marimekko in town

First Frida and Diego at the AGO, now Marimekko, With Love at the Textile Museum... Toronto keeps us well entertained and educated.

For those not familiar with the Finnish company, Marimekko is one of the most iconographic textile houses since the early 50's, when it took the world by storm under the vigilant eye of Armi Ratia and the extraordinary group of designers she recruited to help her launch and establish her vision. One of the most representative designs? Maija Isola's Unikko in red.

Unikko by Maija Isola for Marimekko, 1965.

I have no recollection of when my infatuation with the brand started, I know however, that it was something akin to what the Italians mean when they say "colpo di fulmine". The moment I set eyes on those bold, colourful, unassumingly beautiful designs, I was hooked for life.

MARIMEKKO INSPIRED
During our members meeting at CTS, Rachel suggested we offered a workshop at the studio to tie-in with the Marimekko show at the Textile Museum, and I'm very happy to say I will be teaching it, yay! So in the spirit of it all, Monday, last week, I visited the exhibit, which by the way, had only been open for a couple of hours. It was most interesting to learn about Karelia, the Toronto link with Marimekko from the very late 50's to the late 70's. After the show, and while waiting in the car for E to come out of school, I doodled three designs in my notebook, two of which I knew were ready to go. Just like that! Marimekko inspired, indeed.

Sunday was spent at the studio, finishing films, shooting screens and printing a few samples  of one of the designs in very different colourways, I named it "pebbles".

I'm posting the process, from ideation to print: 1-as a memory of this swift project which helped  review the steps involved in the printing process with my Monday class, 2-to gain insight regarding the outline and content for the workshop, 3-to procure a production-ready design.

Preliminary sketches in the pages of my "handbag" notebook. Hardware equipment: A letter-size photocopier. The design was scaled up to fit comfortably within the screen. Positives (or films) high-tech tools: Mylar, India ink in a chopstick and brush marker, opaque marker, fine sharpie, scissors, utility knife, yellow colour pencil, Canson black paper (for the ground color) and double-sided tape.

Screens shot, no touch-ups necessary. Plenty of tape is needed to mask the edges.

The ground colour (orange) is printed first. Once dry, the outline colour (red) is printed on top. The mysterious object on the side of the screen on the top left image is a brick covered in plastic bags. It helps hold the screen down so it doesn't shift during printing.

Printed samples, in various colourways. The preliminary palettes came from card stock in very vivid colours.

I now need to figure out end-uses (besides pillows), any ideas?

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when I'm 64...*

...or 66, I want to have Bowie's inventive fortitude.
He was all over the CBC this morning because of his 66th birthday, and most importantly, because he released a new song after 10 years! Apparently nobody saw it coming, and apparently, we are all loving it.

Bowie has been in my mind for a while since learning about his traveling exhibition David Bowie Is (which will open in Toronto in September!!) and today, these musings and the date collided in amicable conversation, providing the perfect opportunity for a quick reflection, injected with Bowie's creative eccentricities. The following video (found it in youtube) is testimony of how he's never been one for remaining stagnant.

David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust, from his album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars",  1972

I love the Bowie of today, however, I've forever been star-struck by his Ziggy era (which I became aware of a few years after its debut, in my teens).

Bowie, always ahead of his time.

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FINAL REFLECTION: Music has always been the natural propeller of my days. DB's birthday made me look back into old "anthems" and role models, not because I want to hold on to a chimera, but because they are an important part of who I am. Thanks to such deliberations, this "Cranberries" gem was unburied from the NPR music archives.

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*The title for today's post "when I'm 64" makes reference the The Beatles song, from 1967.

2013

F, my husband, is a very intelligent man. He is also extremely insightful, incredibly pragmatic, creative and has an excellent sense of humour. It is important to mention these very colourful traits of his to give some context to our latest tête-à-tête regarding New Year resolutions. Without going into much detail, we debated around the advantages and disadvantages of making  a resolution versus setting a goal (short-term, long-term, it doesn't matter). The conclusion: Even with the best of intentions, the former is always very easily abandoned, while the latter is realistically achievable. He won.

 

My best wishes for an excellent 2013. ¡Feliz Año!

Ana Torroja, Un Año Más, from Mecano's 1988 album "Descanso Dominical".

Girados concert, with Miguel Bosé. Coliseo La Coruña, 2000.

winter colours

Snow is here, and with it, the colours and sounds of winter are amplified. This is our fourth winter in Toronto, and each year, the phenomenon of snow  continues to captivate us all at home. I love to hear E running down the stairs yelling "it's snowing, it's snowing!"

We enjoy taking walks while the snow is still "untouched", ankle deep and fun, before it turns into a muddy, slushy mess.

First and last images are views from E's bedroom window. The other two, are from our walks.

Crisp, clean, glorious winter days = palettes galore! Here are a few.

From our backyard.

White truly transforms it all.

As of late, I have been paying too much attention to hydrants,
so much so, that I think they are about to become the new pears!

Urban winter palettes: Unexpected, distinctive.

Another day... another year! Almost. I want to sign-off with a good song, a merry song, commemorating 2012 in the company of this highly energetic and creative duo, Pomplamoose.

Pomplamoose, Another Day, released in 2010.

beyond Frida y Diego

There is no doubt in my mind that Frida and Diego helped shed a lot of the positive cultural light under which Mexico found itself in the first half of the 1900's. From the ground up, they built a very favourable and transcendental perception regarding Mexican art. Nonetheless, there are some reservations to this story, considering Mexican art  acquired an extremely narrow-minded attitude through the prodigious years of the "Mexican School of Painting"* that took at least 4 decades to forgo. This  shake-up was  spearheaded by the young and rebellious artists** of the second half of that century (the "rupture" or "break" generation). 

The casualties of these kerfuffles, as it is the history of humanity, were our female artists. Unbelievably enough, Rivera being the main bully: A female muralist? Nonsense! And Frida somehow overshadowed them all. Why her? Come to think of it then, why not her?
The fact of the matter is that little is known regarding other very talented women artists residing in Mexico, both during the times of the hegemonic MSP* and the years when the status quo was challenged**.

The names of these womenfolk came to my attention in the late eighties and early nineties, when (thankfully) many exhibitions about their body of work could be found in Mexico City. The most memorable ones, personally: Maria Izquierdo, Leonora Carrington, Olga Costa, Lilia Carrillo, Irma Palacios, Remedios Varo, Elena Climent. The latter two my absolute favourites.

From left to right: 1-María Izquierdo, Naturaleza viva, oil on canvas, 1946. 2-Leonora Carrington (born in England), Self portrait, oil on canvas, ca. 1937-1938. 3-Olga Costa (born in Germany), La vendedora de frutas, oil on canvas, 1951.

From left to right: 1-Lilia Carrillo, Premonición, acrylic on canvas, 1970.  2-Irma Palacios, Delta, aquatint, 2003.

From left to right: 1-Remedios Varo (born in Spain), La creación de las aves, oil on masonite, 1958. 2-Elena Climent, Sotorefront, oil on linen, 1992.

Remedios Varo has always been at the top of my list, the master of all masters in my book. Recommendation: In the late 80's, Janet A. Kaplan authored a magnificent book on Remedios Varo, Unexpected Journeys, unfortunately out of print. A fascinating life, a mystifying artist.

The one lesson taken from this week's journey is that I truly don't know much about female or male Mexican artists born after 1980--peccato! Note to self: Learn more about contemporary Mexican art.

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*Escuela Mexicana de Pintura: Orozco, Siqueiros, Rivera, Covarrubias, Murillo (Dr. Atl), et al.

**Generación de la Ruptura: García Ponce, Cuevas, Felguérez, Gerzo, Mérida, Goeritz, Gironella, et al.

art inspired: Frida y Diego

From 1995 to 1998, F and I had the privilege of living in Coyoacán, Frida Kahlo's neighbourhood in Mexico City. During this time, visits to her house ("La Casa Azul") turned into weekly pilgrimages to this sanctuary of sorts, where I could be found sitting or ambling in tranquil reverie. Her very ingenious talent was ever present, as was the clear connection between her work and the sense of self and place inherent to her pieces. This awareness often sparked a powerful feeling of certainty, never experienced in any other place and every so often, I miss it.

Yesterday, an inkling of that "Casa Azul" notion was recaptured while visiting the exhibit "Frida and Diego, Passion, Politics and Painting". The AGO brought  my Coyoacán back to me, if only for a little while. Though Toronto is home now, the show reminded me of how much I yearn for the explosive and overdramatic cultural scene in Mexico. MÉXICO, vibrant* custodian of prodigious talent.

I like Frida and Diego (Rivera) a lot, and in all honesty, I enjoy them even more on their own and without their politics. Diego's early pieces from his Paris years (ca.1911-1920) are simply incredible, reflecting the obvious influence of the very good company he was keeping while at Montparnasse (Modigliani, Foujita, Chagall and Picasso, to name a few--I can't even begin to imagine what those years must have been like!). My absolute favourite Rivera is from this period, "The Mathematician", in the collection of the Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño, and currently visiting Toronto (!!!!). Enthralling and quiet wonderment. Brilliant.

Regarding Frida's work, it is hard to decide on a particular favourite. My preferred images, however, came as very pleasant surprises through the lens of Nickolas Muray. I had seen these portraits of Frida plenty of times in postcards and books, but never had the chance to see the actual prints, until yesterday. They are stunning--the saturation and contrast of the colours are mesmerizing. Plus she looks so content, and her hands are beautiful, it seems silly, but I had never noticed them before.

In my opinion, it is important to elaborate on the impact and influence this gifted duo had in Mexican painting, I just need to better organize my thoughts so that they may be set forth succinctly and eloquently, in no way a lecture, but rather, a somewhat informed (I'm no expert) opinion.

For the time being, the song of the day is La Cumbia del Mole. I kept thinking about it throughout my visit to the Gallery. Lila Downs was introduced to me by F in 2007, when we were back in Mexico City. She is a formidable musician and artist, with an unmistakable speck of Frida in her. Seemingly, there is a smidgen of Frida in all us.

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EMI music is pretty clear about its copyright policies, so in order to avoid problems, I will not post the video. However, click here to view it in youtube with EMI's blessing (Lila Downs, La Cumbia Del Mole, in her album "La Cantina", EMI 2006). Vibrant* is the operative word. 

wabi-sabi perfection

It has been a while since I wanted to write about wabi-sabi, a concept I was first introduced to by a dear friend (DF), in those days my professor in grad school. This awe-striking descriptor refers to the beauty of the imperfect, the exquisiteness of the raw and honest elements within most hand crafted objects. The difference between wabi-sabi and poor quality work is that any object withholding a wabi-sabi spirit is imperfect, yet retains a grace and contemplative serenity that elevates it to a sui generis plane.

Sometimes when one of my prints does not work well, I look at it with very critical eyes,  determining if it is wabi-sabi or just bad craftsmanship. In general, I write them off as unusable, yet, sometimes, I do recognize the allure in the virtuous flaw.
Leonard Koren's book Wabi-Sabi For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers provides a good overview of wabi-sabi, my only misgiving about recommending this book is that it does not end, but rather abruptly stops, leaving the reader (or at least me) a bit disconcerted.

In truth, I have discovered the perfect embodiment of wabi-sabi in my E's work. She is a ceramist, a potter, and at 13, a very talented one. Yes, this is mom speaking, but still, her ability is immediately recognizable. On Saturday (December 8) she held her first fund-raiser for Free The Children, pledging to donate all proceeds to this exceptional organization with which she has been involved since late summer, and I am delighted to report she did splendidly. Not only did E sell all of her pieces (at different price ranges), but received the undeniable support of those who stopped by the youth vendors at City of Craft, a very positive experience to all young artists.

Her work is developing, and she is not afraid to experiment, unknowingly embracing the true nature of wabi-sabi, resulting in extraordinarily dainty pieces. These are a few examples of her work from my personal collection.

open for business

On Monday, inkfibre (a.k.a. yours truly!!!) concluded its 5-day participation at the One Of A Kind Show, Christmas Edition 2012. The show runs for a few more days, until Sunday (December 2), so you can still visit it if you happen to be in the Toronto area. Not much can be articulated at this point regarding this remarkable experience (it seems the brain has gone on a mini vacation), nonetheless,  the words of the Master will express the sentiments that accompany the fulfillment of this particular endeavour:

"It didn't matter whether I was called an artist, or designer, or illustrator, or whatever else it was. The core value was always the act of making things and the transformation of an idea that you hold in your mind that becomes real or material. That to me still is the glory of any creative activity."

                                                                                                                             --Milton Glaser--

GRATITUDE 

Though this was a one-woman show, not such thing would have been possible without the unconditional help and support of F and E as well as friends directly or indirectly involved in this venture (AD and MD I'm looking at you). From counsel and feedback, to sharing your own sources, from helping set up the booth. For coming by and saying hello, or calling and writing to give your support. To the incredible ladies at the Contemporary Textile Co-op and all at Rotman’s Business Edge program. For being amazing show neighbours (nun of a kind--zigzagstitches, fiberalley and Lois Lane).

To you all, thank you.

The "maestrísima", Natalie Merchant, Kind and Generous, from her album Ophelia, released in 1998 by Elektra.
Performed at the VH1 Live, 2005.

seeing red

A deluge of red, that is what happened on Sunday at the studio. After pondering a lot on the matter, (red has not been part of my palette in quite a while), I decided to print some tea towels in this colour, given that a lot of the feedback reflected on the absence of red, which obviously raised a [red-ha!] flag.
When receiving feedback, it is our absolute responsibility as designers/artists/makers to edit the information that is coming our way, after all, even though we are not taking dictation, we should always be genuinely interested in what our audience has to say. So, if one person mentions this colour is necessary, you take note of that, but when at different times numerous people tell you to seriously consider it, you pay close attention. After all, the "market is speaking", and you want the product to do well (this would be a completely different conversation if we were referring to a fine art piece). In my experience this is not an easy colour to work with, mainly because it has to be the "right" one. Fortunately, the "right" hue had already been mixed, as I had originally planned to include it in the pillows colour ways for Talavera.

In preparation for last Sunday, and considering I had no umbrella to help me through the wet weather we've been getting, I treated myself to a beautiful red marimekko umbrella, and allowed myself a few contemplative moments under the cover of such fabulous redness.

Detail: marimekko red kivet umbrella.

The first two images (for Antigua) are for Roohi. She very articulately delivered a solid discourse as to why red needed to be included.

From left to right: 1-Antigua collection, main design to the right. 2-Antigua second coordinate. 3-Talavera in red.

REGISTRATION--PART DEUX
The matter of registration was brought up not too long ago (see post for Monday, 15 October 2012). The second system was put to the test on Sunday, rendering excellent results. By drawing a straight line (on tape) on the drop cloth, the registration marks were easy to follow, with no gaps or overlaps in sight. Four yards of gorgeousness.

The song "ojalá que llueva café", perfectly captures the sounds of "Talavera in red" in the form of an incomparable "son huasteco". An excellent cover by Café Tacuba from their album Avalancha De Éxitos, 1997 (the original song is by Juan Luis Guerra). Enjoy!

 

the sense of a beginning

Yesterday I finished this week's "subway" book, The Sense Of An Ending by Julian Barnes. Profoundly puzzling. Before I move on to elaborate about its riddling content, let me explain about these traveling companions. My "subway" books have two main characteristics: One, they are the perfect size to fit in a bag. Two, their story lines are, without fail, enthralling (to the point of sometimes missing stops), therefore, since they are only read during short commutes, I am able to enjoy their gripping content for a prolonged period of time.
Back to Mr. Barnes' writing. It took me about 16 hours to fully process and decipher what it all meant (I won't spoil it for you). Fitting though, is to mention the fact that I woke up this morning at around 5, rather suddenly and completely bewildered, with full understanding of the diegesis. Fascinatingly terrible, brilliantly written, including numerous "no they couldn't have" moments.

The front and back covers, by the way, are beautifully designed (one word: dandelion).

This little introduction is pertinent merely because I'm borrowing most of the title and placing it under a much brighter light, the common thread being another epiphany while working on my own puzzle (project).
Last night, the last little details that will comprise the branding and marketing of the products started to finally come together. I had a very good idea of how they should be resolved, yet, for one reason or another, nothing had not come to fruition. A few breaks, and seven hours later (I didn't realise how late it was) these loose ends were taken care of, ready for a final critique this morning with J, business guru (muchas, muchas gracias).

Preliminary mock-ups and lots of amazing ribbons to consider. Mokuba on 575 Queen Street West has an incredible selection of gorgeous ribbons (here is a blog entry from Canadian House And Home). Thank you so much R, for sharing the whereabouts of this exceptional place.

There is still a lot of ground to cover, and only a few weeks to go. However, the general feeling around this venture is not one of an ending, but the beginning of something good and promising, most definitely worth all the hard work and dedication.
To commemorate the occasion, here is walk, invigoratingly auspicious.

 

Foo Fighters, from the album Wasting Light, 2011--itunes festival 2011.