It's official! Day of the Dead 2008

Late October and early November is a wonderful time to be in southern Mexico; it is especially amazing in the city of Oaxaca, where the celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is perhaps the most amazing and beautiful event on the planet. A place rich with culture, art and magic. Last November, I was fortunate enough to offer a class during this amazing event in this magical place. Because of the overwhelmingly positive response we had from the experience, Colleen Darling (the event's organizer) and I have decide to return to the Land of the Dead.

This year's class is called:
Retablos from the RandomOne of the most amazing things about Mexico is there knack for transforming the most mundane object into something interesting and artistic. In this art adventure we will be creating shrines using mixed media and found objects...found objects we find wandering through the Mexican town of Oaxaca...the shops, the vendors, the streets, the rooftops...wherever. Old shoes, rusty machine parts, license plates, who knows what we'll find and that is the adventure. Then, back in the class, we will assemble, collage, paint, etc. the work into fruition. I'll also show students how to make little saints, skeletons or diablos out of broken dolls or toys. Mexico is so rich in inspiration when it comes to shrines, that we'll explore a number of possible styles and designs including Nichos, Quadalupes, Ex Votos, Ofrendas and Retablos. Time to turn that trash into treasure. Oh, and don't worry, we'll still have time for margaritas...or better yet mescal.
Along with all of this Colleen is busy organizing cemetery tours during the festivities as well as excursions to various historic sites and visits to the studios and homes of local artisans. As with last year it will, no doubt, be an extraordinary experience that you will not forget...I promise.

If you're interested drop Colleen an email colleen950@gmail.com