Jun 26, 2012 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
While her son Louis is on her back, Lily Hope washes down the whale's tail in the parking lot of the Juneau Arts and Culture Center - Juneau, Alaska
The Juneau Arts and Humanities is sponsoring a project to help bring awareness to the support of a large bronze whale’s tail to be created by local artist Skip Wallen. 10 polyuerothane foam resin whale tails are being embellished by 10 selected local artists. Lily Hope submitted a proposal; we were selected as one of the 10. We were going to create a modern Tlingit-influenced stylized form line design painting, however, that would require at least three days of sunshine, and by this Summer’s lousy weather pattern we’ve been experiencing in Juneau, we decided to create something a bit simpler yet elegant.
Lily begins spraying the toxic, smelly black spray paint
Each whale tail is being sponsored by a local business – Thank you to Huna Totem Corporation for sponsoring ours!
Lily completes the black; Clarissa begins to spray touches of red
All 10 whale tails must be completed by July 1st; 3 will be in Juneau’s Fourth of July parade. In September, the whale tails will be auctioned.
Modeling for a pretend magazine article - haha!
We had to wait for a couple of hours for the paint to be completely dry before attempting to move it and begin gluing buttons.
Lily begins gluing smokey-gray mother-of-pearl buttons
Lily finishes gluing the buttons, then each is nailed down to survive any weather
Louis helps nail down the buttons too!
Please tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers about the big auction on Saturday, September 15th at the JACC (Juneau Arts & Culture Center, i.e. the Old Armory), where all the wonderful creations will be auctioned off to the highest bidder!
Do we look proud of ourselves or what?
Thanks to all who are volunteering and participating in the Animal Parade and supporting this Whale Project, which will place a spectacular life-scale bronze humpback whale and fountain on Juneau’s waterfront, in recognition of Alaska’s 50th anniversary of Statehood. This will be an icon for Juneau, and the third sculpture of Skip Wallen in Juneau.
Many thanks to Kathy Ruddy for coordinating this event; thanks again to Huna Totem Corporation for sponsoring our particular whale tail!
Jun 25, 2012 | Class Act, Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Teaching Lily all the do’s, don’ts and options in designing for a Chilkat robe
Many weavers of the Chilkat method of weaving are not designers of the imagery. They either copy a design that belongs to the clan or family, or they have an artist draft one up for them. Chilkat weaver, Lily Hope is learning how to design Chilkat; it is not as easy as it looks! A designer must understand how the weaving is done in order to design a Chilkat robe successfully. Lily has an advantage that she is both a weaver and knows how to draw!
The pattern transparency serves as the template
Lily is in the process of designing a child-size Chlkat robe with her clan image, the T’akDeinTaan. She is doing a take-off on a robe her mother designed for her Auntie Jean. She continues to reinforce her knowledge by true discipline, making the time to weave even though she runs a household and takes care of 2 children.
Clarissa and Lily calculate to which warp the next row is to be woven
Lily and Clarissa weave Chilkat together
Lily Hope rips back a few rows; no such thing as mistakes, only “learning opportunities”
Thank you to the New England Foundation for the Arts Native Arts Program for their monetary support for Clarissa’s grant to travel from Colorado to Alaska to help Lily get started in designing and beginning her own robe!
May 20, 2012 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Ravens & Eagles, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market |
Clarissa lays out buttons onto recent "Eagle Raven Lovebirds" button robe designed by Preston Singletary, robe fabric choice and fabrication by Clarissa Rizal
Preston and I have finally collaborated on an actual art piece. We have worked together for a few years creating the Northwest Coast Native Artist Gatherings, and we’ve been working for the past who knows how many years towards creating a large glass Chilkat robe – maybe this robe is the impetus for actually making the glass robe come into reality real soon!
Lily assists in laying out the buttons while son, Louis checks out his mother's carefulness
Lily and Louis Hope helped do the button layout; it’s nice to have a family affair especially with cool kids!
Lily begins to glue down hundreds of buttons
Another version of Lily working on the robe while Louis naps in the Ergo baby carrier
completed button robe
The completed robe waiting to be packed up for the Native Art Market at Celebration 2012 in Juneau sponsored by the Sealaska Heritage Institute
