Why the name "Winter Nights"? It is during the long, dark winter nights in Alaska that we turned to creative activities. The summers are full of subsistence activities, fishing, berry picking, gathering seaweed and gardening. During the winter nights is when we made the baskets from the materials gathered in the light of summer, mold the clay and fire it and also write books. Winter Nights Publishing is my publication company for producing various projects, the most recent being Raven House Mouse.
Now, in Mexico, the winter nights are also productive as this is when it is cooler, the skies are jam-packed with stars and warm breezes rustle through your hair as you walk along cobblestone streets with lavendar jacaranda blossoms showering down on you. I return to my studio and create clay images reflecting the life here, an Aztec water goddess for the top of the fountain, Spirit of the Egrets hinged panels and masks. I am also working on a book early mornings on my Alaskan path. Life is good.
I lived in beautiful Alaska for 30 years, raised my family there and had a dream job working for a grassroots Native organization which assisted Native aritsts to fulfill their dreams. Now I live in beautiful Mexico and am trying to do my own artwork full time, am enjoying the weather, the people and the culture.
Greetings from the temperate rain forest of Sitka Sound. We live at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and on the edge of an island named Baranof. Our view to the west is a stunning volcano which is snow-capped in the winter named Mt. Edgecumbe.One cannot help but be influenced by the landscape here, the rugged mountains, the forests and the surging sea. My artwork is immersed in this imagery from the kelp baskets, pendants and pins I make from locally-gathered macrosystis and bull kelp to raku sculpture and paintings of marine mammals.
Welcome to Lake Chapala, Mexico.
This where I now live. We are a community on the north side of Mexico's largest lake at 5000 ft. above sea level. The weather runs about 70 degrees year round except for the months of May and June which are hot. Our rainy season starts then which I, as a Sitkan, relish. (never thought I'd say that after living theTongass National Rain Forest for 12 years.) Everything grows here--just take a cutting, stick it into the ground and in a month, you have a new plant! The local people are friendly, the arts community is thriving; I never run out of image ideas for my own art.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
"Inner Beauty", a transformation mask, showing two aspects of ageing.
2 comments:
I love this piece. Can't wait to see you.
Jan, I just saw that this piece won an award and sold. How ownderful for you. Congratualtions.
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