CURRENT PROJECTS
Quica weaving canvass-2008
As a child I enjoyed making ojos de dios out of popsicle sticks and relished the rich colors. The act of making spirals feels a lot like making ojos de dios, or "god's eyes." When I was 2 years old, I would draw tiny spirals on the walls behind furniture in our apartment.
In 1996 I had a vision that involved making large canvasses out of ojos de dios. So, recently I began some new canvasses; a body of work made through ojos de dios. This spiral canvass making process feels like a meditation.
Weaving these canvasses is a challenging and lengthy process. Weaving a canvass can take weeks to make, depending on its size. The one I am weaving above and below will be over 4 feet across.
To be continued...
Ojos de Dios - Sikuli
The ojo de dios is a simple weaving made across two sticks and is thought to have originated with the Huichol Indians of Jalisco and Nayarit. The Huichol or ‘Wixáritari’ people call their god's eyes sikuli, which means "the power to see and understand things unknown." Hung in a child's hair or on the walls of homes, or tied to the ends of arrows, the Sikuli's main purpose is to ensure children a long and healthy life. When a child is born, the central eye is woven by the father. Then one eye is added for every year of the child's life until the youngster reaches the age of five. The resulting design is the shape of a cross that symbolizes the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.
The ‘Wixáritari’ believe the design of the Sikuli has the power to heal and to protect. The Sikuli is hung on the wall and used in ceremonies and prayer. The colours used have different meanings: RED - life itself; YELLOW - sun moon & stars; BLUE - sky & water; BROWN - soil; GREEN - vegetation; BLACK - death. They can also be used as good luck symbols. Only two other places in the world (besides the ‘Wixáritari’ in Mexico) are said to weave them, Chile and Tibet.
Harvey, Marian (c1973). “Crafts of Mexico”. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. http://www2.cs.uh.edu/~clifton/godseye.html (accessed: Saturday, 6 January 2007)
Dolphin, Lambert T. (2002). Ojo de Dios: The Era of the Web Cam. Source: http://www.ldolphin.org/eye.html (Sunday, 7 January 2007)
