations at the Smithsonian in New York and Washington D.C. I do not recall exhibiting my work in my own home town! Like, what’s up, huh? Am I just too good for Juneau? NOT!
During this 3-day weekend, at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market in Centennial Hall, I will show some of my latest contemporary, acrylic paintings on canvas amongst a few of my favorite Giclee reproduction limited edition of prints on canvas, and a Collector’s Edition of handmade dolls. I will also have a few copies of my Chilkat Weavers’ Handbook available for sale.
Come visit and check out my work at Booth C-4 in the main hall of Centennial Hall. And while visiting me at my booth, you may still make a donation towards the fundraiser for my brother Robert Lampe, who is presently undergoing chemotherapy in Anchorage. All three of the gift items will be available for viewing at my booth. You don’t remember what those gift items were? Check out my entry here on this blog under the “Health and Wellness” section; click “Tlingit Art Fundraiser Opportunity for Robert Lampe.” The drawing will be held the last day of the Market on Sunday, November 28 at 4pm.
Limited Edition of 8 Tlingit-design dolls entitled "An Ocean Runs Through Us"
Juneau Public Market hours are Friday, noon to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am – 5pm. I look forward to seeing you at the Market!
Nov 20, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
"An Ocean Runs Through Us" Limited edition of 8 dolls by Clarissa Rizal - In the background you will notice a small version of a print of the original painting of the same name
I just completed these dolls today and had to post them ASAP because my most favorite part about finishing them off was making the hand-written, matching canvas labels! Ha-eh!? That being said, I know you can relate, right?
The title for this particular collection of dolls is “An Ocean Runs Through Us” – named after the large triptych painting I did in 2005 because the fabric of these dolls is printed with the imagery of the painting. (I also have a limited edition of Giclee reproduction prints available in a slightly smaller size than the original painting – you may see this set of prints on my website under the “Shop & Buy” section.)
One of the dolls is holding the labels (that I am so proud of!)
I purchased a large format Epson 7880 24″ printer from Parrott Digigraphics, Inc. – I wasn’t sure if I was savy enough to learn how to operate the machine and retain the information, but a couple of experts assisted me to print my paintings’ images on cotton, silk, canvas and paper. Although the operation of the printer is sometimes a pain in the ass cuz things just do not always go smoothly, I have a blast with this printer; it is soooo much fun!
The dolls' "hair" and "ties" are scraps of Chilkat warp I had accumulated over the years knowing I would put the scraps to use someday
Each of these 18″ dolls are one-of-a-kind, no two alike. The Epson Ultrachrome inks are guaranteed 80 years from fading. Printed on cotton sateen fabric, the dolls are stuffed with polyester, with cedar bark and wool warp for hair and neck ties, and held together with antique mother-of-pearl buttons. Each Limited Edition doll is signed and numbered; there are only 8. Come down to my booth (C-4 in the main hall) and check them out at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market during the Thanksgiving weekend at Centennial Hall. Doors open at noon on Friday, November 26th. We’ll see you then!
A bird's eye view of a doll and the hand-made labels with the tools to make them
Nov 13, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
"Tlingit Jed-i" acrylic on canvas - 16" W x 20"H - by Clarissa Rizal - November 2010
These are my latest paintings on canvas. They will be available for sale at my booth in the main hall at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market opening the Friday after Thanksgiving, running the weekend through Sunday at the Centennial Hall in Juneau. I started these paintings this past Spring while living in Santa Fe; but with the major move back to Juneau in May, and the time getting back onto my feet, I am now settled long enough to complete the set of five (and then some)! Come visit and see other new items of interest. My booth is C-4 (How do you remember? Think “C” for Clarissa)
"Good Thing I'm Crazy Else I'd Go Insane!" acrylic on canvas - 16"W x 20"H - by Clarissa Rizal - November 2010
"Ravens Prepare For Next Ice Age" acrylic on canvas - 16"W x 20"H - by Clarissa Rizal - November 2010
Nov 11, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
"Hands Up!" Time to celebrate by taking a breather from creating...just for a moment, only - just for a moment!
On Tuesday, November 9th, I discovered I have been awarded one of the First People’s Fund “Artist in Business Leadership” grant for 2011. I have applied to the FPF for a couple of their grants for about 5 or 6 years. If any of you have applied and not received a grant yet, ask them what were the key points that you had not met. There is a trick to grant-writing; you gotta provide what the grantors want to see and what they want to hear. Of course, I am very happy to have this support; it comes at a very good time. This grant assists in paying for various aspects of my business (i.e. website updates, blogging, new brochure, new business cards, publication of my first book of robes, etc.).
Celebrating with popcorn! Yah! (If you are grossed out by this photo, it's your own fault for looking!)
As part of the grant-writing, FPF asked a few questions: What motivates me to create? What is my most rewarding experience in creating my work? What is the greatest challenge in establishing my art career? What have I done to promote my business? I don’t know if anyone has ever asked me these questions, so I had to think about my life as an artist and what are the things that are true for me. I share with you my answers.
“I cannot say if I’ve ever been asked what motivates me to create? I just create; I never thought about why I have a powerful drive, though I’ve had this passionate drive as far back as I can remember. Could my motivation be inspired by the humpback whales cresting beside the boat, the eagles nesting outside the window not a stones throw away, the ebbing of the tides reflecting a sunset on a lonely beach? Is it the smile on a toddler’s face dancing to a drumbeat for her grandmother? Is it a weaving student’s eagerness to learn another trick-of-the-trade in Chilkat weaving? The appreciation of a client’s cry as they receive their first button robe? The creation of another wild, colorful painting offsetting the grey skies of Southeast Alaska? Salmon running upstream; tender smoked salmon with steamed rice for dinner? Am I motivated by the gift of dreams that may provide concepts for a new robe design, a tune never sung, the planting of a tree in someone’s honor? Am I motivated by the mourning of my father, the pending passing of my mother, another clan matriarch? Does motivation, passion and creativity have a beginning and an ending?
My most rewarding experience in creating and selling my work is the level of patience and gratitude that has grown in me as I have evolved as a student into a practicing artist, entrepreneur, cultural instructor and an elder-in-training eager to continue learning, expanding and sharing.
The greatest challenge in establishing my art career was the financial illiteracy; I had zilch education in that department during my entire career. I jumped into doing business and all that is required to run one. It was never a thought to get educated. I experienced the school of hard knocks, yet I persevered; I learned by trial and error. I did pretty well considering. However, I want assistance as I really begin to take clear action to expand.
For the first time, I created a Marketing Plan this past Spring 2010. I have not looked for outside sources to finance my business. All expenses have always been financed out-of-pocket. (Most of the income I make goes right back into my business.)
This past Spring 2010, I took a few classes at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They included the (above mentioned) marketing class, introduction to accounting, introduction to new media and intermediate painting. My website is the only online market I use. In the near future, I will be included in the Redtail Native American online market as soon as the new venture is launched.”
Okay...celebration is over; time to get back to work!
Nov 9, 2010 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Latest Art Projects, Showing Off |
High-tech video camera visits organic soaking cedar bark
Last month, a team of five professionals came up to Alaska from various places in the Lower 48; one member came from San Francisco, another from Albuqerque, another from Philadelphia, another from New York, and another from Seattle(?). I forgot to post this blip on my blog back in mid-October; so before I forget even further, I’m doing it now.
Let's see now...there was a Lucy, a Tom, a Dan, a Judy?, an Alice?
This team is working on a documentary film to coincide with an exhibit that I have been invited to be a part of is opening in 2010 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum in Philadelphia. They interviewed several other native artists in Southeast Alaska who were also invited to be a part of the exhibit. I wrote the team member’s names down somewhere but cannot remember but Lucy Fowler-Williams from UPM and the first name of some of them. Pardon me for not remembering their names but I have a very good excuse: I was starting to pack up my belongings and make another move the day after this interview. So like every time I move, thing get lost in the shuffle.
I’ll keep you posted about the documentary (i.e. what it’s about, who the other artists are, etc.). In the meantime, let it be known that there were 5 total strangers in my home for a few hours; how often does that happen to you?
Oct 4, 2010 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off |
Clarissa with a latest painting based on a button blanket robe "Frog Speaks"
A few readers wanted to see more photos of me on this blog. Okay, okay. Here’s a couple. Now are we satisfied? Thanks to Lis Saya for the photo shoot.
Clarissa weaving on her latest Chilkat robe; cedar bark strips hang in the foreground ready to spin with wool to create the warp for Chilkat weaving
I dare say this is the shortest blog I’ve written since I began over 2 months ago.
Jul 29, 2010 | Showing Off |
After attending the Time Warp exhibit in Vancouver, I flew down to Seattle to attend the Bellevue Art Museum’s Gala Art Auction where I was a guest at John & Joyce Price’s table. Just before the Gala began, along with fellow artist Joe David, we got the chance to view the Price’s exhibit called “Eyes for Glass” which opened on March 18th, on the 3rd floor of the Museum. Wow, what a trip! It looked like a real show! – what’s the big deal, this is an exhibit, right? Well, I’ve visited with John and Joyce at their home; it is like an overly-crowded museum with carvings, paintings and sculptures everywhere, even on the bathroom sink(!), so seeing select glass sculptures on their own individual pedestals with their own private spot lights set apart from the next, was a real treat.
Along with glass works by Preston Singletary, Lino Tagliapietra and Dale Chihuly (to name a few), the Price Collection exhibit included other artists working in other mediums including carver Joe David, and myself. In 2008, the Price Collection included “Copper Man”, a 6-piece Chilkat and Ravenstail ensemble. Above is a photo of myself with Copper Man at the Eyes for Glass exhibit.
In the exhibit, I was happy to see one of my favorite pieces in the Price Collection: the boy carver by Joe David. The photograph below is the wooden boy sitting on a bench with his tools of the trade and mask, flanked by Joyce, John, Sarah (friend of Joe’s), and Joe…
Joe and I are collaborating on the “girl weaver” to match the “boy carver.” We hope to complete the piece by January 2011.
Are you wondering who are John and Joyce Price? Here is an excerpt from the Eyes for Glass exhibit program guide:
“For John and Joyce Price collecting art is a passion, a unique, personal way of entering into a rich and meaningful life experience as well as a way of being receptive and responsible to life. John’s passion for collecting began when, as a nine-year-old child he saw the 1952 film Moulin rouge, featuring the life of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. As a result he decided when an adult he would collect the art of Lautrec. While continuing to acquire Lautrec’s art and memorabilia, John expanded his interests in the 1960s to other genres of art from the Pacific Northwest.
By the late 1970’s John learned of the existence of a unique educational institution known as Pilchuck Glass School founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould-Hauberg and John Hauberg located in Western Washington. As a result of Pilchuck’s international draw, many artists working in glass located their studios and homes to Washington thereby creating a critical mass of practitioners. The Prices were impressed by the ever-increasing innovations and beauty of studio glass art. By the early 1980s, they were avidly collecting glass art. Eyes for Glass demonstrates the cross-pollination of relationships between artists who work with glass and the other areas of art represented in their collection.
More than art, it is the individual artists or teams who make the art, and the galleries, museums and organizations supporting art, that have become so important to the Prices. collecting has allowed them to establish a dialogue with artits, but also to grow lifelong friendships. Each piece is a reminder of an intimacy established over time through giving and receiving. At a time when the world is fragmented and chaotic, the Prices have sought works of art that provide points of equilibrium for our spirit thus unifying an outer world of experience with an inner world of intuition. Art from the collection has been included in exhibitions at over one hundred museums and/or events throughout the world, including four solo exhibitions.
John Price has served on several boards and worked with many arts organizations not limited to, but including Pilchuck Glass School, Bellevue Arts Museum, Burke Museum Association, PONCHO, Inuit Art Foundation and West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative.”
For more information on “Eyes for Glass – the Price Collection”, visit the Bellevue Museum of Glass website at: www.bellevuearts.org
