Frida Munny. On auction for a Good Cause!

Check out my Munny Frida Kahlo! I made her for a charity auction that benefits NLGSF, my day job. It is sponsored by Galeria de La Raza. You don't know about what a Munny is? They are fantastic art collectible toys by Kid Robot. Many artists have designed these toys, I'm glad I gave it a shot, this is my first one. Check out another Munny toy designed by the very talented Carlos Villez. He was inspired by "El Catrin", from the Mexican Loteria board game. He seems to be courting Munny Frida...But she is playing hard to get!

There are many more amazing items up for auction! If you are in San Francisco, go check it out! The NLGSF Holiday Party and Auction will be held tomorrow, Friday December 10 at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, at 6:00 pm.

The Cartoon Art Museum is located at 655 Mission Street between New Montgomery and Third Streets, is around the corner from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and a dozen other museums which comprise the Yerba Buena Gardens cultural district of San Francisco’s South of Market area.

Abstract Expressionist Amaranth Candy

Inspired by the traditional Mexican candy called "Alegria" (See my previous post - Eternal Amaranth) and Jackson Pollock's paintings, I created these abstract amaranth candy spider webs. Now, this is art you can eat! Pollock was introduced to liquid paint after attending a workshop lead by Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros in 1936. He later experimented with dripping liquid paint directly over canvas to create his signature pieces.


Do you want to give it a try? You can buy amaranth seeds in Latin American produce stores, or on-line. Amaranth is highly nutritious, and once popped it has a mild nutty flavor. You can use these abstract caramel "webs" to decorate ice cream, fruit salad, cup cakes, or any other dessert. You'll need the following ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of raw amaranth seeds
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• cooking spray
• Dessert of your choice
  

You'll also need:

• A good non-stick pan
• A sheet of aluminum foil
• A cookie tray, or flat pan
  

Start by popping your amaranth seeds in the microwave, like you would do popcorn. Measure two tablespoons of amaranth inside a deep bowl. Toast in the microwave under the "popcorn" setting for about 12 - 15 seconds. Keep an eye on your amaranth seeds, if the dish is too shallow only a portion of the seeds may pop, like in the picture below.

If this happens, choose a bowl that is not quite so shallow. Don't return the un-popped amaranth to the microwave or it will burn. Continue popping the amaranth in small two tablespoon batches until you have a quarter cup. You are looking at light, fluffy amaranth like the one pictured on the left

Line a cookie tray with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Spread half of the amaranth all over the foil, making sure they are evenly placed all over the pan. Save the rest of the seeds for later. Keep the pan near your stove before you start the next step...

Next, you are going to make some dry caramel. You are going to melt the sugar in a good non-stick pan over medium/high heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon. The sugar will melt and turn into liquid once you heat it, you just need to be patient and stir often. I don't use a candy thermometer, or time myself. Just pay attention and stop heating the sugar once it completely dissolves and turns into a nice, golden brown caramel. Be careful! It is going to be VERY HOT!

This is when the fun begins. Turn the heat off, and place the hot pan on a trivet. Using a spoon, start pouring and dripping the caramel over the amaranth seeds. Do it quickly before it starts getting hard. Pour the rest of the amaranth seeds on top of the warm caramel.

Refrigerate the tray for about an hour in order to solidify the caramel. Start picking up the caramel in pieces, and use to decorate your favorite dessert. The caramel webs will keep in an air tight container for about a week, if you store them between waxed paper. Enjoy!

LINKS
Learn more about Amaranth by visiting my previous post here
Visit Jackson Pollock's paintings at the artist's tribute page

"Havana Mama" Candlemas Habanero Sauce

Today is not only the day Punxsutawney Phil predicts the weather, it is also my father's home town's biggest holiday! Growing up I remember having the opportunity to witness the celebrations in honor of La Candelaria, in the little town of Acala, Chiapas. In Santeria, the feast of La Candelaria is also consecrated to the Orisha Oya. Oya is a warrior princess, keeper of the cemetery and mistress of the wind.

Inspired by the feast of Candlemas lore, I created this "Havana Mama" hot habanero sauce! On a recent post about chiles I mentioned that the Habanero is probably the hottest chile you can find. I also talked about habaneros being originally cultivated in the Yucatan, not Havana. Not surprisingly the ingredients for this sauce are actually very similar to ones used on an ancient Mayan sauce called "Xni-pec", or "dog's nose". Why dog's nose? If you eat it, you'll have a runny wet nose just like a doggy. You may slobber a bit too!

Modern versions of the original Mayan recipe call for naranja agria, (bitter orange juice) but I'm using vinegar instead, since the orange may get too bitter if sitting in the refrigerator. To make this recipe, just follow the same instructions for making vinagre de chile, a recipe I posted last year. I made a few variations: I just added some orange bell peppers and carrots for sweetness, doubled the garlic, and omitted the onion. You can roast your bell peppers, carrots and garlic under the broiler for a few minutes in order to mellow the flavor. Make sure you check often, so they don't burn. As you can see, the texture and color of the vegetables also changes after broiling. Don't broil the habaneros, or your kitchen will be filled with hot, intoxicating fumes!

There is no need to marinate the peppers and habaneros for a week. You can puree everything right the way using a blender. You can strain your sauce, or leave a little bit of pepper and carrot pulp. Pour your sauce in a clean, desinfected recycled glass bottle and you are done! Cover your bottle with a cork stopper and refrigerate until ready to use.

You can decorate the bottle if you want to give it to a chile aficionado as a gift. I used a tapestry remnant and several ribbons to decorate mine. I also made a "Havana Mama" charm with polymer clay, then painted it with acrylic and metallic paints. You can find several cute handmade face charms on Etsy if you prefer not to make your own. You can also e-mail me and I'll be glad to make a charm for you.

More Candlemas Lore
The feast of the candles, or feast of purification is celebrated on February 2. According to wikipedia, in France candlemas is celebrated by eating crêpes. If the cook can flip a crêpe while holding a coin in the other hand, the family is assured of prosperity throughout the coming year. In other parts of Europe, the lore states that this was also the date when Christmas greenery had to be taken out of the home.

In Mexico, this is the day when families make their baby Jesus figurines (the same ones used in nativity scenes) "sit down". They create little chairs, crowns and elaborate costumes for their figurines. Also, whoever finds a little plastic doll inside the King's Cake (Rosca de Reyes) on January the 6th, has to throw a party on candlemas day. I posted more about the Rosca de Reyes tradition on my post "Let them eat cake...And babies?"

Ornaments: Using Crepe Paper Rosettes

Some of my ornament kits include crepe paper rosettes. You can create some of your own, just follow these instructions. First, cut crepe paper ribbons that are about 15 inches long and about 2 - 3 inches wide. Make sure the grain of the paper runs vertically. Using needle and thread start sewing a running stich along one side of the paper ribbon.


Start gathering the paper by pulling the thread gently. Create a pleaded "fan" out of the crepe paper, then shape into a circle. Overlap the edges and secure with a droplet of glue, and sew the center together.


You'll have a nice fluffy crepe paper disk ready to decorate. You can create your rosettes in a variety of sizes by cutting the paper ribbons in widths that are gradually smaller.


Now, here comes the fun part - decorating them. You can also leave them "as is" and stack several rosettes on top of each other, they make a nice decoration for a wrapped gift.


To add extra sparkle you dip the edges or your rosette in glue and then in fine glitter. Let them dry for several hours before handling.


If you want to hang your ornament you can staple a piece of ribbon to the back of the rosette. You can also build your ornament by layering the rosette with a painted wood chip, embossed rubber stamped cut-outs, collage elements, charms and other embellishments. Here are some ideas, have fun.

Para Mi Amante: Strawberry Infused Tequila

I made this bottle of strawberry infused tequila as a gift for my boyfriend on his birthday. This beverage traditionally known as Por Mi Amante* can be made with a variety of fruits, but strawberries are a favorite since they give the tequila a nice pink color and a delicate flavor. A similar drink called Piña Borracha can be made using very ripe pineapple. To make this gift you'll need the following materials and ingredients:

• One small bottle of silver tequila (about one pint)
• One cup of ripe, sliced strawberries
• Fabric of your choice (here I'm using a piece of leather)
• Black raffia, or ribbon
• Self stick label
• Rubber stamps

Empty the tequila in a clean, desinfected mason's jar together with the strawberries and refrigerate for up to three weeks. Clean the tequila bottle and save for later. Putting the bottle inside the dishwashing machine will help you remove the labels. When you are ready to present your gift strain the tequila and discard the strawberries. Using a funnel pour the tequila inside the original bottle with a few fresh strawberry slivers. Decorate the bottle with the fabric and create a new label as desired.



*In 1939, Charles H. Baker, Jr. misspelled the name of this beverage as Por mi amante in his book "The Gentleman's Companion", and it stuck since then. My hand made label uses the correct Spanish grammar to spell "For my lover" using para (for) as opposed to por (because of). Then again, who knows? Maybe Mr. Baker had a lover that drove him to drink....and he really meant to say "Because of my lover". Of course, you can decorate your label as you wish! I used red self-adhesive labels available at Paper Source and rubber stamps.

Faux flowering cacti

When I was a kid I used to buy mini cacti from a woman at the San Angel market, in Mexico City. It took me a while to figure out why every single cactus I bought from her died after a few days. Hers were not grafted, potted living things. She took bits and pieces of cactus and other plants and held them together with toothpicks. At the time I was outraged when I discovered this, but now I've come to appreciate her creativity and her whimsical "Frankenstein" creations. This humble Mexican woman was not a gardener, she was an "eco sculptor" and inspired this flower arrangement! I think it would make a cool center piece for a Mexican themed party. To make something similar you'll need the following materials:

• Clay pots
• One or two "nopal" paddles per clay pot
• A bouquet of small seasonal flowers
• Acrylic paint
• Bamboo skewers
• Wooden toothpicks
• Plasticine or modeling clay
• Decorative gravel or pebbles
  

Start by decorating the pots with acrylic paint. Place a square of modeling clay inside the pot and stick a skewer in it. Fill the rest of the pot with decorative gravel to give it weight. Using gloves, stick the nopales in the skewers so they stand upright. Play around with your arrangement's composition; you can cut the paddle in half, lean it to the side or even place two paddles in the same pot.

The final step is to stick the flowers to the top of the cactus using the toothpicks. Do it just before your party, since the flowers won't last long in that state. Note: I recommend not using real potted cacti for this project. Instead use "nopales", cultivated edible cactus sold in Mexican markets. If you have any leftovers you can always make a salad with them!

Fruit as fashion

Nicole Dextras creates mazing eco-art installations. Take a look at some of her flower flocks. These gowns may not be "ready to wear" but you can compost them after wearing! The one pictured above is made out of crab apples and greens. Nicole's work is very diverse. Check out her site for information about her photos, books and more ephemeral art.

Paper cupcake - high fiber, no carbs!

I created this cupcake out of recycled cardboard, crepe paper and cornstarch. It is hollow so a small gift can be hidden inside. I added the ribbon so it can hang from a doorknob or some place else. What do you think, is it good enough to eat? I think this cupcake could be a cool early spring gift!

Valentine's Botanica

I created these items for a recent Artist Bazaar at Galeria de la Raza. I was inspired by items you would find in a Botanica (Latin stores that sell folk remedies). Please check Galeria's calendar for future events, and help support local artists!

More hearts

This image is from a window display at Polanco, a gallery of Mexican arts in San Francisco. The display features a red rebozo, jewelery, silver milagro ornaments and a black clay heart. Very nice!

Hearts, candy and the color red...

The first two images are from Jaime Hayon's Crystal Candy set, created for Baccarat (as seen at Yatzer). These crystal pieces do remind me of candy! The red crystal topped with white ceramic on the right looks like a combination of a heart, a hand grenade and a pomegranate. The second image is from a papier mache box that I created using newspaper, cardboard and acrylic paint.



A very philosophical fellow artist once told me that every day has its own color (cada dia tiene su color). It means that we should savor the unique differences of each day that passes by. But what about months? Do they have their own unique "shade"? With so many Valentine's day merchandise like roses, hearts and ribbons, red may as well be this month's color. And what color has more emotional connotations? Here's some curious musings about red:

Urban legends claim that more red cars get speeding tickets. Snopes debunks this myth here.

In China, red is considered a lucky color.

Bull fighters tease the bull with red capes.

To be "in the red" means you are loosing money.

Santa, as well as Satan and high ranking religious persons (like Cardinals and the Pope) are often depicted in red.

Red was associated with Communism.

In Santeria, red is associated with the Orisha Chango, the deity of thunder, war and fire.

In several countries red means "stop" or "caution".

James Dean wore a red windbreaker in the movie "Rebel without a cause". Can you imagine if he had worn, say, a powder blue jacket?

A burial site in Palenque, Chiapas, was discovered generously sprinkled with a pigment known as cinnabar, giving the bones of the mysterious woman buried there a bright red color. This picture of the so called "Red Queen" comes from Diario Yucatan



So, enjoy the color red this (or any other) month. Happy February!

Strange Hope

I'm honored to have been invited to participate in Strange Hope, at Galeria de la Raza. I created this small gouache painting for the upcoming show. It was inspired by a man I saw on Mission Street. This man was in a wheel chair, and had created an impromptu art installation by placing a broken pinata head on top of a garbage can. If this man can find hope and humor, so can we.



WHERE/WHEN:
Galería de la Raza|Studio 24
Friday, February 06, 2009
2857 24th St. @ Bryant
Reception starts at 7:30 p.m.

WHO:

Pilar Aguëro-Esparza, Raúl Aguilar, Juan Alicia, Jesus Barraza, Charles Beronio, Sylvia Buettner, Monica Canilao, Tân Khánh Cao, Victor Cartagena, Melanie Cervantez, Jaime Cortez, Rudy Cuellar, Ali Dadgar, Andy Díaz-Hope, Ana T. Fernández, Colleen Flaherty, Pato Hebert, Giovanni Higuera, Jason Jägel, Jody Jock, Sahar Khoury, John Leaños, Juan Luna Avin, Scott McLeod, Sean McFarland, Julio César Morales, Michelle Muennig, Angélica Muro, Mabel Negrete, Johanna Poethig, Sylvia Poloto, Juan Carlos Quintana, Rigo 23, Artemio Rodríguez, Favianna Rodriguez, Rosa Valdez, Jenifer Wofford and Rio Yañez Galería’s new exhibition welcomes the Strange Hope of a new era. In honoring creativity and resourcefulness, we invited 40 artists to produce 8.5” x 8.5” works on paper that will respond both to the hopeful aspirations as well as to the uncertainty of these times. Through its collective message of transformation, renewal and collectivity, Strange Hope seeks to bring about unexpected artistic messages to motivate us through the coming times. The opening night will include a one-time, on-site lottery during which participating artists will randomly swap their work among themselves. In anticipation of the resourcefulness we will need to develop in the current economic climate, this collective action and community exchange seeks to encourage the flow of artistic capitol and welcome an era that calls for refreshing creative economies.

Ekeko's fair of prosperity!

This image is from a storefront on Mission Street, San Francisco. This little fellow may look like an Andean merchant wearing his traditional hat and carrying sacks of grain to market. It is hard to tell from the picture but he also carries a bunch of bills. He is actually the god of abundance and prosperity named Ekeko (I've also seen it spelled "Equeco").

Ekeko has a wide smile, doesn't he? According to lore, you are supposed to place a lit cigarette inside his mouth as an offering on certain days. Smoking makes Ekeko happy and he'll grant you prosperity and wishes - but only if he smokes it all the way trough, without the cigarette going off. Ekekos are seen in Peru, Bolivia and some places in Argentina. There is actually a big fair (La Feria de las Alacitas) in La Paz, on January the 24th. At this fair you can buy Ekko figurines and the miniature items he carries - clothing, food, grain, colorful fabric and other goods. These miniatures serve as representations of the things one wishes Ekeko to bring, in order to have an abundant and lush life.

There is one caveat: You have to rely on the generosity of others in order to have an Ekeko figurine. You can't buy a figurine for yourself, it would be tremendously unlucky. Someone needs to give you the Ekeko as a gift in order for his magic to be effective. With this economy being what it is I hope someone gets one for me! I think Ekekos are charming works of folk art. They are also a South American reminder that even the prosperous have to rely on other people.

Viva Obama! Awesome Lil' Piñatas™

These tiny little beauties are made by Isaias and Claudia, in San Francisco. They look just like traditional piñatas "grandes" but they fit in the palm of your hand. Isaias Rodriguez is an ingenious multi media, multi discipline artist and a good friend. You have to check his blog (where you can purchase a Lil' Piñata™of your own) and read about the day he met Barack Obama.

If you want to meet Isaias in person, please visit Galeria de la Raza on February the 7th, at 2:00 pm and support an Art Bazaar featuring local artists.

Galería is located in the heart of the San Francisco Mission District in San Francisco

Galería de la Raza

2857 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: 415-826-8009
Email: info@galeriadelaraza.org

Speaking of enchiladas....

"A proposito de enchiladas" (speaking of enchiladas) is a saying my father uses. It means you are changing the subject bluntly. So, speaking of holy enchiladas, I created these little "bite size" enchiladas as proxy food offerings for miniature altars. And why miniature enchiladas? Well, they are not for eating, but they are eye candy. I made them for last year's Fruitvale Day of the Dead Festival.