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Ghosts, ghouls and giant spiders have already descended upon the West Village in NYC. This one was quite helpful in recommending a good restaurant for lunch.
And speaking of ghosts, my friend Susan Tuttle will be starting a new session of online digital art courses in November, including one called Ghostly Figures. Doesn't that sound like fun?!
My twin sister, M., and her husband, P., flew down to NYC for the weekend, to attend his uncle's 80th birthday party - and lucky me got to tag along to the celebrations where I met P's extended family, enjoyed incredible food and even learned a new trick from the friendly photographer who was hired to shoot the event (shoot at a high ISO when bouncing a flash off the ceiling - there will be more details in the background). Thank you, P's cousins E. and R., for letting me crash on your couch afterwards!
The next day, M., P. and I hit the streets looking for inspiration. My sister wanted to see the windows along 5th Avenue first and I thought afterwards how I get just as much enjoyment out of seeing a beautiful window display as I do seeing a piece of artwork in a gallery or a good film in a theatre. Here are a few of my favourite displays that are currently up on 5th Avenue:
I think the above bangle with the eye is a modern take on a "lover's eye". The Antique Roadshow (PBS) has a good article on "lover's eye" jewelry as does Antiques Magazine.
I'll take you to the West Village on Thursday!
Oh! Here's something you might be interested in joining... My good friend, Moe, will be hosting a Women's Art Circle this Wednesday evening from 7pm - 8:30pm in Somerville, NJ. For more information, please visit her Art Circle Project Website.
Many Day of the Dead artists have been inspired by the work of the Mexican engraver, Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852 - 1913). During his career, Posada satirized government abuses and social gossip through lithography for several newspapers. His figures were often depicted as skeletons. And one of his most famous skeletons was La Calavera Catrina.
HOW TO MAKE A PAPER CATRINA*
This project was inspired by the witches of Iva Wilcox. You will need:
Step 1: Photo copy the black & white figure of a woman with a skull over her face onto heavy cardstock. (I scanned and arranged the figure and the skull in Photoshop before printing it out but it would be just as easy to glue the skull on the figure afterwards) Also, I later replaced her arms and hands with a skeleton I found in an anatomy book. Another idea would be to draw in bones or gloves.
2.Colour in the dress and her lips with coloured pencils or inks
3. La Catrina loves to celebrate so bring out the glitter and trims! (As you can see, I gave my Catrina a dramatic haircut, too.)
4. In Spanish, Catrina means well dressed, rich and so she is depicted wearing a fashionable, ornate hat. I used orange felt, black crepe paper cut into a papel picado pattern, and orange glitter.
5. Cut long strips of crepe paper, the length for the skirt. I folded the crepe paper into small rectangles and cut out a pattern with scissors (like cutting out paper snowflakes). This gives the crepe paper a Dia de los Muertos papel pattern look. Attach to the figure with glue. Add crepe paper or trim to cover any uneven, glued edges of the skirt. I used one wing of an orange paper butterfly. The finishing touch will be to add a big black feather to her hat. And voila! She's ready for her appearance to Dia de Bloglandia on November 1st! And she's bringing a friend...
For this Catrina, I used little rolled balls of orange tissue paper to represent the flower of Dia de los Muertos, the marigold. I also drew in the bones of her hands.
YOU are also invited to join us for Dia de Bloglandia on November 1st! Please come! On November 1st, post a Dia de los Muertos-related altar, artwork, poem or written piece celebrating the Mexican festival and/or the life of a loved one who has passed on. Then leave a comment on both Rebecca and on Stephanie's blog and they will post your blog link on their posts on November 1st.
*This project was inspired by the witches of Iva Wilcox at http://www.ivascreations.typepad.com. Iva granted me permission to create and repost this tutorial. Also, check out her delightful Halloween blog, Halloween Alchemy. Research sources about Jose Guadalupe Posada found through the websites http://www.inside-mexico.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina.
