Florinda's (kaqchikel weaver) beautiful woven beaded band coiled into her hair!

P

Pat Filzen made this jacket completely from small scraps.

I am back in the States now and the photo is Aura waiting for a chicken bus with her new sewing machine! She also has all the patterns that we designed and left over fabric to continue working!

Jacky, my next door neighbor, modeling my new blouse design! 

In San Antonio the Kaqchikel men actually do most of the weaving.  The fabric that he is weaving is a good example of what is not selling because of the colors. It is called rainbow fabric.

The Kaqchikel weavers, men and women, are poverty stricken because their textiles are not selling. Everyone in the San Antonio village is weaving the same products with the same colors, so  there is a lot of competition and no market.  I can't seem to communicate that new designs, new colors will produce more marketing possibilities. 

I am considering leaving a sewing machine with Florinda, but am pretty sure that she will just sell it to get immediate money.   So, I will continue to work with her and see if I can help her family and the Kaqchikel weaving community.

Florinda weaving.

This is a close-up of the belt/band weaving loom. What I have done is shown her a new belt design, pattern and colors that will sell in the States.  We are meeting this Saturday to continue the project.

Last weekend I went to San Antonio Atitlan to research the Kaqchikel weaving process. This is Florinda cooking, on the floor, breakfast for me and her family. I stayed one night with this family to see her work and discuss some weaving projects.  I am trying to teach her new product designs and colors that would sell to foreigners visiting her village.  We will start with my custom projects and see if she continues with similar ideas for marketing!

 Kaqchikel wear is certainly not for me!

Florinda and her husband.

I have been working quite a bit... after tomorrow I'll have about 30 dresses made.  I am going to wait until I return from Jamaica to buy more fabric. I am planning on taking a trip to Lake Atitlan to buy jaspe fabric in Santiago.  I'll be staying with Florinda's family, one of the women that I purchase fabric from.

Guatemala's version of a raccoon!  

Buying some silk scarves...probably from China, but my purchase still support the indigenous community!

Antigua Guatemala

I couldn't resist buying a rug from this young man!  So committed and eager about his work.

A vest made completely from the left-over, small scraps!  Pat made this, oh... about two minutes after she got home!  The woman never sleeps!

I worked all day today with Glenda, cutting new dresses, and yesterday with Aura to finish the top stitching. My plan is to continue working until Wednesday and then fly to Jamaica for my son's wedding! I still can hardly believe it! 

Ten minutes after Pat left, one of the women that I sew with called and another just showed up, “when can we get back to work!”    I thought I would be kind of lost after Pat left, because we really stayed close, did so much and had a great time together. But, like Pat, the textile ladies keep me quite busy!

Pat and I went to San Juan to cut geodes and Tikal to see ancient ruins in the Jungle.  Worked with textiles and had fun dinners with interesting women. Saw snow on Fuego! Alright, I didn’t actually see it! Had a massage with very vigorous Guate women along with many yoga classes. We climbed the mountain side to hang out at Earth lodge and went to an amazing concert in front of a Cathedral, VOCA…it is a must! And of course…lot of markets! 

Pat brought back somewhere around 60 lbs of textiles for me and treated me to many wonderful places, meals and events.  Thank you Pat for your generosity and sincere friendship.

Okay...how in the hell am I suppose to get all this shit back to the States????

It's hard to get hard working inexpensive help in Guatemala...had to import cheap labor!

A corridor in Antigua on the edge of Central park.

Mayan textiles that Pat purchased for her art work.

Tikal trip #3

Tikal trip #2

Tikal trip #1

Earth lodge, a funky little hang-out restaurant up the mountain side.  We made it to the top!

I am teaching and taking yoga classes at this yoga studio/gallery.  Yes, I know, a lot of Wendy photos, but it's only because Pat has become the resident photographer!

Mayan women resting after a market day.

I really am tall! Weavers from Atitlan delivering fabric.

Just a little more tweaking and we'll have it down!

Pat...working out some design details for the skirts.

Here is an example of the travel bags that we are making with some of the smaller fabric scraps.

Taaadaa!

La Antigua gallery dead ahead!

Okay...we are taking some time off!

A close-up of the geode stones that we cut and polished today.

My girl friend, Pat Filzen, is visiting for a couple of weeks and today we went to San Juan to cut and polish stones.  This is at a small restaurant that we went to for a smoothie break!

My art work is officially on exhibit at La Antigua Galeria,   www.artintheamericas.com

Today I worked with Glenda and her daughter Eunice.  Eunice and I did the cutting and Glenda the sewing. As you can see in the above photos cutting fabric got a little old! In the end, my cosmetic bag was more interesting! 

And...this is the dress design!

My kitchen is a perfect space for the sewing work-room. I was cutting the fabric on the table before stopping to take this photo.  I am working with seven women now...keeping busy! 

This is Marta...delivering fabric! 

Four of The Maya Woman sculptures from a series of nine on exhibit at La Antigua gallery

Fiber art:  Wendy Carpenter 
2013 exhibit for La Antigua Gallery

Wendy’s fiber art consists of weaving, dyeing & basketry techniques. Her art work spans over 35 years, her gallery in the United States can be viewed at www.interfibers.com

For the past nine years Wendy has been working with craftsmen/women in Central America and Mexico.  She has created groups for women to sew clothing, tie and stitch patterns for indigo dyeing and learn the process of re-purposing hand-woven fabric.  She has also worked with men custom cutting jadeite and quartz geodes for making jewelry.  

Her Maya Woman series on exhibit, six sculptures from a series of nine, represents her collaboration and effort to blend cultures through art. The sculptures express a connection from the past with the present, through form, color and tactile material.

Wendy purchases hand-woven fabric from local indigenous women and then re-purposes the fabric by cutting and weaving it into her sculptures. Her sculptures depict the essence of the native women in Guatemala; walking the streets arm and arm… persevering in today’s modern culture.

PROFESSIONAL ART STUDIES/EDUCATION:

• Evergreen State college, Olympia, Washington
• University of Wisconsin,  Bachelor of Arts
• Rio Grande tapestry weaving/dyeing internship, Taos, New Mexico
• Wool production internship, Boulder, Utah
• Instituto de Allende, San Miguel, Mexico
• Liturgical fiber art study grant, Wisconsin arts board

Okay…designing a dress and sewing with various fabric types is not as easy as I thought!  I am still modifying the dress design, and now skirts also, and experimenting with the different indigenous fabrics.  Tomorrow, I will be meeting with a few families that are interested in the sewing project.  The photo is another woman that I buy fabric from.

January 1^st, 2013,

This was my first New Years Eve in Antigua and I must say…it is amazing!  I am so happy to be here and look forward to an exciting new year. 

The photo is Sarta, a Mayan woman from San Juan Agua Calientes.  I bought 12 small bolts of hand-woven fabric from her; one bolt is enough to make one dress.  She represents several women from small pueblos outside of Antigua.