India Journal: Fill in the Blanks, Stencil Art
Remember when you were a child and got a set of crayons and coloring book? The book was printed with figures and designs. It was your job fill in the color between the lines. Be careful, a parent or teacher would say. Be neat. Don’t go outside the lines. There were no blank pages on […]
India Journal: Wazir Museum Quality Vintage Textiles
This is my last day in Bhuj, Gujarat, India. Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13, I begin the journey back to America. It is morning here. I awake to the sound of Bollywood-style raucous music, loud, cymbals clanging, trumpets tooting, and look out the window. There is a parade with floats on the street beneath my hotel […]
India Journal: Tribal Textiles in Bhuj, Gujarat
Finally, I have landed in Bhuj, Gujarat, after hectic days in Ahmedabad followed by three nights at a secluded safari camp, Rann Riders, in the wilds of the Little Rann. This borders the town of Dasada where marsh and salt desert are home to rare wild ass and migratory birds. Internet connection impossible. I have […]
Mexico Travel Photography: Day of the Dead Photo Challenge, Norma’s Picks
Mexico Travel Photography Facebook Group of 287 members just finished up submitting a photo a day as part of a five-day photography challenge. Here are the statistics: STATS: Last week’s 5-Day Photo Challenge, Day of the Dead. 39 people participated all week. They posted 136 photos total. 15 people posted 5 days in a row. Congratulations […]
Is Mexico’s Day of the Dead Like Halloween? Muertos Photos in Black and White.
We just finished a week of publishing a Day of the Dead Photography Challenge over at the Facebook site I manage, Mexico Travel Photography. You might want to jump over there to take a look at some amazing shots of this spiritual celebration of life and death. Consider joining and participating if you are not […]
Preparing for Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos
Day of the Dead is coming soon. Festivities in Oaxaca will begin in the next few days, and people are now gathering what they need for home altars to honor their deceased loved ones: palm branches to create an arch over the altar through which loved ones pass from the otherworld — a gateway to […]
Textile Fiestas of Mexico guide book by Sheri Brautigam, with a little help from Norma Schafer
It was early 2016 and I’d just returned from taking a group of textile travelers to Tenancingo de Degollado, Estado de Mexico, to study the ikat rebozos of the region. Textile maven and friend Sheri Brautigam was in Oaxaca putting the final content and photos together for her upcoming book, Textile Fiestas of Mexico. http://thrumsbooks.com/little-help-friends-mexico/ […]
Making Mexico Color Photos into B&W: Chapel Hill Camera Club
Last night the Chapel Hill (North Carolina) Camera Club held a free workshop using Silver Efex Pro2 taught by Mark Lipton. It was fun to select a few of my color photos and work with the (free) Google program that then becomes an editing option in Lightroom. I want to share these with you. Mark first recommended […]
On The Road, Again: Leaving Oaxaca, Hello North Carolina, California and India
If I had Willie Nelson’s voice and guitar picking skills, I’d give you a personal performance. But, my elementary school glee club (mandatory) teacher asked me to mouth the words. You might like to hear him sing, once again. Willie Sings: On The Road Again I left Oaxaca early this morning and now overnight in […]
Voladores Fly in Cuetzalan del Progreso, Puebla, Mexico. So Do Bees!
Everything leading up to October 3 in Cuetzalan del Progreso is a preview for what’s to come. This is the day each year that the Voladores fly: Danza de Voladores. There is a huge carnival in the church courtyard and troupes of costumed, masked revelers come in from the villages to dance, sing and raise […]
Happy Birthday, Mexico: Celebrating Independence Day
On September 16, 1810, Mexico declared her Independence from Spain. Hidalgo, a priest from Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, gave out El Grito, the cry for freedom and the war began. The Spanish conquest of Mexico began in 1521, and after almost 300 years of occupation, the country followed the United States independence model to set itself […]
Photography Exhibition Opening This Saturday, Oaxaca: You Are Invited
Follow-up your visit to the ExpoVENTA of Mexican Textiles and Jewelry Show and Sale with this opening exhibition of photographs from the Toledo Collection to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Centro Fotografico Manuel Alvarez Bravo. Hope to see you there! RSVP Here!
Mexico Markets Photo Essay from Mexico Travel Photography Facebook Group
We recently completed a five-day challenge to post photos of Mexico Markets on the Facebook group page for Mexico Travel Photography. Members posted 158 photos. We have over 250 members and there’s room for many more! Next up is a challenge for September 15 and 16: Post ONE photo to honor Mexico Independence Day. Bring […]
Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Celebrates Her Patron Saint Today
The patron saint of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico is the Virgin of the Nativity — La Virgen de la Natividad. It is celebrated here on September 8, today. There are two days of fiestas that started on September 6 with a Parade of the Canastas, this year’s group of Las Danzantes de la Pluma […]
Textile Fiestas of Mexico: New Guidebook for Smart Travelers
The book, Textile Fiestas of Mexico: A Traveler’s Guide to Celebrations, Markets and Smart Shopping by Sheri Brautigam and published by Thrums Books, is hot off the press. It’s a comprehensive guide to some of Sheri’s favorite Mexican textile villages and towns. I contributed two chapters! Sheri invited me to cover Teotitlan del Valle, the […]
Starts Today: Mexico Markets 5-Day Photo Challenge
Starts TODAY, Monday, September 5. FIVE-DAY PHOTO CHALLENGE: MEXICO MARKETS. All are welcome to participate at the Facebook Group Mexico Travel Photography. This is for photography enthusiasts of all levels, including beginners. SHARE to expand participation! Rules: 1 photo per day. Each photo must be labeled by day, ie. Day 1, Mexico Markets. Day 2, Mexico Markets, […]
Mexico Travel Photography: Colors of Mexico, My Set of Five
We had a five-day photo challenge on the Facebook page I moderate, Mexican Travel Photography. I thought I’d publish the set of five photos I submitted here. Except that I couldn’t find FIVE. I only found FOUR. Oops. Lo siento. I must have been too preoccupied commenting on others’ beautiful posts. So I’m adding one here, […]
Mexico Travel Photography: Five Day Photo Challenge Editor’s Choice
Last week, I posted a Colors of Mexico photo challenge on Mexico Travel Photography, a Facebook group I moderate. We had 45 people take part. I didn’t count the total number submitted, but it was a 5-day challenge. We saw a lot of beautiful photographs of Mexico. Mexico is where anything goes! Vibrant color is […]
Mexico Travel Photography Photo Challenge: Colors of Mexico
Mexico Travel Photography is a group I moderate on Facebook. I’ve put out a photo challenge to post The Colors of Mexico for five days. Choose any colorful photos of Mexico you have and send them to the group page. You might have to join the group if you aren’t already a member. You’ll see some […]
Everyday Life in the Campo, Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
Those of us who live here in Mexico probably do much the same things that you do every day. Food shop, clean house, exercise, visit friends, read, write, take naps, volunteer, etc. Most of the immigrants I know are retired and live here either part or full-time. We’re from Canada and the U.S.A. for the […]
New Mexico Dry. After the Santa Fe Folk Art Market.
By Tuesday after the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market ended, most friends returned home or continued with travels. Market weekend was HOT, over 100 degrees fahrenheit with no rain, unusual for July when afternoon thunderstorms usually cool things off, they say. There’s no air conditioning here, my local friends remind me. Adobe, shade and […]
Oaxaca Tropical Fruit + Tomato Ginger Chutney Recipe: With Some Heat!
I’ve been sequestered in my Teotitlan del Valle casita for some days now (without internet connection), more out of choice than anything. Best to hide from the heat of the day under the ceiling fan with a sewing or cooking project. So, after a trip to the Tlacolula market on Sunday where I saw an […]
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop Day 3: Rainbows and Overdyes
The third and last day of the three-day Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop brings together all the preparation of the first two days in a culminating extravaganza of rich, deep color. Natural Dye Workshop Day One Natural Dye Workshop Day Two The movement toward using natural dyes is taking hold around the world. It is an environmentally […]
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop, Day One: Prep to Make 32 Colors
For three days I am immersed in natural dyes with Elsa Sanchez Diaz who teaches our Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshops through Oaxaca Cultural Navigator. We make 32 different colors starting with a base of gray and white natural wool. The natural plant and vegetable materials we dye with include palo de brazil (Brazilwood), nogal (walnut), cochineal (the […]
Oaxaca Hand-crafted Condiments: Suculenta Food Gallery
You might walk by the unmarked building painted sky blue and not even notice what’s inside. Down the street from Boulanc bakery on Av. Porfirio Diaz, closer to Morelos than Murguia, is Suculenta. The food gallery is an off-shoot of the bakery where hand-crafted jellies, jams, edible oils, cheeses, herbs and fresh wild mushrooms from […]
Photo Essay: Oaxaca Color, Dye Pots and People
I don’t think you can make a dye from the flower of the Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant tree, but I want to open this blog post with a photo of this dazzler that is now in full bloom all over Oaxaca. Walk under it, look up. It is an umbrella of fire ombre. This photo […]
Somewhere Beyond Mexico: North Cackalacky, USA
North Cackalacky is an endearing slang term that many of us call our beloved adopted state of North Carolina. Also famous for her hot spicy barbecue sauce called, yes, Cackalacky. I just came back from a weekend in the mountains where apple orchards, dogwoods and azaleas were in full bloom. The young maple leaves were that […]
Chiapas Textiles + Folk Art Study Tour: Deep Into the Maya World
We are based in the historic Chiapas mountain town of San Cristobal de las Casas, the center of the Maya world in Mexico. Here we will explore the textile traditions of ancient people who weave on back strap looms. Women made cloth on simple looms here long before the Spanish conquest in 1521 and their techniques […]
2016 Summer-Fall: Looking for Frida Kahlo + Diego Rivera–Mexico City Art History Study Tour
Come to Mexico City to explore the lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera through their art. This is in-depth art history education at its best! We offer you a narrated cultural immersion that you can miss if you visit on your own. Our expert guide is a bi-lingual Mexican art historian! Come solo, with […]
Natural Dyes and Indigo Blue Easter Eggs
I’ve never seen dyed Easter eggs here in Oaxaca, but perhaps someone could correct me if I just haven’t noticed them. Yet, here we are in the world of natural dyes. My personal favorite is indigo blue. So, when this post from Improvised Life came to my inbox this morning, I felt compelled to share […]