Nov 10, 2014 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
Many, many braids in weaving “Resilience” Chilkat robe by Clarissa Rizal – 2014
HEADS UP! For those of you living in the Portland, Oregon area: I will be doing a public presentation on Chilkat weaving and a Power Point Presentation of weaving my latest Chilkat robe “Resilience” at the Portland Art Museum on Friday evening, December 5, 2014 at 5:30pm. Guitarist extraordinaire Dan Shanks, will be performing the live soundtrack. — If you are in the area, come on by! Two woven Child-size ensembles, one in Ravenstail and the other in Chilkat, be on display only during this presentation. Also, I will have a few things available for sale: my Chilkat Weaving Handbook, greeting cards, Chilkat prints, etc. See you soon!
Nov 2, 2014 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
A few prints by Clarissa available for sale at the Juneau Public Market Thanksgiving weekend in Juneau, Alaska – Back to Front: “Red Salmon” (2005), “Shaax’saaniKeek’ Weavers’ Circle” (2001), and “Old Timers’ Basketball Tournament” (1981)
I invite you to visit my Booth #P-15 at Alaska-Juneau Public Market booth during Thanksgiving weekend at Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska! The booth is right across the isle from Tony Tengs “Chilkat Cones” in the main hall of Centennial Hall. And please note: I will be sharing the booth with Tlingit carving artist & silversmith, Israel and Sue Shotridge (www.shotridgestudios.com).
The following is an inventory of items for sale; they include (but are not limited to):
A limited supply of Chilkat weaving and spinning supplies: Cedar bark without the sap (both whole and split), Chilkat warp, Chilkat weft yarns in golden yellow, turquoise, black and cream, spinning pads, etc.
Books for sale that I wrote, made or co-illustrated include: “Chilkat Pattern Templates”, the “Chilkat Weavers’ Handbook”; Juneauite author Hannah Lindoff children’s book “Mary’s Wild Winter Feast” — and books that I highly recommend: “The Intenders” by Tony Burroughs and “Go Pro – Becoming A Network Marketing Professional” by Eric Worre.
Miscellaneous items include: my button blanket greeting cards, hand-caste paper feathers, limited edition Giclee prints, hand-sewn, beaded, felt Russian Sailor hats, and gumboot shell earrings made by daughter Lily and sister Dee Lampe.
Come check out my latest 5-piece Chilkat woven ensemble called “Chilkat Child” which will be on display next to my daughter Lily’s 4-piece Ravenstail woven ensemble “Little Watchman.”
We’ll see you in a few weeks during the weekend of Thanksgiving at the Public Market in Juneau (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)!
Oct 23, 2014 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Showing Off, To Market To Market, To See or Not to See |
Grand-daughter Amelie hugs the golden yellow, hand-dyed, merino weft yarns hanging out to dry — and of course the weft was dry when this photo was shot!
I invite you to visit my Booth #P-15 at Alaska-Juneau Public Market booth during Thanksgiving weekend at Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska! The booth is right across the isle from Tony Tengs “Chilkat Cones” in the main hall of Centennial Hall. And please note: I will be sharing the booth with Tlingit carving artist & silversmith, Israel and Sue Shotridge (www.shotridgestudios.com).
The following is an inventory of items for sale; they include (but are not limited to):
A limited supply of Chilkat weaving and spinning supplies: Cedar bark without the sap (both whole and split), Chilkat warp, Chilkat weft yarns in golden yellow, turquoise, black and cream, spinning pads, etc.
Books for sale that I wrote, made or co-illustrated include: “Chilkat Pattern Templates”, the “Chilkat Weavers’ Handbook”; Juneauite author Hannah Lindoff children’s book “Mary’s Wild Winter Feast” — and books that I highly recommend: “The Intenders” by Tony Burroughs and “Go Pro – Becoming A Network Marketing Professional” by Eric Worre.
Miscellaneous items include: my button blanket greeting cards, hand-caste paper feathers, limited edition Giclee prints, hand-sewn, beaded, felt Russian Sailor hats, and gumboot shell earrings made by daughter Lily and sister Dee Lampe.
Come check out my latest 5-piece Chilkat woven ensemble called “Chilkat Child” which will be on display next to my daughter Lily’s 4-piece Ravenstail woven ensemble “Little Watchman.”
We’ll see you in a few weeks during the weekend of Thanksgiving at the Public Market in Juneau (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)!
Oct 5, 2014 | Class Act, Latest Art Projects, Relationship Overdrive, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, Tools-of-the-Trade |
4-year-old Amelie Soleil Haas spins Chilkat warp on her thigh for the first time
For the past two days, Amelie has come into Grandma Rissy’s studio and has seen me splitting cedar bark, getting it all ready to begin spinning yards of warp for my next projects. Amelie tried her hand at splitting bark last week, and to my surprise she was darn good adept at it. Today, she surprised me even more when she asked if she could spin the warp, to which of course I said “sure, why not?” and I only had to show her one time and gave her all the pointers like I do my weaving students, and voile’ she was a natural ! She spun like she had been doing it all her life (only 4 years!). I don’t know if I felt so much pride in my life…! Then again, she IS my grand-daughter and I suppose that’s what Grandmas are supposed to feel like!
Clarissa is touching the large coil of cedar bark BEFORE it is split into the thin strips as shown
After I cook all the sap out of the cedar bark, I split the coils of cedar into very fine strips. Each fine strip is then spun with the wool on our thighs to create the warp (the verticle-hanging yarns on the weaving loom). It took me 26 hours to split about a pound of cedar bark; I did it in 2.5 days…(while watching a Netflix television series, of course!). Watching a movie or television series, helps me to “getterdun!”
Sep 26, 2014 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
Child-size Chilkat headband in progress — Clarissa Rizal — 2014
I have been weaving a Child-size Chilkat dance ensemble which includes a robe, apron, leggings and headdress. These two photos show the progress of the headdress above and one of a pair of leggings below…stay tuned for images of the completed ensemble this November!
The beginnings of the blue curlique in the child-size Chilkat dance leggings — Clarissa Rizal 2014
Sep 11, 2014 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
A woven Curlique using Chilkat weaving techniques — by Clarissa Rizal
I am weaving a child-size Chilkat apron as part of a 5-piece Chilkat woven ensemble which will also include a headdress, robe, and leggings. My goal is to complete the ensemble by end of October; I will have the entire ensemble shown at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market during Thanksgiving weekend at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska. Above is a semi-completed image of my first curlique using the Chilkat weaving techniques. The merino yarns were hand-dyed by a yarn company out of Homer, Alaska. Stay tuned for updates on the “Chilkat Child” ensemble.
Sep 2, 2014 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Poetry Alaskan, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
The back and front cover of Juneauite author Hannah Lindoff’s “Mary’s Wild Winter Feast” co-illustrated by Nobu Koch and Clarissa Rizal
Hot off the press, you may purchase this book at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market at Centennial Hall in Juneau during Thanksgiving weekend at my booth #P-15 in the main hall OR you can purchase directly from Hannah OR you can order a copy from a couple of sources below:
Here is the book’s page on UAF: http://www.alaska.edu/uapress/browse/detail/index.xml?id=511
Here’s the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Marys-Winter-Feast-Hannah-Lindoff/dp/1602232326/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409341461&sr=8-1&keywords=Mary%27s+Wild+Winter+Feast
You want a signed copy? Come by my booth P-15 at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market! We’ll see you there!
Aug 1, 2014 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
Pair of Chilkat armbands .22 bullet shells on fringe; will add fur trim and line with leather; hand-dyed blues and yellow — woven by Clarissa Rizal — July 2014
Like the “Resilience” Chilkat robe I just completed in June, I am finally getting around to weaving an idea I had 20+ years ago: an 8-piece Chilkat/Ravenstail ensemble called “Chilkat Hombre” which includes these armbands above, “dreadlock” headdress (like I wove over 10 years ago for my “Copper Woman” outfit), a chest sash, pair of gauntlets, codpiece and Chilkat/leather chaps! Stay tuned for more images of the other pieces; I intend to complete the entire ensemble by March 2016 !
Jun 22, 2014 | Acting Out and Musical Chairs, Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Class Act, Honoring Others, North Tide, Poetry Alaskan, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Of all the things I have ever aspired to be and do, it’s never been to be a lead singer, or one of the singers in a band! Though at the request of my friend the glassblower, Preston Singletary, I thought I’d give it a go. We sing traditional Tlingit songs with the back up of a fantastic sound called funk jazz fusion played by outstanding musicians that practically blew flutist Gene Tagaban and I right off the stage with the very first drumbeats at our very first performance in Seattle the night of June 20th. We are called “Khu.eex” (pronounced “koo eeeexch” which in the Tlingit language means “potlatch.”
Preston’s other band is called “Little Big Band” – this band is a totally separate band with a totally different sound from Khu.eex, You may visit Little Big Band’s website by clicking here at “A Little Big Band.com”
The following are a few photos of “Khu.eex” taken by Dan Shanks and I:
Let’s introduce you to “Khu.eex” – L to R: drummer from New Orleans Stanton Moore, Clarissa Rizal, keyboard player from New Jersey Bernie Worrell, Seattle musicians: bass player Preston Singletary, flutist/spoken word Gene Tagaban, saxaphonist Skerik, lead guitar Captain Raab, and sound engineer Randall Dunn at Avast! Studios, Seattle.
Read more about the various band members & the recording studio on their websites:
Bernie Worrell, keyboard artist: http://www.bernieworrell.com
Stanton Moore, drummer: http://www.stantonmoore.com
Preston Singletary, bass: http://www.prestonsingletary.com
Gene Tagaban, flutist/spoken word/singer: http://www.storytellingraven.com/
Clarissa Rizal, singer/spoken word: http://www.clarissarizal.com
Avast! Recording Studios: http://www.avastrecording.com/
Preston rounded up Gene, Captain Raab and Clarissa to create the set list.
I thought to myself “man, this is serious, we are really performing for an audience and are no longer in the recording studio…” like “hello, wake up dearie, we are not in Kansas anymore…!” The following photos are rehearsal shots:
Preston, Stanton Skerik and Bernie during our one rehearsal directly before the first of two shows on the evening of Thursday, June 19th, Seattle,Washington.
Here are a few more shots of our performances:
When are we going to take this troupe on tour? Well, a few things have to line up: First, Preston is working on finalizing the recording sessions and it looks as though there is enough material for two CD’s. Secondly, Preston’s two kids have to get a little older by about two years so that they can come on tour with us. Thirdly, we have to do some fundraising (maybe via Kickstarter) to pay for the tour.
And fourthly, for me, now that my throat is pretty much healed from last Winter’s spell of pneumonia, I can continue to take my voice lessons from Brett Manning’s Singing Success.com – click here to find out more about how you can take these fun voice lessons — if I can take voice lessons, you can take voice lessons! Being a part of Preston’s band, I feel like I have to contribute more than just being able to sing the native tunes; I have to really learn how to sing so my voice is an actual instrument allowing me to be more CREATIVE!!!
Bernie Worrell with Dan Shanks (who was the photographer for most of the photos on this blog post).
Both Bernie and Dan (as well as Gene Tagaban) are part Cherokee — can you see the resemblance? I can….(elongated shape of skull/face, certain width at bridge of nose, ears are flat to side of head, and the human kind graciousness of their character…)
Jun 15, 2014 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Ravens & Eagles, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
“Resilience” Chilkat robe – Clarissa Rizal – June 4, 2014 -photo by Jeff Laydon, Pagosa Photography
After 3 months of preparing the bark and wool then spinning the warp and dyeing the weft, and then 5 months of weaving the robe with at least 8 up to 12 hours per day of daily weaving time, I finished the robe on my 58th birthday, June 4, 2014! You may read the design description of the robe in an earlier blog post from last year at by clicking: http://www.clarissarizal.com/blogblog/?p=2914 (You may also find additional blog posts about the progression of this robe under the category “Latest Art Projects” in the left hand column of this blog page.)
The initial drawing of “Resilience” Chilkat robe copyright 2013 by Clarissa Rizal
Materials ready to go: Full-size pattern, basket of warp, basket of yellow, black, white weft, and basket of blue weft
Clarissa Rizal completes weaving the logos of Sealaska Corporation, Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood and prepares to weave the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s logo
The beginning of SHI’s logo (bottom center)…
Of all the parts of the robe that I was not looking forward to was the weaving of the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s logo! However, once I got it started, I had so much fun and i felt such an affection as if the “human body” was actually a real entity, a real person! — You are probably wondering why the figure is upside down…it’s because this logo is the actual “tail” of the shared body of the Eagle and Raven clan. The tails of the main figure(s) is always drawn upside down.
On May 5th, I had a bike accident causing big bruises everywhere, especially my hands. And though my hands took a long time to heal and I was in pain, I had to get the robe done by June 11th because I SAID I WOULD and there was an institution that had commissioned this from me and by golly I was gonna “getterdun!” So I swathed my hands several times daily with the famous healing skunk cabbage ointment “Skookum” made by Harlena Warford out of Hoonah, Alaska,…and I used the three fingers on each of my hands to get the job done come hell or high water! (And because I know that I AM the “hell and high water” there was nothing of which to be afraid!!)
Clarissa Rizal completes and dances her robe on her 58th birthday, June 4, 2014…!
At the Canoe Gathering in Juneau, Alaska during Sealaska Heritage Institute’s biennial “Celebration”, Carver Wayne Price is flanked by Portland Art Museum’s Curator of Native American Art, Deana Dartt-Newton and designer/weaver of the robe, Clarissa Rizal. This is my third Chilkat robe Wayne Price has worn for me.
PAM now houses the robe in their permanent collection. According to Deana, as long as she is the Curator of Native American art at P.A.M., this robe will always find its way into ceremonies and Celebrations. Thank you, Deana!
