Apr 23, 2015 | For Crying Out Loud, Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Northwest Coast Tlingit graduation cap designed by Clarissa Rizal painted and modeled by Ursala Hudson at her BA graduation — 2014
I have a new website with a few new tweaks to my blog, just launched last week on April 13th; I HAVE GRADUATED to a simpler, cleaner, and easy-to-navigate format to update: It’s time to celebrate! (Most artists that I know would rather spend their time creating instead of working on the computer, so the easier and faster computer time, the better for us all…!)
This is my fourth website since 1998; the first was created by my friend Cecil Touchon (www.ceciltouchon.com) nearly 20 years ago when there were not very many Native American artists’ websites.
I have been blogging since July 2010, nearly 5 years! Unlike the past blog entries randomly posted when I could fit in the work, I will post new blog entries 3/x weekly with this schedule:
- on Mondays and Thursdays and Saturdays by 12 midnight (Alaska, Pacific or Mountain time — all depends on where my business travel takes me!).
Blog posts will include the usual latest projects, art business travel, tools of the trade, people, classes, health topics, etc., though to continue helping out my fellow weavers in a more efficient manner, I have added a new section to my categories (column on the right) called “Tricks-of-the-Trade.”
All photographs on my website and blog were shot by myself unless otherwise noted.
- For over 20 years, most of the photographs of my button robes and my chilkat weavings were taken by professional photographer Jeff Laydon at www.pagosaphotography.com.
- I make an effort to give credit to any other photographers.
- Thank you to my ceremonial robe models the late Russ Eagle and my grand-daughter Amelie Haas.
- My friend Russ had been modeling for me for nearly 15 years until his passing in 2009.
- Five-year-old Amelie had her debut this past March modelling my “Chilkat Child” 5-piece weaving ensemble.
I have begun formatting my photographs larger; people want to SEE!
- I also will aim towards shooting more interesting shots, maybe at different angles
- maybe I’ll even tweak them too, because I CAN!
- Click photos on my website to enlarge; the blog photos are what they are
- Ursala says I ought to buy myself a SLR camera to produce better photos, though at this time I cannot afford spending $500-$1000.
- Blogs and websites are much more interesting with better photography and golly, shooting from my old iPhone I guess just doesn’t tickle anybody’s fancy does it!
- Hold on, dear readers, the money for a real camera will come some day!
As time permits, I will be adding one more topic to my website: a “Tributes” page to honor mainly Tlingit elders who have helped me on my path as a full-time Tlingit artist for nearly 40 years. My “Tributes” page will include those of have passed including:
- grandparents, Juan and Mary Sarabia
- parents William and Irene Lampe
- very first mentor/teacher Tlingit chief from Yakutat, Harry K. Bremner, Sr. who gave me my very first sewing lessons along with Tlingit song and dance instruction, and
- mentor/teacher of Chilkat weaving, Jennie Thlunaut
- my apprenticeship with Jennie Thlunaut
Thank you to my daughter, Ursala Hudson for working hard last weekend to create and launch my website by my deadline! Check Ursala’s graphic design/web design work on her website at: www.whiterabbitstudio.us
Apr 20, 2015 | Health and Wellness, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Tibetan 5 Rites – from Qi Gong class – 1994 — Suggested number of times for each separate movement is 5
Chilkat and Ravenstail weavers will sit for many hours at a time enjoying ourselves as we watch our weavings come to life; it’s always exciting! To counterbalance the long hours of sitting, the above simple movements can help keep us flexible. Our bodies are vehicles, they are a tool to help us enjoy, achieve, create, re-create and live our lives. More often than not, every one of us abuse and/or ignore our bodies in some form or another and we wonder how come we don’t feel or look good? If we desire longevity with our current capabilities to be mobile and continue creating our weavings, we need to incorporate good health habits now and always.
Like many of us indigenous folk, there are many ways I had kept fit naturally while maintaining every-day life: I used to live up three flights of stairs and hauled everything from firewood, to kids, to groceries, musical instruments, costumes and props, weaving looms, pounds of fresh caught fish and lots of 5-gallon buckets of fresh berries, painting and art supplies, furniture, new washer, dryer, refigerator and piano. I once had a landscape company for 13 years where I specialized in building rock walls and digging up indigenous plants hauling them from the woods or beach and replanting with domestic plants and trees. Living this way is a wholistic approach to keeping healthy, physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally. I enjoyed silent pride in the strength of my body, mind and spirit. And instead of signing up for a gym membership, I got paid to “work out.”
I am no longer that active; haven’t been for the past 20 years since I left Alaska part time, and especially the past 7 years since all the family changes that took place during this time period. Slowly but surely, I gotta admit, even though I am not overweight per se, my muscles have all gone flabby. I know it ain’t easy for you to read this, but there you have it; that’s what I get for pushing 60 and no longer living on 3 flights of stairs.
Two weeks ago, when I caught a glimpse of myself jumping down from the attic steps and I saw all that shaking going on in my arms, I was flabbergasted! Or maybe I ought to say “flabby – gasted…?” I also found out that I have lost some hearing in my left ear. When I asked my Left Hand Corner what to do about possibly regaining the hearing or at least not losing any more of it, the answer was: do the “Tibetan 5 Rites…” Huh? Okay, I’m not going to argue. Like my usual self, when I see or experience something I don’t like, if it’s in my personal power to do something about it, I’ll make a change.
I used to do these 5 Tibetan Rites years ago when I had learned Tai Chi, and they were very easy, no problem. Two weeks ago on the very first day of doing these rites, I discovered how weak my body was; I could barely hold myself up without shaking, and some of the moves I could only do twice. I was surprised, yet not. Today, I do the recommended dosage of moves: 5 of each of the 5 moves. With my meditative exercise plan, I have integrated a few Qi Gong movements along with a simple version of a Tai Chi movement. It feels good to feel my body becoming stronger.
God willing, I have every intention of being as healthy as I possibly can while aging into the last 1/4 century of my life. I’ve got lots of things I still must do before I kick any bucket. And when I kick that bucket, I would rather avoid any shaking flab!
Apr 11, 2015 | Class Act, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Blogging can happen anywhere you go as long as you have wifi — photo courtesy from Blogcademy online!
Okay,…now who woulda thought there’d be lessons on how to blog!?!? Never head of such a thing until my daughter Ursala approached me out of the blue and asked me what my intentions were with my blog. Huh? And then before I could answer she asked me if I wanted to make money by way of my blog. Before I could answer she asked if I would like to learn how to be better at blogging. Really? Then she asked if I would like to take an online course in blogging by way of the Blogcademy. Yep, folks. There are classes on line or in person that you can take to learn how to make a living by way of blogging! Even though I have very few competitors in my field since there isn’t a middle-aged Tlingit female artist who works in a variety of mediums, I have not figured out how I am going to make an income via my blog.
The three, young, female owners of this academy live in various parts of the world, who each make a living on their own separate blogs. The come together to teach women how to blog, and how to make money blogging.
So I watched all 17 lessons the Blogcademy offered and took notes in the comforts of my own studio office while I finished spinning the last 100 yards of warp to begin weaving my next Chilkat robe! I made mental note of all the things I had already been doing in my business of blogging. And I wrote down the things that I needed to begin doing! Some of them are:
- Interesting photographs (I’ve decided when I have enough money, I will invest in a SLR camera; my iPhone just doesn’t hack it)
- Keep blog post dates consistent (I intend to post 3x/week by midnight on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
- Make a calendar log of the topics you can post date (I’ve got the perfect hard-copy calendar)
- Create interesting titles for each blog post (Hmmm…this will be a challenge)
- In your writings, “Talk” to your readers (Their suggestion confirms the way I have already been talking)
- Make a list of digital products that I can create and made for sale on my blog and website (In this next year, I am going to take up one of the teacher’s process that she did: because she did not have the time and money to sit down and write her book which would have taken several months, she decided that she would write one chapter per month – at the end of the year, she was able to create a digital book available via her blog. I will do the same. I will publish my own books through an on line publishing company; customers can buy directly on line and the books published on demand!)
Okay readers, let’s see how I do in the next few months to year!
Mar 26, 2015 | Health and Wellness, Poetry Alaskan, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Whenever I can, wherever I sleep, I place the foot of the bed at the window, so i awaken to nature and the first crack of dawn — view of Teslin Lake — July 2014
After nearly 40 years of writing my artist statements, and of all the responsibilities I have done in running an artist business, the writing of statements is the most challenging; I’d rather do my IRS taxes or shrinkwrap my prints, or go to the dentist than write an artist statement! I was even challenged a couple of months ago when at the request of one of my students’ assignments from her art instructor had to choose someone who had influenced her to become an artist, I wrote a brief bio explaining when I began to do my art and why. Even THAT was a challenge, although when I had completed the bio, I was somewhat pleased. (Here’s the link to the bio: http://www.clarissarizal.com/blogblog/birthday-bio/ ).
Even now after writing this artist statement, I asked myself why do I have a difficult time with bios and artist statements? Answer: I don’t like WRITING about myself. (Hey now, for those of you who know me and how much I can TALK about myself, that is very different than WRITING about my self!) When I talk about myself, it is easier because I am talking about the present or the past, I can express myself with animation, and I generally have human responses and conversation. When WRITING about self, it’s all about ME. It’s all about what looks good on paper; how I can (or cannot) articulate my process, articulate my inner sanctions, articulate my inspiration, passions, ideas, and remedies to turmoil and celebrations of achievements. It’s all about making the time to articulate. It’s all about how well I can articulate! And what the heck, I have lots of things I want to DO than spend my time ARTICULATING on paper!!! Articulating through conversations, classes, lectures and presentations is no problem; I do it all improvisationally anyway and it’s always accompanied by storytelling and animated movements, and I ENJOY MYSELF. However, writing about myself has yet to become enjoyable. I repeat, I’d rather do my taxes or even go to the dentist.
Anyway, here’s my latest artist statement. Let me tell you, it was a challenge to write this.
“When awakened by the first light of dawn, my mind filters itself slowly back to this reality while catching up to a body already shaking its legs with enthusiasm to start another day of creating, though dares not because spirit is still in that “delicate time in the in-between” where visions reveal themselves more clearly as I lay quietly, these things “await in the eaves” yet to be created. Those close to me come to understand it is best to leave me alone for up to a half-hour first thing in the morning; disturbing this fragile state of spirit will disrupt the visions of new weavings, new button robes, and new paintings yet to come. It is also a time of communing with those that have long passed, those that I know presently, and those that I will come to know. The things that return with me upon awakening have been manifesting themselves in this reality since birth. Yes, I keep a pen and small notepad on my bedside table.
Rainbow Glacier at the mouth of the Chilkat River – Haines, Alaska – July 2014
Creating every day on 6 hours of sleep per night is normal; I’ve been this way all my life. I create from the time I wake up to the time I collapse in bed 18 hours later. My normal is defined as having many things going on at once: there are three weavings on three different looms, a draft for a new Chilkat robe design, a buttonrobe on the sewing table, paintings half complete, and preps for new collages; but wait I still have to respond to an RFP, fish our Alaskan waters and pick the best wild berries in the world to put up for winter, instigate Chilkat gatherings and retreats, conjure up proposals for collaborations with other artists, terrace the driveway, build, draw or sew with my grand-children, draft another artist statement, prepare for storytelling or lectures, rehearse with the band, plant a tree nursery, sew Easter clothing for all the grand-children, etc. These activities “feed” one another, in turn they feed my spirit and I soar. When I soar, it’s contagious; everyone around me soars.
Totemic images in cement, at Svenson’s home in Wrightwood, CA – December 2014
Being a Creator is nothing new; look around at how the Great Creator is in constant state of flux, expansion and chaos. Artists are no different; we are a “chip off the old block.”
Within is a drive where there is no choice but create. If I did not create, little by little I would literally die – ask me how I know. First my spirit would dwindle, then my emotions depressed, subside, and eventually stagnate. Lastly, my body would shrink, the fire light in my eyes would extinguish, and my breath, expire. While in the midst of this decline, we could call this the “walking dead.” Though, as if the drive within would allow this atrocity to happen? No way. I am vision. I am one of millions of visionary vessels from which creation flows, and to add to my blessings, I am born to a landscape, people and culture rich with beauty, diversity, strength and community – gratefully we Tlingit are grounded within the guidance of our ancestral customs, traditions and relations.
Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving class, under the “sun” in the Elder’s Room of the Kwaanlin Dun Cultural Center, Whitehorse, Yukon – June 2014
Chilkat weaving offers a meditative, spiritual practice similar to repetitive movements in Tai Chi. Woven from mountain goat wool and cedar bark, Chilkat weaving allows me to bring order in creative chaos as if the supple, compact twine of the yarns gliding through my fingertips were the pattern of a spider’s web, weaving new paths within the web of the brain, ever expanding to new horizons, new ways of thinking, and new ways of being, which in turn brings internal strength to the weaver; this naturally and gradually affects every relationship she has with others and self in good ways. Ask me how I know. This process and outcome is one of the main reasons why I teach our traditional Chilkat weaving to our women. For nearly 30 years, periodically, I have left my family and the comforts of home to gather, teach and support our generations of weavers. I remind and inspire our women to use their feminine intuition to converge with the realms beyond our seeing eye; in goodness, we help bring the past into the present, and present into future. When our women are healthy and strong, our world within and without, moves towards peace and happiness.
A circle of clan leaders, carved and painted totems just outside the Cape Fox Hotel in Ketchikan, AK – November 201
It is as though the warp yarns that hang down on our looms is our “veil between the worlds.” We understand the weaving of a Chilkat face puts us in touch with our ancestors. In a conversation with my friend and Chilkat weaver, Suzi Williams: “…when we weave the eyebrows, expressions are shared; when we weave the eyes, suddenly, we can see into their world and they can see into our world; when we weave the nose, lives breathe into our own keeping us alive and vice versa; and when we weave the mouth, we are able to finally communicate fully.” While we are weaving a Chilkat robe, many of us have expressed the uncanny feeling there is a presence standing invisibly behind us, ever supporting us. It is not until a weaver weaves the ultimate, a Chilkat robe, that she understands and feels the spiritual connection and some of our weavers may begin to understand a large aspect of her life’s purpose.
The many braids in weaving the “Resilience” Chilkat robe by Clarissa Rizal – April 2014
A Chilkat robe is a year in the making. Most of us no longer have the patience to devote this length of time to anything. We live in an instant-gratification world; we are no longer conditioned to sit quietly for 2000 hours as we contemplate our lives, let alone our livelihood. Before Chilkat came to me, I had very little patience. I would not create anything unless I knew I could do it in a day. After learning Chilkat, I gained the art of patience, the way of gratitude, and the act of compassion. The universe opened its doors with a flood of information; the kind of information not definable, yet powerfully written in our Native art, in the ways of our people, and in our commune with nature. When a Chilkat robe is completed, a totem pole raised, or a canoe on its virgin sail, new and old songs are sung with a celebration of dancers and a feast to commemorate the story “written” in our art. Our way is an holistic approach to creating art while documenting our history.”— Clarissa Rizal, March 2015
Mar 23, 2015 | Tools-of-the-Trade |
Grand-daughter Amelie helps wind smaller 2oz balls of weft yarns on the Boye electric ball winder
For nearly nearly 30 years I wound all my balls of weft yarns by hand; do you know how many hours and hours and hours that was for 10 major woven robes and woven ensembles and weaving classes/apprentices? Do you know how many hours I could have used for weaving instead!?!?!
The electric Boye ball winder surrounded by balls of Chilkat warp and weft yarns
Well….luckily my dear friend and fellow weaver, Catrina, allowed me to borrow her electric ball winder when my hand-winder broke. An electric ball winder; I never heard of it until I fetched it from Catrina and voile’ what a blessing——– OH, THAT WAS THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO THAT HAND-BALL WINDER —— I JUST WISHED IT BROKE 30 years ago!!!!!
Close-up of the electric Boye ball winder
The Boye electric ball winder retails at $120, HOWEVER, you may buy a new one for $60 via eBay or at JoAnn’s with a 50% off coupon! GO GET ONE NOW! Spare yourself the trouble of hand-winding; you’ve got better things to do with your time like weaving, weaving, weaving!!!
Mar 21, 2015 | Class Act, Tools-of-the-Trade, Tricks-of-the-Trade |
1/4″ strip of sea otter fur being looped through the top edge of a Chilkat robe
Sea otter fur is THE, or close to THE most warmest fur in the world with over 100,000 individual hairs per square inch! Yes, there are tricks-to-the-trade of working with sea otter fur.
TO CREATE A FULLER-LOOKING BAND OF SEA OTTER FUR TRIM (follow these instructions): After you have cut your 1/4″ strip to loop through your heading cord of your Chilkat or Ravenstail weaving, place your weaving on its front, with the WRONG SIDE FACING YOU! Depending on the size of your warp, loop through every 2 to 3 warp ends, using an overhand stitch, from FRONT TO BACK.
With your large-eye tapestry needle, carefully, gently, work the fur out of the looped eye of the warp to distribute the fur evenly and cover up any signs of warp or heading cord.
Good luck following directions!
Jan 27, 2015 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Donna Beaver Pizzarelli, Al Pizzarelli, and Clarissa Rizal — street bench near Basin Road, Juneau, Alaska
For whatever reasons, my blog crashed on November 18, 2014. I didn’t know about it until three weeks later when I received a call from a total stranger out of Minnesota who was roaming my website and could not pull up my blog and thought he’d better bring it to my attention — like how cool is that!? How many people would go through the trouble?
In between her full-time job working for the USGS and doing her own creative works especially in Haiku poetry, and assisting her husband’s creative endeavors, Donna worked hard getting my blog up and running again, finalized today! YAY!
Check out Donna and Al’s poetry: www.haikuchronicles.com
Dec 31, 2014 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Duck tape the padded “handles” of the loose straps
When I travel back and forth by plane from Colorado to Alaska, or vice versa, I have never traveled light. I am always loaded with my work, supplies, fish, berries, etc. Many years ago, my father showed me this trick-of-the-loaded-traveler-trade.
Nowadays, with “homeland security” and all, wrapping our boxes with rope is futile; they just cut the rope off, cut open your box, and inspect it. I don’t want to waste my rope. But how do we still have our handles and use them too?
Instead of tightly wrapping your box, just make two loose-fitting straps with rope, duck tape the ends with extra tape wrapped around as show in photo. Remove the loose straps before you check your box into baggage; place your straps inside your suitcase pocket, or your carry-on. Bring them out when you arrive at your destination’s baggage claim, slip them back around your box, and get moving!
Easy to lift and maneuver heavy 3′ x 4′ box
I am pushing 60 and I weight 125 pounds. With this method I can easily maneuver a 60 pound bulky box! Thanks Dad!
Nov 17, 2014 | Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Hand-sewn spinning pads by Clarissa Rizal
As some of you know, we spin our warp (the vertical yarn on loom) on our thighs. In the old days, we spun on our bare thigh, though because the cedar bark can tend to be rough, it can take the first layer of skin off, so therefore when women began to wear pants, spinning warp on blue jeans was the relief, though the blue dye from the jeans bled into the color of the warp. However, there are some of us weavers who are innovative! This invention that I’ve used for nearly 30 years, is from the late Phoebe Warren, grand-daughter to Chilkat weaver Jennie Thlunaut (my weaving teacher back in 1986)
Above is an example of a spinning pad I’ve made and plan on having for sale at the Juneau Public Market Thanksgiving weekend 2014. When spinning Chilkat or Ravenstail warp, these pads save the life of your jeans, they keep your leg from getting all wet (and cold!), they are smooth so no wrinkles to obstruct your spinning process and there is no residue of color bleeding into your warp…!
Nov 4, 2014 | Class Act, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, Tools-of-the-Trade |
Washed Chilkat warp is pulled tight and set out to dry
Here’s a trick-of-the-trade to create smoother, more even Chilkat or Ravenstail warp with no give: after you wash your warp, pull tight as you wrap the warp around the back of a chair — let dry thoroughly, then groom.
Why do you want a smother, move even warp with no give? When you are weaving your weft yarns over this warp, you will notice a less bumpy, more evenly-laid fabric.
Periodically I post various tricks-of-the-trade in regards to spinning, weaving, designing or anything else I may think of to post here on my blog for all you wonderful artists/craftspeople out there in the world!–for more tricks, check out “Tools-of-the-Trade in the column to the right…
