Somos Frida Kahlo Community Day at Fiestas Fridas

This Sunday, come celebrate with us at "Somos Frida Kahlo Community Day" at Fiestas Frida.  This is the third and last installment of the celebration of Frida's birthday taking place in San Francisco.The celebration takes place on Sunday, July 7th at the Women's Building: 3543 18th St. between Guerrero and Valencia St. It opens at 2pm and will close at 9pm.

I will be selling my urban, Frida inspired, folk art on the second floor of the Women's Building in the Audre Lord room.I created a new painting for this event titled, "Bound by Love" which will be on display in the Audre Lord room as well. 

Bound by Love - mixed media on canvas - 24" x 30"

Bound by Love symbolizes the intense bond that Frida had to Diego during their lives together and her inability to break with this volatile relationship of pain. It also symbolizes the physical pain Frida endured during her life of forty-seven years. The physical pain stemmed predominantly from a tragic bus accident that left her body severely damaged. She was forced to wear an assortment of corsets and other prosthetics to better endure the pain and get through each day. Thus, Bound by Love uses the corset as a symbol to represent Fridas desire to endure a life of bondage, being held together, even if it meant having to face daily emotional and physical pain.

Hope you can stop by to view Bound by Love and take a look at some of the folk art I've put together.

Here's the details again:

what: Fiestas Fridas Community Day

where: The Women's Building

address: 3543 18th St. San Francisco, CA 94110 

when: Sunday July 7th from 2 to 9pm in the Audre Lord room

In the auditorium there will be music - world and salsa, dance and music performances, face painting, a costume contest, craft making plus raffle give-aways! Fun for all!

Come on by!

Martha

Estudio Martita

Latest artsy activities from Estudio Martita / Martha Rodriguez

There has been a flurry of activity in Estudio Martita for the past month. As usual, artful activites seem to always happen around the same time.

My first event is happening this Tuesday at Puerto Alegre Restaurant on Valencia Street in San Francisco. The show is titled: Pasion de Frida. It is a celebration of Frida Kahlo's birthday on July 6th. There will be fabulous artwork exhibited, music, food, prizes and a Frida look alike contest!

https://www.facebook.com/events/250087725131441/?ref=ts&fref=ts

I will have two paintings exhibited:

Frida in Fuschia - mixed media

La Rosa Frida - mixed media

In addition, I will be selliing some of my Frida inspired folk art at the opening on Tuesday: upcycled Frida purses, jewelry, home accessories and small works of art.  Come on by!

what: Pasión de Frida

where: Puerto Alegre Restaurant

address: 546 Valencia St. San Francisco (between 16th and 17th)

when: Opening Tuesday July 2nd, 3 to 5pm; runs until August 27th

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another Frida Kahlo birthday celebration...

what: Fiestas Fridas Community Celebration

where: The Women's Building

address: 3543 18th St. San Francisco, CA 94110 

when: Sunday July 7th from 2 to 9pm in the Audre Lord room

I have one piece of artwork that I created for this event:

Bound by Love - mixed media on canvas - 24" x 30"

I'll also be selling my Frida inspired folk art in the Audre Lord room also. In the auditorium there will be music - world and salsa, music and dance performances face painting, craft making plus raffle give-aways! Fun for all!

Would love to see you at both events but would be so happy to see you at one.

Wishing you good health and sending big hugs!

Martha

Estudio Martita

The Bountiful Series

Angel  part of Bountiful Series - 12" X 12" - acrylic on canvas

In the first six months of 2013, I created a painting series called Bountiful. It is a series with images of large sized women enjoying life. My initial purpose in creating Bountiful was to portray large women as unabashedly proud, confident and unintimidated by their large sizes. I wanted to show them as capable of showing off their form to the masses without having to hide their perceived body image as shameful or defective. Bountiful is therefore a series of whimsical figures shown against a backdrop of of bright colors. Rather than offering the image of large woman as subdued, Bountiful blasts her image in your face with large buttocks, breasts, thighs shown as signs of beauty and adoration.

I also have a second reason for creating Bountiful. I am at a time in my life where the concerns of everyday life that previously held me back and prevented me from enjoying each day are less important. After surviving a diagnosis of Leukemia in 2010, I’m faced with living each day to the fullest. It’s a wonderful time. Bountiful has helped me face the demons that yes, I am imperfect whether in body type, age or personality. Bountiful’s answer to these perceived demons is, “So what? Join the masses in your imperfections. You are not alone.”

So, there you have it. The Bountiful Series. It is my answer to accepting who you are. It is my way of discarding the woes of imperfection and shaking off the pressures of achieving perfection in this imperfect world we live in.

New artwork in Bountiful and Frida series

After an almost 8 week series of colds and flu-like symptoms, I'm back in studio and painting again. YAHOO! I decided to work on a new Frida painting for inclusion in Pasion de Frida, all all Frida exhibit happening next month at Puerto Allegre Restaurant here in San Francisco.

I may have not been feeling well but while I was at home, there were lots of ideas running through me. One of them was to create more Bountiful paintings. I so love painting this series. I feel like its a celebration of large women. Big butts, boobs, legs - an in your face, here I am celebration. The women are women of color, active and painted in a kaleidoscope of colors. Beautiful, active, proud women showing their largeness   without shame. Anyway, as you can tell, I've had such a good time creating each woman!

Here's an example of my latest Bountiful series and below that a new Frida painting.

"Enough to Build Shelf On"

Frida and Quetzal

Frida and Quetzal

Pasion de Frida - July 2013 - Puerto Alegre, San Francisco

July 2013 PASION DE FRIDA art exhibit at Puerto Alegre. 

Here's a first reminder that I'll have some work exhibited along with 40+ other artists at Puerto Allegre Restaurant in the heart of the Mission, San Francisco. We are honoring Frida Kahlo's birthday with an exhibit of works of art of the incomparable Frida. 

Here is a wonderful quote from  Bird Levy, the fabulous wahine / diosa who is curating the show! 

 

"We have an upcoming Frida show at Puerto Alegre. For those of you who do not live here in San Francisco, Puerto Alegre is located in the heart of our historic Mission District, our Latin community. At the moment Valencia Street where Puerto Alegre is located is the hippest, happeningest street in SF. While still retaining the flavor of the Latin community, Valencia Street and 24th Street which intersect offers so many different venues for art, music, fashion by local artists and spoken word, blending together many cultures. 

It’s a very exciting time right now."

Spring is blooming and Spring Open Studios is OVER!

WHEW... I did it. We did it. We painted, assembled, hammered molded, printed, pasted, organized, rushed and talked, talked, talked. It is over for this year. Spring Open Studios 2013 is finished and on to Fall Open Studios in October.

I'm taking a few days off but wanted to share some photos with you from the before and after of our bi-annual 1890 Bryant group shot from Spring Open Studios.

Here's a few shots and a link to view more:

me in my studio

Peggy Gyulai, very shy

DK Haas

and the link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200894831195063.1073741832.1293498494&type=1

Happy, happy Spring!!!

    

Morrissey calavera appearing at Mission Open Studios

Morrissey , acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30

My "Morrissey" calavera will be on display tonight and through the weekend at 1890 Bryant, Studio 318

 tonight 6 to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday noon to 6pm. 

for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/536404086390284/