Oct 1, 2013 | North Tide, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
The photos in this blog entry represent a few public art created since 1987 to present day. (No, they’re not in chronological order according to date completed). Some of these art installations are carved, painted, inlaid; some are beaded sculptures using 4mm and 6mm Czech fire-polished and Austrian crystal beads; and some are hand-sewn wool fabrics with buttons and seed beads.
“Dancing Northern Lights” – Anchorage Senior Living apartment complex atrium, Anchorage, Alaska Czech and Austrian Crystal beads, 4 to 5-foot lengths by 35 feet of beadwork
“Going to the Potlatch” – MV Kennicott cafeteria, Bellingham, Washington – carved, painted, airbrushed, beaded & button work – 4.5 feet high x 15 feet wide
“Salmon Return” – Mt. Roberts Tramway stairwell, Juneau, Alaska – Czech and Austrian crystal beads – 4.5 feet wide x 28 feet long
“Salmon Return” detail
“Shaman With Spirit Guides” – SEARHC (Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation) foyer, Sitka, Alaska – carved and painted central panel, hand-sewn applique and mother-of-pearl buttons on wool – 4.5 feet high x 15 feet wide
“Following Our Ancestors’ Trail” – Alaska Native Medical Center hospital 2nd floor entry, Anchorage, Alaska – carved, painted, airbrushed, copper in-lay, mother-of-pearl buttons, brass brads – 9 feet high x 11.5 feet wide
Sep 28, 2013 | North Tide, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
the character with the spear represents “..represents .gathering from the sea”
“Following Our Ancestors’ Trail” was the theme for the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s “Celebration” in 1992. We created a hand-silkscreened poster with this image. This carving for the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska is on the 2nd floor entry. It is mounted to the curved wall of the “meditation room.”
copper pennies for the eyes….
the character carrying the “basket of berries” represents “..represents .gathering from the land…”
the character in the center carrying the copper T’naa represents the “…history, culture, arts and wealth…”
…the large character in the center design field’s face has hand-pounded copper eyebrows and eyeballs…the large image represents the face of the sun
the character with dance staff is the “elder leading the way along the ancestors’ trail…”
Mother-of-pearl buttons are nailed down with copper brads. The humans moving in the same direction as salmon…represents living with the natural cycle of life.
view of the right side of the curved wall mural of “Following Our Ancestors’ Trail…”
the inside of the “meditation room…”
full view of “Following Our Ancestors’ Trail…” – the footprints on a path, the ancestors’ trail and the path of the sun; the humans are the “rays of light” as the sun rises, life everlasting
Sep 20, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Glass Tlingit “Baskets” by Preston Singletary
Directly after the retreat with Sue Shotridge and Melissa Rinehart, Sue and I went to visit our friend, Preston Singletary. For those of you who don’t know Preston yet, he’s that artist who does the Native designs on glass. He’s got a studio in Seattle equipped with lots of glass forms stuffed in shelves, boxes for shipping, packing material and 5 employees. The guy and his team really produce! Holy! — If you are interested in doing glass, go talk to the man. Click her to check out his website!
Preston’s studio is nearby Seattle’s Space Needle
David Svenson is another fantastic artist, working mainly in neon art living down in the mountains above L.A. – He used to live in my beloved Haines, Alaska back in the early 70s and 80s where he learned how to carve from the old masters, Leo Jacobs, Johnny Avatok and another elder whose name just slipped my tongue, dang it! Back in the early 80’s David suggested to Preston that he begin to put the Native designs on glass – that’s the story I heard, but ask the fellows to get the sure story because I may be wrong.
Sandwiched between two favorite buds: Preston and David
What can I say about these three artists above? Birds of a feather flock together. I didn’t really GET that saying until I had a lovebird years ago. My Lovebird “Kiwi” taught me many things about being human; get that…it took a bird to teach me about being human. Hmmm…go figure.
Shelves of glass forms by Preston Singletary waiting to be completed
I wasn’t sure how Preston’s employees would feel about me taking photos of them while they were working so I didn’t. I don’t even know how Preston feels about me posting photographs of his unfinished work on my blog in this public forum yet who gets to see art in their “naked” stages(?) nobody; I better contact him and see if it is okay to show them “naked”, incomplete. I am proud of this guy; I feel like he’s my younger brother. He’s got quite the dedicated group of folks; he’s a fortunate man to have these crew members. In fact, I gotta say that I am generally proud of my fellow artists! They have taken the leap into the “unknown” possibilities of bountiful possibilities and realities!
Sue Shotridge, David Svenson and Clarissa – in Preston’s studio
David Svenson and the glass Bear
Sep 18, 2013 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
the first of several illustrations for a children’s book by Hannah Lindoff
Alaskan-born writer, Hannah Lindoff is writing a children’s book about a child’s experiences in putting up foods for winter from Southeast Alaska’s sea and land. Another artist formerly born and raised in Juneau, Nobu Koch and myself are collaborating on the illustrations. Above is an example of our combined efforts.
Under the influence of my friend, the infamous collage-artist/painter, Cecil Touchon, I began making collage about 12 years ago in 2001. He encouraged me to take the Northwest Coast form line art and “play” with it. I copied his technique, using similar materials and added the form line elements. Such fun!
I am currently working on the last few collages for the book. By the first weekend in October, I will then scan and email them off to Hannah for approval before she then emails them off to Nobu to complete image. I am working on these collages in my studio in Colorado, Hannah writes in Juneau, Nobu is living and working in Seattle; how cool is technology that the three of us, who live miles apart, can collaborate on a project together like this?
Sep 14, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Class Act, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Balls of Chilkat warp and bundles of split cedar enjoy a great view from the upper deck of the KVI Beach House in Vashon Island, Washington State
While standing inside the dining room window, I shot this image of Melissa and Sue – two strong-willed, organized, power-packed women who are still busy doing business while we make an effort to relax at this wonderful beach house retreat!
Sue Shotridge insisted that she, Mellisa Rinehart and I take a two-day retreat to this wonderful beach house on Vashon. She INSISTED and she was PATIENT with my initial responses of “what for…?” She had to explain that I was an extreme “Type A” personality who after taking a three-month weaving tour at my age, needed a break. She also needed a break and she wanted to talk with Melissa and I about the logistics of hosting a week-long weaving retreat next year in September at this beach house. We relaxed while doing business. What a wonderful concept! I intend on conducting business this way more often!
Melissa and Sue take photos while heading down the hillside to the beach (just a couple of stones throw away from the house)…
KVI Beach House – from the beach
close up of KVI Beach House – from the beach…
Clarissa demonstrates to Melissa how to split and prepare the wool roving for spinning with cedar bark to create Chilkat warp
I taught Melissa how to spin her own warp so that a year from now when we do the weaving retreat, she will have enough warp to do a large project or several small ones. We spun while Sue took notes planning the weaving retreat.
Clarissa demonstrates how to groom balls of warp to Melissa, an attentive student indeed!
- A perfect stage for relaxing while spinning warp for our next weavings…!
Check out more photos and information of the KVI Beach House at: http://www.vrbo.com/408415
Stay tuned for an announcement about the Northwest Coast Weavers Retreat. Space is limited; first come first serve. We are gonna have a blast!
Sep 13, 2013 | Latest Art Projects, Ravens & Eagles, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Chilkat/Ravenstail headdress, double-sided Ravenstail vest, and Chilkat/Ravenstail handbag woven by Clarissa Rizal – 1989
My very first Chilkat piece was a small ghost face pouch woven in a week in 1983. A lousy weaver, I dare say that when I threw the thing against the window it just about cracked it! Nope I never show that one to nobody! Other than the one side of a pair of leggings that I wove with Jennie during our apprenticeship, and the Chilkat woven flap to a leather backpack, the three pieces above and the wall pouch below are my very first weavings before I wove my first Chilkat robe (Sea Grizzly 1999) and my first Ravenstail robe (Copper Woman’s robe woven in 1994).
“Father Cyril Bulashevich & St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church” Chilkat wall pocket woven by Clarissa Rizal – 1990 – private collection, Denver, Colorado
Though I have woven several small pieces not pictured here (or anywhere else for that matter), and I am a multi-tasker who has created other major pieces of art in a variety of mediums, the photos in this blog are all of my major weavings. This blog post is to honor my children and grand-children to whom I leave my legacy and especially today to my youngest child whose birthday is today; she is the one who created this website, who created and encouraged me to blog, and who still continues to be a level-headed side-kick.
“Sea Grizzly” Chilkat robe woven by Clarissa Rizal – 1999 – private collection, Vancouver, B.C.
“The Diamonds Robe” woven by Clarissa Rizal – 1997 – private collection, Juneau, Alaska
“Hauberg Raven” Chilkat robe woven by Clarissa Rizal – 2001 – private collection – Seattle, WA
“Copper Woman” 5-piece Ravenstail and Chilkat ensemble woven by Clarissa Rizal – 2001 – Collection of Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage, Alaska
“Copper Man” 6-piece Ravenstail and Chilkat ensemble woven by Clarissa Rizal – 2006 – private collection, Mercer Island, WA
“Copper Child” 4-piece Ravenstail ensemble woven by Lily Hope and Clarissa Rizal – 2009 – Collection of Sealaska Heritage Institute
“Jennie Weaves An Apprentice” Chilkat robe woven by Clarissa Rizal – 2011 – Private Collection, Los Angeles, CA
7-foot Ravenstail border for a button robe – 2013 – private collection, Vashon Island, WA
“Diving Whale Lovebirds” Chilkat robe woven by Clarissa Rizal – 2013 – private collection, New York, NY
Dancing of “Diving Whale Lovebirds” Chilkat robe by Clarissa Rizal – 2013
Pattern Board of “Resilience” Chilkat/Ravenstail robe designed by Clarissa Rizal – in the process of being woven; completion by June 2014 – commissioned by Portland Art Museum
Aug 26, 2013 | Latest Art Projects, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
A Chilkat face: when we finish the eyebrows, the weaving can “express” how it feels…
Besides the clan emblem or the story a Chilkat robe image has to convey, I experience the emotional/spiritual aspect of the robe itself. Every robe I’ve woven gifts me with a different experience that transcends just the technical aspects of weaving.
Two years ago I finished the “Jennie Weaves and Apprentice” Chilkat robe. During the four years the robe was on my loom, the weaving of this robe “held me up” and “saved my life” during a very rough length of time; I was actually able to weather some big “storms.” This year I completed the “Diving Whale Lovebirds” Chilkat robe; after nearly 30 years of weaving, I finally felt like I actually KNEW what I was doing. I didn’t really have to think about weaving (and as some of you know how to weave, this type of weaving requires a lot of thinking!). My total time on the robe was 6 months! I remember Jennie saying that she could weave a full-size, full-design Chilkat robe in 6 months and that was hard for me to believe. Over the years, I have come to believe many of the things she said. She gave me many gifts.
A Chilkat Face: When we finish the eyes, the robe can see into our world…
This child-size Chilkat robe that I am presently weaving is my robe of gratitude; a time of giving thanks for this gift of learning Chilkat and sharing Chilkat, a time of appreciation for all the folks who, especially during this weavers’ tour and especially the past 5 years of my life, have been there in whatever time and shape. I hold this robe with affection as if it is a grandchild; very close as as I know the very thing that provides me the happiness also has the other side of the coin, and some day it shall “fly away” and not be in the same position I had become accustomed to know. This Chilkat robe is my time of experimentation, a time of expanding into things I have not normally done, whether it be reflected in the weaving, reflected in a thought pattern or behavior. I look forward to my internal world expanding, ever eternal as we all are…
Stay tuned to see the progress of this robe. Thank you for making the time to be a part of my life via visiting my blog! Gunal’cheesh!
A Chilkat Face: when we complete the nose, the weaving can smell everything about you and your world – and when the mouth is completed the weaving can communicate with you…
A Chilkat Face: …and when Clarissa starts re-drawing her Chilkat robe design, uh oh, watch out…she might take another 10 years before she is happy with the image…!
Aug 23, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Class Act, North Tide, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
L to R: Clarissa Rizal, Teahonna James, Vanessa Morgan, Crystal Rogers, and local beginner weaver Stefanie Sidney from Whitehorse
Last Summer/Fall 2012, three apprentices learned a bit of weaving in my studio in Colorado: Vanessa Morgan from Kincolith, Nass River B.C., Crystal Rogers from Juneau, Alaska, and Teahonna James from Durango, Colorado, her family originally from Klawock, Alaska. We talked about meeting up again; this time we’d meet in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory beginning with the Adaka Festival mid-June 2013 – (click here to see blog entry on the Adaka Festival). During the festival, there is a Northwest Coast Native Art Exhibit that is shown only during the length of the one-week festival (click here to see parts of the exhibit). Included in the exhibit were two Ravenstail robes, a child-size 4-piece Ravenstail dance ensemble and one Chilkat robe. These woven ceremonial regalia were part of the “Weavers’ Dance” (click here to see this blog entry).
The purpose of our weaving tour: to recognize, acknowledge and support local weavers of the community, share our knowledge with local weavers of all experience levels within the community, inspire and secure the next generations of weavers, create a network of weavers wherever they live, educate the general public about Chilkat weaving, and to simply weave together!
Two maps and a calendar grace the walls above Clarissa’s loom in the Weavers’ apartment; one is a map of the Northwest Coast and the other a map of Yukon Territory – please take notice of the “money” chair; this particular sits on a her money! heeeeeheeeee!
We financed this tour out of our own individual pockets; no funding came from elsewhere. We did this tour because we were inspired to weave, travel and because we knew there were other weavers out there who wanted our support and wanted us to come visit. We started our weaving tour in Whitehorse, Yukon during the Adaka Festival weaving class taught by Ann and myself (click here to see photos and story); we rented a Yukon College campus two-bedroom, fully-furnished apartment for the four of us; each splitting the rent and each bringing a mound of food – though Crystal and Teahonna brought more pots and pans and spices and cooking utensils.
Table and floor looms, along with spinning warp supplies and a sewing machine to sew up spinning pads, define this particular space as a weaver’s nest!
We took turns cooking meals and keeping the place half-way decent; but we mostly wove on our projects. I gave instruction now and then when needed, and we each set our own hours. There was a drawback for most of us: no cell phone service (though my Verizon service was excellent), however, we were lucky that we had occasional internet service.
Crystal Rogers puts in the braids for her eyebrows of her child-size Chilkat robe
During our almost 4-week “residency” in Whitehorse, we invited any of the beginning students from the Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving class taught by Ann Smith and myself, held at the Adaka Festival to come on by and weave with us (you may check out the weaving class blog entry by clicking here.) Alas, only two local women showed up. The others were busy fishing, berry-picking, etc. – we cannot blame them; they were doing the important stuff like putting up food for winter!
Teahonna spins Chilkat warp
During our month in Whitehorse, we used this apartment as our home base as we took a weekend trip to the Atlin Music Festival in Atlin, B.C., just a 2-hour drive from Whitehorse. We were invited by Louise Gordon, a member of the Wolf Clan, to her hometown of Atlin, to demonstrate Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving during the Atlin Music Festival, July 12-14. Check out the blog entry on our weekend jaunt to Atlin by clicking here.
Teahonna splits cedar bark
At the end of our stay in our “luxury” on campus apartment in Whitehorse, we attended Teslin’s “Kus Te Yea – Celebration 2013” event held July 26-28. Again we were invited to demonstrate weaving during this wonderful 3-day event. Check out the blog entry of our own “weaving cabin” during Teslin’s Celebration by clicking here.
The washed warp is tightly-stretched around the back of a wooden chair to dry
Directly after Teslin’s Celebration, we drove down to Skagway and caught the ferry to Haines, Alaska where we were hosted by Lee Heinmiller at the Alaska Indian Arts and we demonstrated weaving at the Sheldon Museum July 30-August 1st. Check out the blog entry of our visit at the Sheldon Museum in Haines by clicking here.
Click here to read the poem Wayne Price wrote in honor of our mentor, the late Jennie Thlunaut and in honor of our dedication to the preservation and perpetuation of Chilkat weaving
Our weaving tour did not quite “end” in Haines; even now I cannot say that our tour has ended – it’s an on-going adventure. Vanessa was called home to help with her daughter’s birth of a child (and she will host Crystal who is intending to visit Vanessa and the Nass River for the first time); by ferry, Crystal headed to Prince Rupert, B.C. to meet up with weaver Megan O’Brien; Teahonna ferried to Klawock, Alaska to attend the Klawock Totem Raising, attend a family reunion and met up with weaver Suzi Williams; and I have done and am doing a number of things (i.e. a student during the Jineit Academy’s artist-in-the-schools teacher’s training Aug. 5-9, (click here to read the blog entry on the artists and teachers); picked lots of nagoon berries (click here to see those wonderful berries); hung out with grandchildren and my daughter; a part-time clerk at friend Jan Parrish’s Aurora Healing store located one door up North Franklin Street from Hearthside Books in downtown Juneau (click here for link to Jan’s Alaskana Botanicals); and, helped Juneau weaver Catrina Mitchell start her Ravenstail weavings (you may click here to read that blog entry.)
Vanessa weaves her eyelids
Next? We are then planning a tentative journey to the Toadlena Trading Post in the Chuska Mountains about 30 miles southwest of Shiprock, New Mexico. For over 10 years, Mark Winter, Navajo rug “expert” hosts the Navajo weavers’ “Spinning and Carding Day” the third weekend in September. This is the one day of the year where most if not all of the Navajo weavers in the Two Grey Hills area gather together and begin to prepare the wool for the following winter’s weaving projects. (Click here to find out more info on the Toadlena Trading Post.)
In previous visits on this day, when we have shared our cross-cultural weaving knowledge, we learned that the Navajo and Chilkat weavers had something in common: we use the same type tool to spin our weft yarns called the “drop spindle.” We do not use the small drop spindle, we use the longer one where the post of the drop spindle measures from our knee to the floor. So to enable us to eventually spin our own weft yarns of mountain goat, we want to learn from the Navajo weavers how to use this particular drop spindle. We are excited to learn this from another indigenous tribe, whose sense of humor is much like ours.
An outline on the white board enables each of us to help reach our goals – down below there is a drawing of how to weave the perfect circle…
Where will be weaving this Winter? Well, we will spend the Fall in Colorado because it is beautiful, and come Winter, well…that’s still yet to be determined. Maybe we “Alaska Girls” (as the Canadians call us), will go to Mexico and do a cross-cultural exchange there to learn about dyeing weft yarns, or meet up with the Maori weavers and share weaving techniques. The “book” is wide open. Who knows where we will really be in the next month!
Sometimes we shuffle from one “work station” to another – (i.e. weaving loom, to splitting warp or wool, to spinning warp, to baking bread to making dinner, to hanging out on the deck, etc.)
If you are interested in sponsoring us in your community, contact any one of us, and let’s go from there. Our tentative plans for next Summer are: directly after Celebration 2014 (June 11-13) in Juneau, Alaska, we will head up to Whitehorse for the annual “Adaka Festival – A celebration of Yukon’s diverse and distinctive First Nation’s arts and culture” where we hope to teach another Chilkat/Ravenstail weaving class during the week.
Vanessa, Clarissa and Ann
After Yukon, we will head to the coast of British Columbia to the towns of Terrace, Kincollith on the Nass, Prince Rupert, Alert Bay, Masset and Haida Gwaii. We want to network and work with weavers of these communities. We would like to spend at least 3 days up to a week at each community. Our intentions are the same as above: to recognize, acknowledge and support local weavers of the community, share our knowledge with local weavers of all experience levels within the community, secure the next generations of weavers, create a network of weavers, bring Chilkat weaving appreciation to the general public, and to simply weave together!
We noticed that sunsets in Whitehorse in the peak of Summer take about hours to set, but not really cuz the sun just swings itself back up into the sky, so what do weavers do on their breaks? They take photographs of lingering sunsets!
We will be looking for funding sources to assist with our travel expenses (gas, food, lodging, ferry fare). If you would like to assist in whatever way you know you can help, please contact either one of us (Stefanie, Crystal, Vanessa, Teahonna, Clarissa). We appreciate your assistance!
Ann instructs Teahonna on the next technique…
Weavers burn a lot of calories – thinking takes a lot of energy, so one of the things that is very important to us is that we eat well…here we see the sponge-method bread rising in a bowl and salad makings off to one side to go along with our salmon frying on the stove. oh yum, when we were done with our tour, did we gain weight or what!?
Having a sunny deck helps “get us out of the house” while we are still working – here Vanessa spins the warp for her child-size robe’s side braids….
Local Whitehorse beginner weaver, Stefanie receives help from both sides, Vanessa and Crystal
Securing our next generation of weavers: Crystal Rogers, Lily Hope, Stefanie Sidney
Aug 19, 2013 | Class Act, Honoring Others, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Catrina Mitchell from Juneau, Alaska winds the skein of weft onto the ball winder to create a ball of weft – working from a ball of weft is much easier to draw the yarn from than the skein…
A student of Ravenstail and Chilkat, Catrina Mitchell knows what she wants to do in the evenings and on the weekends this Fall and Winter into Spring: Ravenstail weaving! We’re excited! Am I going to reveal WHAT she is weaving, for WHO and WHEN she wants it done? NO. Hello…That’s a secret! It’s enough to know she is one of several women on a mission to complete her weaving(s) by Celebration 2014 next year. — For those of you who haven’t gotten started on your weaving; what are you waiting for? Winter is coming! Let’s get on the ball and have fun! And let’s join for a Weavers’ dance and song next year!
Catrina has warped up her loom (or “dressed” her loom) – She wove her first row (called the “anchoring row”) and before she weaves her first 5 rows of white, she is now double-checking the length of each warp end making sure they are all the same length
Catrina is happy to remember how to do Jennie Thlunaut’s fingering for speed, accuracy, tension and most of all: GRACE!
A perfect Weaver’s Tote! Each compartment has a purpose of its own – four distinct places for the four colors: black, white, yellow, blue – compartments for pen and small spiral-bound notebook – compartment for scissors, large-eye tapestry needles, cotton twine/sinew, and then some!
