Printmaking with blind and visually impaired people

On Saturday we volunteered at the Association for the Blind and visually impaired, I brought some of my plates for people to pirnt them on a press that is basically what we use to make tortillas.

More than what we had to offer to the event was what I got from the experience of working with people for whom the world I take for granted is completelly different. It was a wonderful experience that let me to reevaluate many things that I don't even question or even stop and think about them anymore.


Forcing my self into trying to "see" the things I'm most familiar with, from a non visual perspective was very insightful. Having to describe the paper, it's color, texture and size, the press, its mechanism, the whole process.
Going form a non touch to an absoulutely touch mode was very liberating aftef living in this culture for more than 8 years.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to learn from this worl I've never had contact with.

In a non visual world all the other senses play a very important role and the common world just seems to slow down, there is no hurry, no pushing around, just stop and listen, touch, sense... and everything I took for granted sudenlly takes a different perspective.


Happy 90th Anniversary!

WMCAT art exhibit

Carving, carving, carving...

I have been doing so many things outside my workshop, that now I need to chain myself up to the carving table and finish all those plates that have been patiently sitting there for months.

Today I have the last summer show at Destination 1111, I'll be at the south building selling my prints and shirts. I'll be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more info on the event visit the blog: http://destination1111.blogspot.com/2008/08/open-studio-hours.html

Save your Ash!

For the past month I've been working with 6 students for the WMEAC's Save your Ash campaign. Our project will bring awareness to the Emerald Ash borer infestation that has killed 20 million ash trees since it arrived in a ship from Asia in 2002.









Our project consists in wrapping trees with a green biodegradable ribbon, and hanging red tags with hand printed images that illustrate the issue.



We have printed a ribbon the size of an entire block, more than 250 water proof tags, and 500 buttons.

To learn more about the "Save your Ash" campaign visit: www.saveyourashgr.org
To learn more about the project and the ArtWorks summer program visit: www.uica.org

This art project is a collaboration of WMEAC and UICA.

My little Red Hydrant business is 1 year old!

One year ago I rode my bike to the City Clerk office in downtown Grand Rapids, and registered my art doing as a business named Red Hydrant Press; after that I got a paper saying that I was from then on an "entity". This paper meant that I was supposed to be more responsible with everything that had to do with my "business" which in my case is my whole life, since my business is art making, and art making is a very personal process, and that still gives me head aches.

After a year I'm still in business, meaning I didn't report red numbers on my IRS return and I still have some money for supplies (only).

But it all really started 8 years ago, when I came from Mexico and started doing prints on a washing machine wringer turned into a press down in my wet and moldy basement.



This is the third and last handmade press, which is the one that I've been using for the past 5 years!

My first week in Mexico

I have to start by saying that although I was born and raised in Mexico city, I hate living in big cities, I can visit for three or five days so right now I'm close to my limit, I need to run to a small town soon. By the way the whole city is under construction, it is a complete chaos.

I rather take the subway and the "micro" than driving, it takes twice as much time, but at least you don't have to worry about agressive drivers or being one yourself. I had promess my mom that I would take her out for dinner, and she has to use a wheelchair, so I had to drive, and now I'm so tired, I feel like I had climbed a mountain.

Durig my first week I visited my old university: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, or UNAM, the library building is covered with a mural made of natural stone by Juan O'Gorman, and some of the buildings are decorated with murals by David Alfaro Siqueiros (one of my favorite artists) and Diego Rivera.

The giveaway outcome

I waked up on the day of my birthay and found lots of print requests, print exchanges and lots of happy bithday wishes on my mailbox and my website; and they kept accumulationg during the day!
The whole experience was very insightful, I met a lot of nice people on the cyberspace and other nice people at the bar as well.
I gave me the opportunity to hang out with people I knew, but never had the chance to sit down with and have a conversation; because we haven't had a "reason" to do so in the past.

The best of all was that "thing" I got by giving and sharing, that thing I couldn't have gotten otherwise.

Thanks to all of you who shared your time with me.

Birthday print giveaway

On my birthday I give prints away to remind my self of the importance of keeping my art available to people who can't afford it. It is also a way of giving back and being grateful for all the good things that happened to me during the year; all the good ideas that I have no clue where they came from, all the great people that I met, all the projects that I accomplished, etc.

Maybe nobody will read this blog on my birthday, but if you do, and you'd like to have a piece of my work, then we are both lucky, you can visit my website and claim a print, if you live out of Grand Rapids (the city where I live) then go to the Etsy shop, you would have to pay for the shipping though.

www.redhydrantpress.com
www.redhydrant.etsy.com

International Women's Day Event Canceled

This is a sad notice, after only two events we were told by the Fire Department that we cann't have anymore. The reason: the space is not safe.
For a whole week I was sad, frustrated and even sick, I didn't know if we were even going to be able to keep the space.
As of today, we can keep the space but we can't have any more events until they approve it.
For now, I'm getting ready for the summer art fairs, I'm happy that I still have a place and also because I had such a good time during those two events.