Monday, March 3, 2014

The Colors of Oaxaca Part 2


thus the story begins of what we made in our the colors of oaxaca workshop!  it begins with the true story behind these two mixed media hearts by susan halme made for mary stanley and colleen darling.  you see, two of our three hosts had broken their wrists within days of each other prior to our workshop. susan found these arm milagros in oaxaca and cleverly made each of them a cast.  
susan and colleen, loved these sisters.  their surname suits them to perfection=darling.
kaari meng of french general was part of our group and, using her usual french general colors, assembled this beautiful mixed media necklace.
molly's necklace

and beautiful molly




here is my necklace, whipped up speedily since, as i mentioned in my last post, we spent more time out of the classroom than in.  by the fourth day, realizing i had made nothing, i decided to sit out the excursions to the zocalo and surroundings, quietly stitching away by myself in the studio.  within a few hours i was able to begin the necklace and almost complete a mini fabric collage.


i tried to stay within the theme of the colors of oaxaca.  
As did edith of renaissance ribbons with her necklace adding some of the orient into the mix.


but this is not about me.  The comraderie we had was so pure, translucent, flowing like a crystalline stream towards that ocean of sisterhood that it will be hard to forget.  
mini purse by mary price of art from scrap.  red is a difficult color to photograph so this in reality is much more dramatic.
mary price's teenage daughter also jumped in and came up with these clever bows.
i loved pamela's tassle
we also got to play a bit with indigo dyeing.
although not part of the group, i quickly adopted ellen benson.  remember, the raconteur par excellance....she has since stayed in touch with the most hilarious emails. 



mary stanley's self portrait doll

saying goodbye was not easy.....
letting new friends fly back to their distant nests seems quite unfair.  but i know in my heart, we are still holding each other dear as is shown in this farewell garland we made for the casa.  it is customary for all workshops that take place there leave a bit of soul on one of the casa walls.

bye bye amigas
i will never forget you
two weeks have gone by since my return....
and although a bit down got straight work on a tiny french-knotted heart copied from one susan wore one day.  it has since been gifted to my daughter's co-worker louise.
I have stitched and stitched; still inspired by all fibre and fabric artists.
Oaxaca.....I SHALL RETURN






















10 comments:

It's me said...

You make such a beautiful things.....lovely week love from me...x !

audrey said...

Oh goodness, Constanza, reading about the bond you made with the ladies at Oaxaca made me sad that you had to leave. But, you have return trips to look forward to. If I could get rid of this fear of flying, I would come to one of the workshops. It is SO far.
You made beautiful things as well as the others. I love the color and the use of fabric and fiber. I'm sure you made wonderful memories.
Happy stitching! xo

PeregrineBlue said...

Thank you so much. I made only two things in this post, the rest were by my friends.

lynne h said...

oh, your collage... and the pieces you've been stitching since you got back.

so much love here, constanza...

xoxo

rebecca said...

dearest constanza,
how blessed am i to find you here in all your blossoming glory!
oaxaca stole my heart at the tender age of 19. it is very easy to have your heart stolen and returned in full bloom because that is the magic of our beloved mexico! i would love to hear more about this retreat, is it an annual love affair?
did you know i host folk art retreats in san miguel? another destination sure to swwep you off your feet and leave you smitten for life. thank you for your visit to recuerda mi corazon. and yes, i did pen that prayer...now how to make those amazing plumb fabric flowers???? xoxoxox

Terri said...

Oh my! You had such a wonderful time! Everyone's art looks inspiring. Your creations are lovely! The necklace is fascinating made like that. How creative and enjoyable!
Hugs,
Terri

Dee at The Carlton said...

What a wonderful post - I am new to this so am really enjoying your blog - found when you kindly left a comment on my Gentlework posts on my blog!

I LOVE your heart with the French knots ... simply exquisite!

Silvia said...

Hola Constanza, q divinos esos collares.

Silvia said...

Hola Constanza, me encanta tu blog y lo visito siempre pero deseo algun dia leerlo en español o que tengas en él un traductor, mi inglés es muy rudimentario y se me escapan muchas cosas. No se que paso con tu esposo si se separaron o se murió... y ceo te mudaste para Chile. Me encantaron los collares de tu último post, divinos! Te mando abrazote grande desde Montevideo, Uruguay, Silvia Pwña

PeregrineBlue said...

Crei que tenia un traductor incorporado. Pero te cuento....no mi marido esta vivito y coleando con sus ochenta anos. El es un verdadero toro y un ser excepcional, un regalo en mi vida. Vivimos aun en california pero tu confusion se debe a que yo viajo a Chile bastante seguido. Gracias por seguir mus andanzas. Crear es mi terapia, mi manera de entretenerme ya q los hijos ya volaron y aun sin nietos o mascotas. El dia q ellos lleguen todo va a cambiar. Para mejor, sospecho ya que los seres vivos son tanto mas importantes que los seres inanimados