The Winner: The Mola

When the Christians first happened upon the Kuna tribe living in what is now Panama, the women were heavily decorated with geometric paintings. Of course, nudity was simply not acceptable and so the women began to wear chemises or blouses. Sounds rather boring except you could say that the women had something up their collective sleeves.

You see,the women began using introduced fabrics to create a reverse applique for decorative panels on their blouses ("molas" in Kuna language).

In reverse applique, all the layers (Kuna women use up to 7 layers of different colors) are sewn together. Then the design is formed by cutting away the pattern through each layer, turning under and hand stitching the raw edge.



Typically, a woman wears two mola panels as part of her blouse - one in front and the other in the back - based on the same theme.

Now, a short digression into history: The Kuna did live in Panama, but with the diseases and social pressure of the invaders, they moved to the San Blas islands off the Panamanian coast. As too often happens, the government tried to force the Kuna to integrate by requiring they wear western clothing and outlawing the molas. This led to Kuna resistance and an uprising.

Today, Kuna Yala (Kuna Land) is a semi-autonomous region of Panama and the molas made by the women are one of the most important cash exports for the Kunas.

Below are examples of traditional and contemporary mola themes.

2,500 plus One - Alejandro Santiago

Alejandro Santiago (1964-) is a highly-trained and well-known Mexican artist. He was born and raised in Teococuilco in the state of Oaxaca. You might be thinking, "Why does that matter?"

It's because Santiago returned to his hometown after spending several years in Europe only to find that half of the population - some 2,500 people - had left. He had come home to a shell of a town. Most of the working age population had emigrated. Those who remained were either old or children who had been left with grandparents. Some of these emigrants would die in the desert, but against their poverty it was a chance they were willing to take.

In a dream, Santiago saw a way to repopulate those 2,500 souls plus his own to the town. With a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and 35 workers, he created 2501 clay sculptures. No two figures are alike. Santiago personally shaped each one in a crude way to represent the native people and the hardships of their lives.

The figures are on exhibit now, but eventually Santiago will place them in Teococuilco to celebrate the "migrants' return." Or as one curator described these sculptures, "...as if to summon the absent ones."

Art in 3s - Triptychs

When friends meet me or phone, they often ask what I'm doing... what I'm working on these days. So, here's what I've been doing...

With the Christmas season fast approaching, I am getting together with a few other artists to host a Holiday Open House and Studio Sale. (Particulars and invitations will be sent as we get closer to the date.)

In the interest of having new work to view and buy at Christmastime, I've been working on quite a few small pieces and you, dear reader, will be the first to know.

As of today, I've completed three triptychs from a series I've titled, "Progression." The first from tomato to Bloody Mary, the second from lemon to lemon meringue pie and the third from lime to Margarita.





Now, I'm working on three more triptychs - pomegranate, banana, and avocado - which I'll post as soon as they're finished. What do you think so far? Do you have suggestions for future "Progressions?"

"Hidden World" at the White Lotus" art series

It felt so good to finish this art series of 6 artworks. As I completed each one I sensed a personality for each art piece. So, I named each piece based on the mood it evoked. What titles do these paintings bring to your mind? (This series now available in note/greeting cards, too)

"Emergence" pastel painting seems like the little jar is tentatively peeking out from the shadows. Larger version

"Discretion" pastel reminds me of a secret meeting - like the old film noir where the veil hid the woman's face.Larger version

"Illumination" pastel shows a little yellow box illuminating as the cabinet door opens. Larger version

"Reminiscence" pastel makes me think of the times when two people share the same memory. Larger version

"Passion" pastel art piece with red light casting shadows which turn cool on the blue vase. Larger version

"Quietude" pastel reminds me of the quiet place I would hide as a child. Larger version