The last four months of my work have been impregnated and defined by a dog. And not any dog but a dangerous one, some would say.
Soli arrive to our family in May when her original foster person, one of my neighbors, became too terrified of the pup to be able to handle him any more due to his aggressive behavior. At the time Soli was about four months old.
Last week, Soli was accepted at Miranda's animal Rescue, thus beginning a new journey of recovery and learning for both Soli and our family. Here is a series of images I have collected of our journey with my Soli.
And now Soli becomes also art.Threshold, by Yuyi Morales. toilet paper tubes , paper, and light. Assignment for Heroes Art Journey workshop
At the silversmith workshop this year, Lalo taught me how to do lost wax work. I began carving and sculpting my pieces in wax.
A botanical sacred heart, a seashell pendant,
And a necklace with a stone insert
Lalo attached all of my pieces, and other student's productions, into a wax tree to make a plaster mold.
The melting of the silver took place in Lencho's ovens at his studio in Coatepec. Vulcano's place was invaded by wild cats. I couldn't count them all, neither pet them.
Melted silver entered the mold in a centrifugal machine
The mold accepted the silver and it looked like sushi
The water boiled instantly while it liberated the silver from the plaster mold
Now a silver tree still to be separated piece by piece. Nothing looked like silver artwork yet
but soon things began to appear...
Here the finished pieces:
My Mexican production
Saturday, July 16, 2011
My friend Alex deserved to have a cumbia made to him. He would dance it, I know. That was how masses of friends from his Zumba class decided to join me and made this video for him. Yes, he is that kind of teacher who would take his shirt off in the middle of the class. Below are the lyrics.
LA CUMBIA PROMETIDA by Yuyi morales and Kelly O
Ay, sabrocita Esta cumbia la tengo muy bien pegadita.
Ay, sabrocita Esta cumbia la tengo muy bien pegadita.
Es la cumbia de la Zumba que un día yo a el prometí. Es una cuenta concentrada de virtudes y valores, excedentes, pertinentes, ocurrentes, oponentes que tan solo son posibles en cholos aquí presentes.
Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom. Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom.
El es perfecto. Si No es creído. No Un papichulo. Si Muy pizpireto. Yo?
El es muy guapo. Si Comprometido. No Conmigo zumba. Si Solo conmigo. Hmmm...
Yo era muy bien portadita, niña buena, aerobics girl, cuando sin ni mas ni menos escuche su regatón. Ay chiquito, que fue eso? De repente apareció, como bajado del cielo, llego Alex es Amor.
Los gritos fueron mi alivio, los bochornos acepte, que el corazón se acelere , y que el sudor a mi me de. 800 calorias, cada dia el prometio, si le muevo al merengue y le salto al hip -hop
Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom. Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom.
Tentaciones―Si Artimañas―No Una samba―si La lambada. Ay Dios.
Se cree muy sexi―Si No es celoso―No a mi me quiere.―Si Zumba!
Ay mamita, santa madre, no me juzgues por favor.
Es cierto que había puesto a san Antonio en un rincón, lo tenia de cabeza y le ofrecí una oración. La respuesta fue del cielo. Así fue como paso, que llegara un Zumba instructor como el que quería yo.
Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom. Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom.
Mueve los hombros―Si Shakea las nalgas.―No Da vuelta y media.―Si Ay, que impresión!
Da el warming up―Si Trae substitutos―No Tira besitos―Si La camisa se quito!
Que puedo hacer, mamita linda, si del cielo me bajo, un Dios tatuado, acelerado, bien peinado, muy bronceado, acholado, PUA entrenado, zumbeando al ritmo de cumbia, tantísima perfección.
El lo sabe de antemano, la verdad es su prisión, que el carece de defectos la mejor de sus virtudes es que el me quiere un montón. el me quiere un montón el me quiere un montón
Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom. Ay, perdí la cuenta, me distrajo su boom boom.
It is only a few hours before I fly to New Orleans for an grand ALA celebration. If you are around, here are a few places where you will find me:
Saturday, June 25 9:30-11 am, Maya Soetoro-Ng and I will be signing Ladder to the Moon in the Candlewick booth #1023 12:00-1:30pm, Maya and I will be speaking at Many Voices, One Nation, at the Hotel Monteleone --Queen Anne Br. 3:00-4:00pm. Signing in the HMH booth #1539-1540
In just a few more hours, on Tuesday 12, the newest book I have illustrated, LADDER TO THE MOON, written by Maya Soetoro-Ng, will be released in stores. To mark the day my publisher has released a book preview where you can take a look a some of the first pages of the book. On my side, I have added A LADDER TO THE MOON page to my website with some information and links related to the book. Tomorrow nigh I will be with friends welcoming the new publication. May you join me.
We are celebrating Cesar Chavez birthday with a day of service.
Here are some resources for today, offerings of mine:
Family activities:While growing up, Cesar Chavez learned important lesson from his parents. When he was ten, he and his family became migrants, working on farms where they earned barely enough money to survive. But Cesar believed in change; as an adult he overcame his shyness and dedicated his life to uniting people in a nonviolent fight for justice. Click here for a page of Family Activities
A teacher's guide:Cesar Chavez is known as one of America's greatest civil rights leaders. When he led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a cause that improved the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. But Cesar wasn't always a leader. As a boy, he was shy and was often teased at school. His family slaved in the fields, earning barely enough money to survive. Cesar believed such conditions had to change. He thought that, maybe, he could bring about those changes. So he took charge. He spoke up, and an entire country listened. Click here for a Harvesting Hope teacher's guide
Activity pages: this can be downloaded, printed, and shared. Click here for these activities.
It had been fifteen years since I last visited Mexico in December. This year I couldn't miss it; my sister Elizabeth was been inaugurated as the first woman Mayor of our hometown , Xalapa, the state capital of Veracruz. In addition, my mother was inaugurated as the president of the municipal DIF, a position traditionally given to Mayor's spouses. But my mother is perfect for the task, and this time the DIF would be getting its hardest worker ever. I know it because I know my mom.
During my time there I managed to do most of the following:
Run in the Xalapa Stadium. Eat bread from Xico. Walk from Xalapa to Coatepec. Learn that there is a clown's school in Puebla. Make a silver key for my next book. Travel to San Miguel de Allende. Visit Rafael Lopez and his family. Make Quetzaly sleep. Work at the Esdrujuluz studio. See my cousins that I hadn't see in nearly 30 years. Take African dance class with Huicho. Celebrate Dia de Reyes with my family. Watch the ALA youth media award announcements (which can still be watched here) Witness children strip their shirts in order to win a dancing contest. Visit with my mother the Aldea, the boy's home in Xalapa. See my prima Vanessa again. Sleep under a mountain of blankets in Mo's house. Find the Amarillo Gallery open, at last! Gain two pounds. Sigh.
But since nothing tells a story better than images, here is a slide show of some of the pictures I took with my phone. The music is from Grupo Bermudas, No Voy a Trabajar. I might not need to point out that, once more, I left my heart in Mexico.
Threshold, by Yuyi Morales. toilet paper tubes , paper, and light.
Threshold, by Yuyi Morales. toilet paper tubes , paper, and light.
