The Museo Contemporario Mexico City

One of my favorite museums in Mexico City.  They always seem to have at least one gallery that I enjoy.  This particular piece using magazine pages for cut out birds..sorry to lose the name of the artist, was wonderful..

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A piece that reminds me of the 50's

triptych

Close up of the magazines with pages torn of above triptych.

A Robert Motherwell piece..looks influenced by Klee

A piece I must have seen and been inspired by when I made the fruit banner for our restaurant, A Tasca. in Lisbon.

Great collection of modern photography in one of the galleries

Mexico Visit

On my last day in Mexico I visited the new Sou Maya museum built by Carlos Slim to house his collection of Rodin's, Dali's, Miro's and other art.  It is a free exhibit, which he can well afford since being one of the richest men in the world.  He owns the telephone monopoly in Mexico.
The architecture is impressive as you drive up to it but the volume of the building is very heavy when you arrive as you walk up to the entrance.  I thought it would lift ones spirit but instead gave me a slightly dizzy and overwhelming heavy feeling.  I was hoping that it would be like Frank Gehry's Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain.  The site of the Sou Maya museum is in the midst of other tall and closely built structures so you feel confined except from the street.  In the case of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, which is set before a small green hill in a wide open space with a large avenue leading to it and is therefore able to be seen as a monumental and impressive structure that does not overpower its viewer, has movement and music. So, I was a little disappointed with the Sou Maya.
Since I have done remodeling and building, I noticed details in the interior that could have been done better.  The ramp that goes from floor to floor, much like the Guggenheim in New York without the openness, is not finished smoothly.  The banisters are not smooth from section to section  and one can see the loss of rounding of the ramp...much like drawing a circle without a compass.
The art work is there but not displayed very well.  It seemed to be crammed in with as many as possible and a flow does not exist.  The top floor filled with sculpture..Rodin's, Dali's and so forth is all mixed without rhyme or reason that I could see.  One's eye jumped from modern to classic to contemporary sculpture and seemingly like everything and all in one pot.  Maybe the Sou Maya is just a storage place for Slim's collections of stuff...sculpture, paintings, coin collections, antique furniture and music pieces... and meant to be just that.

side of museum

front entrance

STARBOOK WORKSHOP AT SCRAP-SF

Everyone hard at work making the starbook.  I gave a workshop on how to make three versions of the starbook at SCRAP-sf. 

Martha added personality and fun to the workshop!

Edan, the youngest attendee was great at following instructions and did really great!

Tami's finished starbook.

Tami was really quick and did a fantastic job and helped clean up too.

Linda and her first star book.

Teresa stitched her first star book

Kate did a great job with the stitched spine

Kyree was a quick learner and did a wonderful job.

Cathy picked out some beautiful paper for her starbook

Cathy had to catch up and did a great job...see her starbook?

Vanessa and her daughter Edan were fun!

                              I am missing a photo of Erica...sorry.

JEANNE MARC DAY

Jeanne Allen and Marc Grant accepting the proclamation by the city of Berkeley, California, for Jeanne Marc Day on February 14, 2012.

Gifts in celebration...Jeanne and Marc had their friends over at their Frank Lloyd Wright bungalow to celebrate.

I knew them when.....before they were so famous.  They are the most talented and wonderful people.  I took Jeanne on her first buying trip to Los Angeles and New York for fabric and taught her sewers to make their signature clothes.  Jeanne is now heading the fashion incubator for Macy's as a mentor.

Marc's T shirt....he displayed to the mayor, so funny...Fashion Sucks!

ON TV!

Megumi Inouye, the hostess of Japanese American Journal, KTSF, invited us to talk about Ruth's Table. Aiko Cuneo (daughter of Ruth Asawa, artist and educator), me, Lola Fraknoi (director of Ruth's Table), Megumi (hostess) and Monica Lee (Artist in Residence for Ruth's Table).

Monica in front of our display of stuffs taught at Ruth's Table.  Monica is the AIR.

I am here through the invitation of Lola and Monica as the #1 volunteer.  I have assisted Monica on most workshops.

VALENTINE'S CRAFT DAYS

Card samples for the workshops at Sunnyside Conservatory and SCRAP.

Sunnyside Conservatory on Saturday with Monica Lee and Me.

SCRAP-SF on Sunday for a fund raiser.. food, music and crafts!

During the events, I only had time to make 3 cards....

My daughter and granddaughter attended both events and had fun making cards!

WILD ABOUT KLEE

I had a wonderful weekend taking a workshop with Rebecca Wild.  Through the Friends of Calligraphy, Rebecca came to teach techniques she knows with inspiration from the art of Paul Klee.  Our workshop began with mirror images of our own signatures.  From our marks, we made each of our pieces using portions of eight parts we chose with a cut paper window.

My group of 7X7 pieces I was able to do in the two days.

My first piece with sumi ink and soft pastels

....washes, tape resists, stylus, pastels, stencils

...using washes, tape resists, stylus, soft pastels

...tinted wax, black paint, washes, soft pastels, texturing tools...

using black wax stick to cover paper to be used as a carbon to make the black marks and using previous techniques.

The last pieces we made were a portfolio to hold our work and an information sheet that Rebecca had printed for all of us.  We made an additional smaller piece to decorate the front...mine made with a round nib and sumi ink, washes and soft pastels.