THE NUTCRACKER ARABIAN

I love costuming.  I love the whole process from talking to the choreographer to drawing out the design to choosing the fabrics and trims and finally creating what was in our minds. So, recently, when I was asked to design and sew a costume for a young dancer who is to perform the Arabian dance from the Nutcracker Ballet, I jumped at it. I love this dance and the music.  It is mysterious and sensual, full of the scents and tastes of the middle east. I wanted to fully capture the flavors in a costume for a 12 year old girl.  Yikes!

The choreographer always has a vision of what she wants.  Trying to see her vision and translate that into a 3 dimensional product is the challenge. You have to take into consideration the age of the dancer, and her size.  You have to be aware of the types of movements as the dance flows.

(Unfortunately, my dress form is old and falling apart and doesn't really show the costume well.)






The choreographer, Amber, wanted rich burgundy and golds.   I found these fabrics that are more cranberry but beautifully embroidered with pink and white flowers and covered in sequins.  The skirt is a mesh knit and drapes and flows beautifully a quality I look for in a dancer's costume. Amber was sold.

She wanted the skirt to be longer in the back than the front so I cut a full 60 inch circle and put the waist hole off center so that the front was 23 inches and the back 37 inches.

Amber wanted the skirt drawn up in the front.  She also wanted lots of trim. I put beaded fringe below the yoke and gold fringe around the skirt.  Gold tassels hide where I used ribbon to pull the skirt up.  The ribbons allow the skirt to be adjusted to the height and drape that the dancer wants.

The top also has lots of trim.  We wanted a sweetheart neckline and little cap sleeves. This fabric is a lovely sheer which I overlayed on an iridescent silk.
Gold and berry trim at the neck and jangelly red and gold beads with sequin trim finish off the top.  Finally, a red gem in the center adds one more bit of sparkle.

The trouble with sleeves is that when a dancer lifts her arms the sleeve can't be too tight, nor should they lift the top up as she moves. These are not connected at the armpit.

All in all I think the costume turned out nicely.  It danced beautifully and allowed movement.  I was quite happy with it.

Birdbath Part Deux

Our email conversations went like this. Aaron, "I like your blue birdbath."  Me, "Thanks. Want One?" Aaron, "Sure. :-)"  So when I visited my son and his wife, Jane, in Houston, Texas we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

Aaron had an old pottery birdbath that we dug out of the shed.  It was pretty dirty and needed a good scrubbing.

Some clean water and a scrub brush got it clean.  Then I let it dry in the hot Texas sun.

We needed some plates to break up for the mosaic work, so one night after dinner, about 8:00, we packed up the baby and headed for a nearby Goodwill. That store is great for finding treasures.  Alas, these were the only plates with a colorful pattern that we could find.

We gave Goodwill our $8.00 and left the store with 5 plates and a bowl that kind of matched.  The pattern is a bit too fussy and pink for my taste but our shopping had time constraints.

After donning some stylish protective eye wear, I placed some plates inside a paper bag and gave them some good wacks with a hammer.  The bag keeps the shards from flying all over the place.

I was able to cut the larger pieces with a tile cutter, a luxury I didn't have on my 1st attempt.  This was a very handy tool.

Once again, I used the rim of the plates for the rim of the birdbath.  It gives it a smooth, finished look.  Then I began placing the tiles down the side, "buttering" the backs of the tiles with mastic, or tile glue.

The tiles are set and ready to be grouted.

Note that there is a lot of space between the pieces.  That's okay as the grout will fill in and the tiled area will not be walked on.

Now I wait for 24 hours before I grout.

I used a pre-mixed white grout and applied it with a putty knife working it into the crevices with an old paint brush. Then I took Jane's kitchen sponge and started wiping off the excess grout.  That turned out to be a bad idea since it left bits of sponge between the tiles. I did replace Jane's sponge.

 A damp cloth, (ripped up old t-shirt) proved a better solution. I wiped off most of the gooey stuff rinsing the cloth in a bucket of water, then took dry cloths to finish and polish.  I had to re-grout some areas where I got over zealous.

The finished product on it's stand in the garden.  In hindsight, I wish I had used a colored grout as there was so much white tile.  Mother Nature and abuse should soften the look, though, I think.

I had a wonderful time visiting my family and playing with my 1 year old grandaughter, Olive.  I hope to visit again soon.

Here is Jane and Olive.  She's wearing a tutu I made her for her birthday.

Christmas is in the air

I'm visiting my wonderful son, Aaron, his beautiful wife, Jane and their oh so cute baby, Olive in Houston, Texas. That's Olive in the picture far right on the top. I'm enjoying every minute with them and while daddy is at work Jane and I have been playing on Etsy.  Jane is very good at navigating the web site and is teaching me so much.  We put together this page of treasury items that we hope will be featured on the site.  It contains some of my artwork from my Etsy shop: StOngeStudio  and Jane's shop: PrettyLittlePicnic.  We hope that you like what we put together.  The other shops featured have very interesting things, too.  Have fun looking.

CHRISTMAS CARDS

Several years ago, I worked for Macy's Department store in the Christmas shop. It was lots of fun and I worked with some very nice ladies.  We met a lot of people and helped bring visions of sugarplums into their homes. I noticed a trend however.  Shoppers of African American descent were looking for a traditional Santa Claus who was also African American. That made perfect sense to me since Santa is a magical being and can appear in any form.  Macy's had no black Santas and when I researched Christmas cards, there were very few of them. I decided to paint some artwork showing Santa doing traditional Christmas things.

 

Here's Santa  walking on a pristine snowy field.  His snowshoes have a peace symbol on the soles and he is leaving "peaceful" tracks as he walks.  The cozy cabin in the background also has a peace sign on the window welcoming all who enter.  A fat, happy snowman watches over the scene.  Inside the card says, "May the peace of the Holidays follow you throughout the New Year."

It is very difficult to get artwork accepted into the mainstream.  I think the quality of my paintings is very good, but perhaps when I was trying, the U.S. market was not ready for an African American Santa. I hope it is now.

Santa is looking at the Christmas Star as he and his reindeer stand by a frozen pond. The star is reflected in the pool.  Santa is awestruck, the reindeer, merely curious.
Inside the card says, "Hoping you find your bright and shining star this season."

When I first created these cards, I sent them to card companies like Hallmark, and American Greeting, but they were not interested in them.

  

Santa is in his workshop making wonderful toys for the children of the world.  He seems to put so much love into the process.  The toys in the background watch him.  Inside the card says, "Wishing you all the joys of his Holiday Season."

I also contacted Ebony Magazine to see if they knew of African American based greeting card companies who might be interested in my Santas.  I never got a response.

A little girl has heard Santa and woken up.  She's a bit scared and shy.  Santa sits down to comfort her.  He is telling her the Christmas story.  Inside the card says, "May the wonders of the season last throughout the New Year."

I researched ebay but found that too daunting. ( I'm a chicken when it comes to ebay.) and I didn't like the quality of work I saw on it.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus are sitting with a collection of dolls that Santa and his elves have made. You can tell that they are fond of each other and they are very proud of their work. They want to share these dolls with children everywhere. Inside the card says, "Greetings from Santa and the gang."

I even sent this collection of cards to Oprah Winfrey because she supports women and their dreams.  Alas, they were returned unopened. I felt I was out of options so the artwork sat in my room collecting dust.

This year, I'm selling them on etsy.com    The cards measure 5 x 7 and come with a white envelope.  They are printed on low gloss card stock.
Check out my site:  StOngeStudio under shops, or type in the search "African American Santas"  under homemade. Wish me success!

The last of the berries

Our summer has been unusually cold and damp.  We call it "the summer that never was".  So when the blackberries ripened it took me by surprise and they came and went in a matter of weeks.  I was able to gather enough to make one batch of jam and my daughter baked  two delicious pies. Yet this morning, as the sun was still shining brightly on our short Indian summer, I tried to pick the last of the berries for one more batch of jam.  It was slow picking as much of the fruit had dropped off the vines or simply molded. I was selective, though, and got a bucketful.  Blackberry picking teaches you to have a soft touch both with the berries and the very naughty and prickly vines.


Once the bowl has been filled, the berries must be washed and drained.  This is the time to throw out the bad fruit, get rid of leaves and stems and coax the worms and bugs to find another home.  Then comes my grandson's favorite job, squishing the berries.  He does this with much vigor and many interesting sound effects. His hands are bright purple when he is done which delights him even further.

I could take you through the whole process of making jam, but that would just be boring. Needless to say, after a lot of heating, adding pectin and sugar and stirring, more boiling, then ladling into jars you get this finished product.  The rich purple color is beautiful and the flavor of summer lasts all winter long.  Besides all that, I know what ingredients have gone into my jam. It also gives me a great deal of satisfaction to harvest something from my land.  By the way, it's also fabulous on ice cream!

I have long admired botanical watercolors.  In an attempt to use that descriptive style with my fairy art I painted this watercolor.  I call it "Berry Buddies".  The painting shows three stages of growth for the blackberry vine.  The flowering stage, the green berries, then the full ripe black berries.  The little fairies are playing on the vines and wearing the foliage of the bush.  It reminds me of when I was young playing with my "berry" best friend, Susan.

THE BLUE BIRDBATH

My mother had a beautiful blue ceramic birdbath.  It was broken.   Over the past few winters it has seen some hard times.  The bowl cracked is so many places, and it leaked water faster than we could fill it.  Something had to be done. My sister and I repaired it with caulk which I'm sure would have worked for another winter, but I thought that wouldn't halt the dis-repair for long.  I decided to mosaic the inside of the bowl.  We went to Goodwill and bought a set of 8 plates that seemed the right color. I stuck a couple in a paper bag and hit them with a hammer until the pieces were the right size. I eventually employed all 8 plates.

I used the rims of the plates along the rim of the birdbath because they were already curved and rounded on the edges.

Then I fit in the smaller pieces starting at the top and working towards the basin.  I glued them with a tile mastic as I placed them. The mastic stayed fairly damp so I could move them if I chose.

I let the finished product sit for 24 hours.  The next day I grouted it with a premixed white grout. First I applied it with a putty knife then coaxed the grout into the little spaces with a dry paint brush. When all the areas were filled I took a wet towel and started wiping out the excess grout.

At times I got a little over zealous with my wiping and had to add a bit of grout. When I removed as much as I could, I started polishing with a dry towel until all the pieces gleamed. I had to tell myself to quit or I'd still be polishing that one last piece.

The finished product back on it's stand.  You can see on the outside of the bowl where it had cracked and been repaired.  I think this solution will last more than one winter.

I hope the birds will like this.  It's bright and cheerful and now holds water proudly.

By the way, I underestimated the length of time it would take me to do this project.  I thought I could do the tile work in 1 day but it took me 3.  Then I had to wait for it to dry before I could grout and then that had to dry.  So really it took me about a week.

On to something new.........

A Birthday toast

Why is it that birthdays evoke a more emotional response than other holidays?  Christmas is certainly cheery and heartwarming.  Halloween brings out the macabre and fantasy in us.  Easter signals spring and Thanksgiving allows us to appreciate all that we have. Well, the obvious answer is that it is more personal.  But thousands, millions of people were born on the same day throughout history.  My brother, Jay, for instance, was born on Washington's birthday, February 22.

Really, no one is around when a baby is born.  The doctor, a nurse, the father and obviously the mother.  It is a solitary event.  I remember each birth of my children as if it just happened.  But that is just between them and me. I treasure those memories, those very personal memories.

So why is it that we remember and celebrate people's birthdays? Why not the day they died?  I think it's because we like to think of it as the start of something wonderful, the beginning of a life that brings meaning and joy to those around them. Even if that person has passed on, the legacy they left behind is worth celebrating, worth remembering, worth toasting.

So today, I went to the Grand Forest to have a beer with my husband, Jerry, to celebrate his birthday.

 

It is beautiful here, so quiet and peaceful.

We had a nice chat and enjoyed our beers.  Happy Birthday, Jerry.

THE SECRET GARDEN

I had never read "The Secret Garden" and so for a little light reading, this summer I decided I would.  It might be a children's book, but I really enjoyed it.  I'm sure most people know it's about three children who find a walled in garden that has been locked up for 10 years.  It brings them great delight to bring the garden back to life.  It's a joyous book filled with beautiful descriptions and endearing children. Mary and Colin start out being frail and sickly but running in the wind and breathing the fresh air gives them health, appetite and strength.
The book, though, is really about the power of our thoughts.  As we believe so we are.  Colin believed he was a sickly child who would die at any time, but when he changed his thoughts, surrounding himself with beautiful growing things, he changed too and became well. He believed magic was in the garden and in him and so he got healthy and full of life.

I believe in magic.  As I sit here writing, a thunderstorm is shaking my windows, and my dog, Yukon, is worried and whining. Who wouldn't believe in magical forces when nature rumbles and lights up the sky? The sounds are frightening and awesome at the same time. Apparently, when lightening strikes it heats up the air to 48,000 degrees fahrenheit.  That causes the air to rapidly expand and as it does, it makes the loud sound that is thunder. And yet, I prefer to think of it as magic.
I think everyone needs a secret garden, if only an imaginary one.  A place where one can go to be alone and clear out the rubble of thoughts that accumulate all day. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "There are voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world."  Magic is there all the time but we need a sanctuary of solitude to let the magic blossom.  But then maybe magic happens all the time and we're just too busy to notice.  I could be doing housework right now, and ignore this light show of nature, but instead, I've chosen to sit at my desk to watch the storm play outside my window and give Yukon a reassuring pat now and then.

Which brings me to Yeats. He is a poet. Yeats sits inside his own walled sanctuary quietly observing what nature has put on display for him.   He sees the the dragonflies and ants, the birds and feathers, the daffodils and the dewdrops on the leaves. He watches the ivy grow and the clouds change shapes overhead. Here, he can observe, and think and write. He allows the magic to flow through his pen, creating beautiful poetry.
You can enter the Secret Garden, too, but there is a price of admittance.  You have to pay attention.

HAIDA ART

I am descended from a North Coast tribe of Native Americans called Haida.  My People come from the Canadian islands of Queen Charlotte and Prince of Wales, and my great + Grandfather was named Chief Sonnihat. I have always embraced this heritage and grew up imagining that I was an Indian Princess.  (Well, he was a chief.)  I love the art of the Haidas' and I am not the only one.  It is on display in great museums around the world including the Smithsonian. The ancient people were known for their beautiful totem poles, long houses, carved boxes, masks, silver work and basketry. Thankfully their unique kind of artwork has not died out and is being taught and produced today.
When I decided to study the design elements of Haida art, I was overwhelmed by the beauty and cunning of it. I have a reverence for its simplicity and its complexity. I have done some designs for a school and my children but when my son asked me to do a painting on a piece of wood that he could hang in his home, I admit I was daunted.  This was a couple of years ago and I am ashamed and proud to announce that I have completed it.  Happy Birthday, Adam!

Because Haida art is so complex it has taken me quite awhile to design  something I thought worthy of my culture. I thought I might walk you through the process it took me to produce this piece.
Each person in the Haida tribe has an animal spirit.  My 1st instinct was that Adam's was the Raven, a cunning trickster who stole the sun and brought fire to man. Then I argued with myself for awhile assigning him other animal spirits. Yet I always came back to Raven.

I couldn't actually do the full design until I had the piece of wood that it was going to be painted on, but I played with ideas for heads and wings and feathers and feet. Oh there were many, many, many drawings.

Finally I bought the wooden plank from a man on the island who builds beautiful natural furniture.  The piece spoke to me about a bird.  I have lived with that piece of wood for about 2 years and finally I was ready to paint it.





I started with my pencil sketches, then traced the shape of wood onto a large piece of paper accounting, I thought, for the knots. I did several rough sketches and then a formal one which I traced onto the wood. I had to redesign because I wanted the wood's beautiful skin to show.

The natural knot between his beak is the sun he is stealing.

Then I started painting.  I completed the1st layer in black, but needed to give the paint a 2nd coat. Then I did 

the red layer. 

This is the completed piece.  I hope you will notice that the positive spaces are a design as well as the negative spaces.  I like to believe that I did justice to the beautiful organic form of the wood and let it tell the story of Raven stealing the sun.

JAY

My brother, Jay, was born 49 years ago.  He has Down Syndrome. He is a funny little man who stands about 5'6" and is getting quite wrinkly.  He loves all of the members of our family and asks about them often. He enjoys drawing and painting and I think he is a good artist. He lived with our Mother until she died in 2009.  Now he lives with my sister, Lynn.

One day when I went to visit him and Mom, she gave me a piece of paper and asked me to draw a teddy bear she had.  I did a simple line drawing of it and gave it back to her.  She then showed me the drawing that Jay did of the bear.  Then Mom asked my sister do do a drawing of it, but she declined. Mom wanted to have the three of us draw the bear so she could frame them together as art from her 3 children. That was the inception for a project that Jay and I did last year.  I thought it would be cool to have an art show displaying paintings that Jay and I did using the same subject matter and medium.  We painted during the winter of 2010 and hung our show last June in a local coffee house, Bainbridge Bakers. I called the show, "As Renee Sees it, and As Jay Sees It". It was a great success. People seemed to really like the concept of the artwork and we sold several paintings as pairs. We were delighted.

 We have been painting things I see around the Island and fruits and vegetables.  As a sneak peak I'll display a couple of paintings we've done.  This is my mailbox.  I like to point out that the story is not the mailbox but the bushes behind it.

This is Jay's mailbox.  I think he did a great job capturing the flora behind and the perspective of the box.  He works hard at his art and takes it very seriously.  It makes him happy and he is proud of his accomplishments.  Mom would be proud, too.

As we finish our sets, I'll post them.  There are too many things going on in our lives right now for me to get a firm date on our next show, but hopefully in September. Until then, enjoy our work.