Dias de los Muertos Calvary Cemetery Day

 Saturday was an eventful day! It started off wonderfully with an early morning rise, double checking the list and heading out the door for last minute errands.

There probably will never be a day when I don't have to do something important for an art event last minute. :\ I work great under pressure though.

Errands included trip to  the local Lowe's and then a stop over at Chavez Market. I picked up some pan de muerto for my altar and some other breads for the familia who came up to check out the event. I was going to grab an horchata for myself but fresh made carrot juice just called my name.

 

Little did I know I would have carrot stained mouth for most of the morning. Thanks to Hubby and his eagle eyes I managed to wipe it off before the main event started. 

We got to Calvary Cemetery about 9ish or so and got to our site, unloaded the van, and after a minor glitch and head scratching setting up the grid walls, we managed setting up my booth.

 The booth:

Older works on the outside wall:

I had some new small sugar skull portraits on the front end of the table. 

 

 At the inner edge of the table, I set up a small altar for my departed familia. Wela Chiquita (abuelita), Welo (abuelo), and mi tia Carlotta (Aunt Charlie).

There were other amazing vendors there as well, some artists, some clothes, jewelry and some amazing ceramic art direct from Mexico. 

 

I absolutely fell in LOVE with these skulls. 

 

 

I managed to get my paws on one of the above skulls. Can you guess which one? I wanted to buy another smaller one as well, but  must save some money for next time. Once I find the card I grabbed, I will post their information because I know some of you may want some of the goods as well.

There was also some amazing dancing going on down the ways from my booth. There were some Aztec Dancers in some amazing gear.

And Folkorico Dancers from a local High School Lincoln, and I managed to take a break from the booth thanks to my mom so I could watch bits and pieces of both dance groups.

I want their skirts. :D

Further in the cemetery there were large altars on display and one of them was from my old alma mater Notre Dame San Jose. GoGremlins!! (you will always be a Gremlin to me).

The arts department got really creative this year and made an amazing altar.

 All the skulls were done my the lower clanswomen and the higher clanswomen in the arts painted the Guadalupe.

Amazing feat. Wish we made the skulls back in my day in high school ;) but I did make a skeleton in ceramics class once. With wings. I have it somewhere at my parents house.

It was a beautiful day for the event. Last year it was windy, cloudy, and in the very last minutes it rained. And I tore a painting.

I noticed a small tear in one of my paintings this year after I put it up. Cset la vie.

I want to thank all of you who came out and enjoyed the festivities at the cemetery and those who support local artists and businesses. We can't do it without you. :)

I will be posting images of the work from the festival this week.

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween, Merry Samhain or however you celebrate and call it :D

I'm going to enjoy the evening with some pumpkin bread and beer. Then it's back to painting tomorrow!

Updates

Hi everyone.

As you may have noticed from the above picture and my lack of blogging, I have been a busy little painter over here.

I have been working on new pieces for my Dias de los Muertos show at the Calvary Cemetery in San Jose. October 29 11 am to 3pm.

I'm  excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time.

I have another show in Salinas at Hispanic Cultural Center in downtown Salinas, #34 Central Ave, Salinas CA, between the Steinbeck center and house. Just look for the crazy flags. 

 An open house with strawberry daquiris qill be happening on October 21st, in the evening. I will be showing some of my older paintings not seen at the art and wine festivals along with some of my newer paintings.

I am still debating whether or not to participate in the Salinas Art and Wine Festival on Oct 22. I would love to have more exposure, but I also think I can spend the day painting as well. I am a little torn between the two.

Below are photos of some work that is in progress and some of them are already finished, but I'm keeping them covered just a bit longer.

Sugar skull girl with marigolds. She's actually done and she looks fabulous. :D

Part of a bigger painting. Unfinished.

Close up of another sugar skull girl. She's 99.9% done. I am not too happy with her 'dress' so she need to be fixed.

I actually just started her today and am dying to get back to her. I have to have patience to let her dry though. 

Another unfinished working on at the moment painting. Looking to do something fun and happy from my childhood. Pinatas!!

I truly hope you enjoyed the small sneek peek.

Sometimes I don't know if I want to show the work in progress photos. The art just looks so . . . . blah. Empty. Disjointed. Unpolished. Unfinished.

Duh, Sonia. that's part of the whole work in progress aspect.


But I suppose it's a way of showing my work in a different light. Sure, it may look all funky now, but wait until you see the finished product attitude, I guess.