RISING TRIBES

Becoming Artisans

Little friends of ours, two sisters, are turning 5 and 3 on the same day (yeah talk about sharp calculations).  I asked our 4 year old little friend if she would enjoy a pin~ata for their bday and if so, what kind.  She eagerly requested a unicorn.   Ceiba and I got to work a few weeks ago, and this is the process and final product.

I will add that this has been a learning highlight of our few days here at our Learning Tree. I got to dig in my bank of cultural memory and share stories with Ceiba about being a child in a place like San Cristobal back in the 80’s.  Specifically, we talked about the artisan dedication that is required to be a pin~atero/a.  I shared with her a story about the family that made pin~atas around the corner from our house, friends of ours, about what it was like to watch them work, and how it is through my observations while at their house that I remembered how to make them.

We worked on how to build a vision and design.  We looked for “realistic” images of unicorns, and we found a “real” picture of one.  We used the image  and one of their toy horses as a models, a great technique for her to learn observation, three dimensional design etc.  She saw and part took in the various steps required to build the structure.  She learn to appreciate each step, to learn to be patient as she waited for the next.  To respect the delicate art.  She even exploded with ideas as to how to make this pin~ata magical.   One morning she got out of her bed and came downstairs, and proceeded to gather all kinds of goodies, including pin~ata candy she got from another bday, and she made “pin~ata bags”.  She figured that if she divided equally all the goods and placed them in decorated bags, then everyone would be treated equally, and pain and unfairness would be avoided. She inspired me to make a set of draw string bags with recycled fabric and some of our beads.

I got to say though culturally, pin~atas are the training ground for fighting bullies..it toughened me up!

Presenting the Unicorn:

The Warmer

Though the season is over, these were part of my winter transformations.  I had been volunteering at the Free Store, there I would come across scraps of wool sweaters, and they would definitely call me!  Slowly I began collecting a box full of them, alpaca, wool of all kinds, angora, you name it, fine, fine, fine sweaters.  Inspired by a local friend and sister of the crafts, who a couple of winters ago was walking around the island looking good on a woolen skirt of some sort.  Came to find out, she had turned a wool vest into a wrap around “Kidney Warmer.” In her own words “A woman has to keep her kidneys warm.”

Her wisdom let to inspiration, and being a cold winter, i got to work, turning  sweaters into kidney warmers for those awesome mothers whose kidneys need the lovin’.  Our 4 year old Ceiba had to have one  of course!

Here are a couple.

Girl skirts are made from the sleeves of adult sweaters, which are just the perfect size.  I love the pockets!

My first venture into free form desing here.  Wool lent it self quite easy to the cut and sew of these wavy designs.  Here i have pieces of two lefter over  swaters (black and off white).   They are perfect on top of jeans, or any pair of comfortable pants.

ButtaFly Transformations

It was summer 2006, Brooklyn was in hot swing and everyone was coming out with their latest good looks.  I had been a mom for almost two years already, and I had some stuff to bring out too!  I felt so into my world of motherhood, inspired by my daughter who daily ignited me with her light.    It was this inspiration that slowly took me back, and I mean way back to my Junior High School years.  It was “La E.S.T. #1″ located in the outskirts of San Cristobal.  A 5 o’clock in the morning minibus ride from our downtown house across our then ’small’ city.  I was one of 32 young teenage girls wearing a white and red wine uniform.  We were called “Grupo E”, which was meant for the “costureras” the seamstress group.  Our junior HS was a technical or what in North America is known as vocational school.  I was accepted into the seamstress class, and spent a delicious, adventurous, filled with sisterhood three years.  I will probably revive some of my old school memories, but for the purpose of this Brooklyn story, I will say that it was thanks to my maestra Carlota, that I honed some sewing and crafty skills, though I failed her class often (due to boy trouble).   I did learn how to sew underwear!

Back to ‘06.  It was a hot summer, and layers were coming off honey!  My girl from Crown Heights, mother of two beautiful sons and I began to hang regularly, I had been her Senior English class teaching assistant, and it was lovely to reconnect, now a mother, I was looking up to her for advise and support.  I ended up at her house with her baby boy on my back many a time, rocking him to sleep while my Ceiba fell a sleep in her hammock.   It was during one of these times that we got on to some creative spark, and this spark turned into ButtaFly Transformations.  A line of awesome fashions that ranged from recycled clothing, vintage fabrics, and pillows.   We even got hooked up with some abuelitas from Bushwick that worked in a sewing Coop, mostly Dominican abuelas, that welcomed us to their studio with children in tow, and gave us some tips as to how to get going as well as lots of grandmothering.  I tell you, I was crusty, my transformations were quite rusty and awkward, but with my sister’s help and the abuelas, the sewing genes started to kick in again.  And soon, we were surging, sewing, cutting, and nursing babies all at the same time.  Those were some good times!

We ended up with our line out in the African Street Festival in Brooklyn that summer, children in tow still, we shared a booth with other awesome and super talented sisters, one of the young people I worked with back then, made a mural sign for our booth.  I remember being so new at it all, but so inspired by the idea of making my own stuff with a collective of other sisters.  Our booth turned into a hang out spot for all the kids and dads, and peeps that were enjoying the market.

Now ‘09, I’m reviving ButtaFly Transformations from a colder, northern, more natural and 100% recycled creative place.  My other ButtaFly sister is holding it down in Brasil with her family, making cheese, and picking fresh eggs every morning.  Shout out fam!!!

Enjoy some of my latest ButtaFly Transformations.  Most of these creations are from finds at our local Free Store down the road from our place.

Birth of Ceiba

2004 (Ink and Felts)

My pregnancy progressed and by my 8th month I was in pure creative bliss.  As the days approached our birth, my partner and I began cooking food to freeze.  He painted our whole Bronx studio apartment with murals of trees, and I climbed on top of our window sill holding on with one arm while the other painted a mural of the sun on the ceiling for Ceiba to look at.  By this time I was having regular conversations with our child in the womb, and this image is the representation of those conversations.  While I would commute from one end of the Bronx via 2 subways to another tip of Brooklyn (a 2 hr commute) I would pull out my pens and paper and work on this image.  Ceiba is named after the Ceiba tree.  A tree that inspired the love in my partnership, but that dates back to our ancestors on both lines.  In this drawing I am presenting Ceiba my daughter to the ancestral Ceiba who we all travel through, as its believed in various Maya and African traditions.    Ceiba’s grow around the ecuator and is sacred and useful to many ancient cultures around the globe.

Changing Waters

2003 Ink pen and felts

This refects my early beginings.  It was during my first pregnancy that I began to really trust the creative muse, after years of doodles in my school and work journals, a supportive push by my partner got me going.   I began with a series of belly portraits  cards dedicated to inspiring female friends whose love encouraged me to love more.  While deeply mourning the death of my mother when I was three months pregnant, it was drawing that really connected me deeper with my first daughter.  Through the pregnant self-protraits depicting  a serene, harmonious , life giving and blessed self I could better focus on the joy of creation and accept that in a most unexplainable way the love between my mother and I was transforming into a child within me.