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| Outside Casa Colonial |
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| Santa Domingo Church at night |
I'm just back from
Oaxaca, Mexico
where I offered an
Art Vacation (the first of many, I hope) that
encompassed printmaking, papermaking, visits to artesan villages and
archeological sites. What a great experience and what a great group! From
Mazatlan - Linda Baker, Tracey Grantham, Claudia Gallardo from Culiacan,
Helen MacKinlay, Lara Speyer and
Lorraine Capparell from California,
James Nelson and Richard Conn (and wife Linda) from San Antonio, Mary Hunter
from Austin, Carol Taff (and daughter Lila) from Mississippi, and Lucie
Rouillard from Canada. Almost half
had
taken my Monotype in Mazatlan workshop once or twice and were ready for a new Mexican printmaking experience. Some of this group were artists
and some were not - but everyone has the creative urge,
and monotype printing is a great way to express it, and Oaxaca a great city for inspiration.
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| Breakfast at Casa Colonial |
We stayed at
Casa Colonial - a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Centro
Historico that offered comfortable rooms (w. fresh flowers everyday), beautiful
gardens, a well- stocked library filled with Mexican folkart, gracious and
helpful staff, and wonderful meals. We had
breakfast each morning family style at a large table looking out into the
gardens. Lucie, one of our group, led those of us interested in yoga practice
most every day. We were close
enough to the Zocalo (central plaza) to walk to restaurants, shops, and museums
in the afternoons or evenings after our scheduled activity.
Our first day was one of inspiration -a visit to Monte Alban, a
Zapotec archeological site with impressive pyramids, located within 15
minutes of Centro. Because of the rainy season, it was lush and green.
You could climb the steep steps of the structures and get an amazing view of
the surrounding valley. There are a few stelas on the site, standing stones with
drawings inscribed into the surface, but most of them are now housed in the
on-site museum at the entrance. Everyone took great photos, some of us
practiced yoga among the ruins, everyone had a memorable day.
As I suspected, images
from
Monte
Alban showed up in monotypes later in the week.
The second day, we took a van to Etla, a village 20 miles outside of Oaxaca.
There we participated in a papermaking workshop at
Arte Papel Vista Hermosa,San Agustin. Our guide talked about the papermaking process and showed us
how local plants were used for fiber, coloration, and adding
texture to the handmade paper. (Thanks to Claudia for her translation!) Then
everyone was given the opportunity to make their own sheets. Some
gathered interesting leaves and pods to imbed into the wet pulp. Everyone
loved it! Our paper was delivered to us at the hotel a couple of days later in
time for our printmaking experience.
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| Helen MacKinlay pulling a print |
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| James Nelson at the press |
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| Tracey Grantham printing |
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| Lara Speyer and Lorraine Capparell working on their plates |
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| Exhibition of Prints from the Workshop |
The next four days were spent at
Taller Tamayo, a printmaking studio in
Centro, named after the great Oaxacan artist, Rufino Tamayo. After I gave a
monotype demonstration covering a range of techniques, I had everyone painting
on their acrylic plates within no time. I enjoy seeing everyone go off in
their own creative direction, while I facilitate and help them find the best
avenue for what they want to achieve. Monotype can
be so many things, can have so many
"looks", from pure abstraction to figurative, from
monochromatic to full color. That's the beauty
of it. But pulling the print is where the magic happens. Laying down the
inked plate on the pressbed, carefully registering a clean sheet of paper on
top, covering with the press blankets, and slowly turning the wheel of the
etching press all leads to the transfer of the ink to the paper and
voila! - a fresh, new print. At
the end of our workshop, we staged an art exhibition at Casa Colonial where
everyone showed their best prints. It was great to see what everyone produced and it looked even better hanging on the wall.
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| Josefina Aguilar w her ceramic figures |
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| Glen and Carol Taff outside the Black Pottery Workshop |
Our trip to visit some artesan villages came next, with highlights being the
alebrijes workshops (carved and painted wooden figures), whimsical ceramics
by the Aguilar sisters, textile weaving and the famed black pottery. All were
great bargains for such magnificent handwork. We all contributed to the
local economy with our many purchases. :)
Our guide, Nico, was great and took us to a wonderful restaurant that featured local specialties like stuffed squash blossoms.
Towards the end of our trip, on Monday July 23 was the Guelaguetza Festival,
with parades through the streets, dancing, beautiful costumes, and fireworks.
It's a celebration of the diversity of traditions and cultures in Oaxaca. The
word Guelaguetza means "offering" in the Zapotec language and often
they will throw fruit and other items to the crowd. It's a combination of
prehispanic celebrations of the corn goddess, Centeotl, and the Catholic
feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It was a great time to be in Oaxaca to enjoy
this spectacle.
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| Prehispanic figure from the Rufino Tamayo Museum |
The last day of the Art Vacation was a free day - time to check out
the museums, galleries and shops you may have missed. Oaxaca is a great art
city with many fine contemporary galleries and some amazing artists. There is
so much to see,
so much to do. The legacy that master artists Rudolfo
Morales and Rufino Tamayo left with their donation of collections,
museums and foundations
is impressive.
And living master
Francisco Toledo is
following in their footsteps with the founding of IAGO and the development of
the San Agustin Arts Center. We saw many artists whose work we loved, but
Sergio Hernandez and
Alejandro Santiago were at the top of the list.
Alejandro was generous enough to invite us into his home. and studio after
seeing his private sculpture museum
next
door. We were honored to see some of his 2501 figurative clay sculptures
scattered around his garden - part of his 'Emigrantes' series.
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| Alejandro Santiago w. his ceramic sculptures |
I haven't even mentioned the cuisine - food being a definate focal point of
the Oaxacan experience. There are so many wonderful restaurants with creative
and distinctive dishes as well as street vendors selling great food like
quesadillas with squash blossoms. A few of our group even took a cooking
class.
I will definately offer the Oaxacan Art Vacation
again next
year. I had a great time and I know my
group did too. Here are a few of their comments:
"Glen Rogers Art Vacation in Mexico was one of the most pleasureful
art experiences I've ever had. Glen is a charming woman, easy to be
with, and a very talented artist and teacher. The
trip was fun, colorful, full of creative sparks that got me fired up to
make art." Richard Conn
"Overall
experience was fabulous, wonderful, couldn't have been better. Perfect really. Great
weather, great group of people, wonderful city, cool place to stay, delicious
food, art everywhere, festivals, fireworks, thunder storms and
downpours, clouds, mountains, YOGA!!! And of course Glen our fabulous fearless
leader taking us to places in our art, minds, bodies where we had never been
before. We danced, we played, talked, walked, photographed everything" Lara Speyer , SF Bay Area, CA
Glen Rogers Printmaking in Oaxaca is
a trip not to miss. Besides making monoprints, you wil absorb the culture, make
new friends and visit the area sites. As a bonus, the guelagetzal festival,
markets, making paper and having an art reception highlights the trip. Glen is
easy spirited and a joy to know. Mary Hunter, Austin, Tx
"As an artist, the chance to visit a
Mexican city such as Oaxaca, and to pull monotype prints for four days in
a city art studio under Glen Rogers' leadership, is
an experience that broadens the mind and feeds the
imagination. With a history stretching back over 8000 years to the
Zapotecs of Monte Alban and the present day plethora of
artisans producing fine ceramics, wood sculptures and
textiles, the city is delight to explore.in safety. Sampling
their special cuisine, viewing fine museums,vibrant markets and architecture, I
came away with an admiration for the skill and friendliness of Oaxacans. The
annual Guelaguetza Festival in
late July, which showcased parades, energetic
dancing, bright costumes. loud music and fireworks was an added
plus." Helen MacKinlay, Pebble Beach, CA
Claudia Gallardo created a facebook page where you can view more photos from the trip:
Oaxaca Summer Monotype 2012
And view my
Monotype in Mazatlan facebook page to see more of my photos.
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| A group of us before dining at this lovely restaurant. |
Another site that interested me was Mitla, a major religious center
that reached its zenith between 750 and 1521. One can only imagine the rituals,
rites and sacrifices performed by priests in the temple called House of the
Vital Force. But what sets Mitla apart
from other pyramids in Mexico is its intricate mosaic stonework in geometric
designs. Throughout the complex, running
spirals, zig-zags and chevrons embellish tombs, panels and entire walls. The
contrast of the white design work, red earthen walls and blue sky was food for
inspiration, and I created a series of paintings that seemed to capture the
feeling of place, as well as a suite of small prints drawn from photos and
memory.
