Thank you all for coming to Soigne during Eastside Culture Crawl at Octopus Studios. We were thrilled seeing the over 800 people visiting our studio. It was nice to see familiar faces visiting us every year, people traveled from other cities to see us, it is all very appreciated.
Hope to see you all next year, at the same time in the same location.
Congratulations to Izabela Bzymek for winning 3 hour Solder Pendant Workshop.
Please visit Soigne during the 3 days of art festivity at Octopus Studio.
Soigne has prepared new belt designs, cuffs, funky wool necklaces, leather pendants for only $5 each, and of course 7 traditional soap flavors.
See you all there.
Please join Soigne and Octopus Studios (393 Powell street) during Open Doors Project on July 31- August 1 – from 11:30am till 5pm. Open Doors is collaborative project led by the Powell street Festival Society and the Japanese Canadian National Museum. Founded under the City of Vancouver’s Japantown Revitalization project, the Open Doors initiative is to commemorate the divers histories of 300 and 400 blocks of the Powell Street neighborhood.
Check the below link for more information: http://powellstreetopendoors.wordpress.com/
Soigne joined a fantastic 3 day PMC (metal clay) Certificate run by Rio Grande in Snohomish, Washingtown. The course was taught at “The Ranch” where you can take courses lead by world class artists. Randi Harper the owner and the founder of “The Ranch” makes you feel like at home; very welcoming and unforgettable hospitality. Patrick Kusek, senior PMC instructor, made our 3 days worth every penny and great overall experience. I had the chance to meet other jewelery artists from all over the Washington State and exchange opinions, get advice and learn new methods. You can check every bodies work below. We had to follow Rio Grande guidelines to pass each piece, technique was a key in the final mark.
Galleries and Shops
If you are seeking an art scene, galleries, cozy courtyard shops and hundreds of the best restaurants with a traditional approach San Migelle De Allende is the right place. Colonial architecture fills the entire city with warm colors. Church bells can be heard on every corner while you are diving through galleries, endless shops, craftsmen and artisans. The most visited gallery is Fabrica La Aurora, a former textile factory converted into artists studios and shops where you can meet all the artists every Thursday. Lots of my attention went to La Bottega Di Casa.
There is a great variety of European and American fabrics to make items to measure and the best selection of fabrics for upholstery, but it’s not just fabric – Mexican artisans also create designer pieces exclusively for La Bottega di Casa, offering unique items in ceramic, carved wood, and much more. If you need something for your home or as a gift, here you’ll find that perfect, unique piece you were looking for.
Independent artists
Walking down the Zacateros street I had the chance to bump into a very unusual store. All the items, mostly bags, were made of pop can ring pulls – even dresses and jackets. You can see on the pictures below a Mexican lady holding a ‘Metal dress’. Would it be environmental art? Or just fashion?
Walking down the same road I finally manage to find a leather craftsman as SMA doesn’t have many of them since Leon, a neighbor city, is the world center for leather products and they are all located there. Ernesto Hermandez G runs his small leather workshop surrounded with all kinds of machinery and piles of leather hides. Again I witnessed typical SMA hospitality and got invited to his workshop.
A little road from Zacateros called Pila Seca led me to a small shop called Mixta run by Anna Sinclair. Her items were very hip and urban. I would say a North American craft style which was quite surprising to find there. That was the only shop where i found felt products…who would believe that felt was never used in Mexico. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of the products. What surprised me even more was when i found an old hand written book from Japanese temple written by monks and I couldn’t resist…
In the Craftsman Market, next to Hotel Quinta Lorto, I found an amazing Amber artist. Don Del Ambar creates unique pieces of jewellery captivated by the colours and form of Chiapan Amber. Chiapas amber is between 22 million and 26 million years old. The resin came from the Hymenaea Leguminoseae tree. Most of the Chiapas amber comes from an area in the Chiapas highlands near the town of Simojovel.
You can even spot artists who come just for few weeks and get inspired to work on streets of SMA
There is no better than Mercado de Artesanias for local craft and design. Here you can find imaginative spaces, fruits, jewellery, fabrics, ceramics, bags and all you can think of, for little price. San Migel de Allende has lots to offer, this little town of just a 100,000 population has a big personality.
Soon after a workshop in San Francisco I flew to San Miguel Allende in Mexico for a 3 day bronze casting workshop. I didn’t have any expectations and the week in SMA blew my mind. I will post more about the city in part 2, 3 and 4.
Our casting instructor Diana Maycotte and her assistant John were the sweetest people on earth, their passion for jewelery, art and life was very inspiring to the entire group. It was just 3 of us, two lovely ladies from San Antonio and myself. How much fun we had no words can describe. Our workshop was based about 30 km outside of SMA in Diana’s farm. Horses, donkeys, cacti, sheep, an organic winery, a chapel in all forms you could imagine were surrounding our workshop. Every morning Diana brought new traditional deary drinks to try, snacks and all her stories to share. On the last day we all got invited to her gorgeous house/palace for traditional Mexican lunch…but more about that in the next post. Having a sheep on the farm there is no better way to get an organic wool for felting. Soigne is looking forward to run felting courses in SMA in the near future.
Diana is extremely talented jewelers and great passionate teacher. She says: “I love life! I love seeing things grow and progress, whether it is my children, a Chardonnay on our ranch, a bonsai, or a design. Like things that grow, a design needs to be nurtured, developed, and eventually find it’s home with a special client.
I have been designing and producing jewelry since 1983. I grew up in a very creative environment, both my parents were musicians, an opera singer and a conductor. One of my father’s pursuits was jewelry making. My mother is also a very talented and accomplished sculptor in San Francisco. So, naturally, I studied art and found my way into jewelry design.”
Please enjoy pictures below.
It was quite an experience to enter Hadar’s workshop. Her jewelry pieces scattered along the studio created a fascinating gallery. Her simple yet original displays with a slight layer of dust and matted-look pieces made it all mystical and secret. I was fascinated. Moving slowly i kept catching myself not breathing while admiring her pieces. The course started soon after. Hadar was generous with her precious time offering me a one on one class. I spent 2 full days learning various techniques, exploring and following Hadar’s directions. She is the only jewelery artist who is using steel clay, which she invented herself. There is no better experience than learning with the masters and I was lucky to be part of it. Please check the picture below of Hadar’s workshop and her pieces. I have the 3 latest books written by Hadar and they are available in Soigne library.
