Quilter in St Croix

Singing the Blues in Frederiksted

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:03:00 +0000

The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise made its annual stop in St Croix yesterday.

The town of Frederiksted enjoyed a day of blues with pub crawls, blues in the schools, a street festival and a concert at the pier.

I missed some of the acts, but got there in time for sunset.

Shemekia Copeland. The girl can belt them out!

The mocko jumbies strolled through the crowd.

The cruise ship looked oh so pretty all lit up.

The Lowrider Band sang "Low Rider" and "Why Can’t We Be Friends?" from their War days.

It was a happy crowd and when the rain came, the dancing just couldn’t be stopped.

Gaya Wrap

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:16:00 +0000

I wanted to play with color.

And rich textures.

A celebration of nature.

Happy tassels.

My Gaya Wrap.

I could wear it myself.

But her heart belonged to Gaya.

And she was happiest with the trees.

Happy Earth Day!

In Search of a Point Udall Moonrise

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:53:00 +0000

We drove east to the end of the road. There’s a lookout point here and a monument stating that this is the easternmost point of the United States. We came here to see the moon rise over the ocean.

But there were clouds and haze to contend with.

Behind us, though, a brilliant sunset was raging.

It made the monument look like a druid sacred site.

Three frigatebirds kept us company.

And despite the hidden moon, we enjoyed a glass of bubbly.

And a toast to the glorious beauty surrounding us.

Prayer Flag for Clarity

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:33:00 +0000

Spring is almost here, and although I live on a tropical island, I am still affected by the energy of spring.

This is the time when I look around me and want to clear the dust off everything that sat unnoticed for a while.

I want things to have a new shine, I’m craving brightness and light.

And in my art I’m craving clarity.

A new direction, unexplored territory.

Here is my prayer flag for Clarity to help usher in a new season of light.
You can click on the photo for a larger view.

This prayer flag was part of my Artful Prayer Flag exhibit at Fort Frederik Museum in Frederiksted.

It is for sale. The price is $250.

The flag is 12" wide and 20" long, plus the fringe which extends to about 33".

It has a sleeve at the top and a rod for hanging.

The flag is made with hand-dyed batiks and acrylic yarns.

It is embellished with paints, beads, pearls, ribbons and fabric beads.

The Clarity Symbol was painted on a recycled dryer sheet.

It also has little jingle bells attached to the fringe.

As with all of my art work, this is my own original design and each flag is one of a kind. This Artful Prayer Flag is for indoor use and it was treated with a UV protector to avoid fading.

If you are interested in purchasing it, you can do so via PayPal. Please contact me and I’ll provide you with all of the purchasing details.

Mardi Gras + St. Croix = Mardi Croix

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:52:00 +0000

Here’s Cane Bay Beach before the parade.

This is the parade route lined with vendors.

There were beads

Beads

And more beads.

Cute girls

And cute twins

And body paint

And giant hats

And bead tosses.

Here come the King and Queen.

Golden Girls handed out treats.

The theme was Rock n Roll.

James Brown and Elvis made an appearance.

Plus a giant centepiede.

After the parade, everyone cooled off in the water, including the horses.

And Elvis sat with us for a few moments and reflected on the festivities.

Fish Portraits at Good Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:33:00 +0000

I love fish faces in their colorful diversity and breadth of expression. For a few years now I’ve wanted to explore those faces, handpick a few unforgettable ones from the multitudes and see where my creativity might take me. I spent the past few months doing just that, and my creativity took me on a detour from my usual art quilts into the world of mixed media.

I began my subjects sewing a fabric collage and embellishing with free-motion stitching, as in quilting. Then I fastened the collage onto a canvas. I looked around my studio and threw at the canvas all manner of beads, sequins, dried flowers, plastic ferns and any other embellishment that wanted to come along and become part of a three-dimensional coral reef for my fabric fish to call home. Acrylic paints, gesso, gel media and glitter found their way onto the canvas too. The result?
(You can click on each photo for a larger view)

Big Eyes

Tasty Bites

Curious Faces

Coral Gardens

I’ll be exhibiting my Fish Portrait Series this weekend at the 24th Annual Caribbean Fine Art Exhibit at The Good Hope School here on St. Croix. Friday, February 18th is the Opening Reception ($30/ticket at the door) with free-flowing Veuve Cliquot champagne. Entrance is free the rest of the weekend.
Here's a link for more info:http://www.ghsvi.org/cfae.htm.
If you’re on island, please come by and check it out!

Artful Prayer Flag for Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Perhaps only artists pray for inspiration. I know I do. And so this is how I'd like to start the new year, by hanging here my prayer flag to dance in warm breezes welcoming new ideas and fresh creative adventures. I'm hanging it for me and for you, that your new year be full of inspiration.

You can click on the flag for a larger view. And for the curious, this is how it was made...

Artful Prayer Flags and Mindful Meditation Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:53:00 +0000

Watching a string of Buddhist prayer flags flutter in the wind gave me the idea of creating my own prayer flags. And then I met JoAnn Jones who makes Mindful Meditation Gardens from bamboo containers, and I thought, wouldn't it be awesome to have a joint exhibit? And so the exhibit Artful Prayer Flags and Mindful Meditation Gardens was born.

If you're on island on Saturday, October 30, stop by the Fort in Frederiksted. We'll be there from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Opening Reception. The exhibit runs until December 1.

Meanwhile, my studio is rocking with creativity as I explore the idea of prayer as form. Here's the scene:

Love in the Time of Cholera with Empanadas

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:42:00 +0000

It was my turn to host our Book Club for a discussion of Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to turn this into a full gastronomic celebration, so I made Colombian Empanadas with a little help from Liz, Joyce and Joann.

And while in frying mode, we added some yucca to the mix, with chimichurri sauce for dipping.

Shrimp and avocado salad and Colombian cole slaw rounded out the menu. Passion Mimosas proved to be very, very inspiring.

Here we are, in full discussion mode.

The moon made a guest appearance.

A bite of Dulce de Tres Leches and fortified by a little red wine gave us the strength to forge our discussion long into the night.

Four Little Monsters at Play

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:52:00 +0000

The torrid sea of June made us wonder if there'd be hell to pay come September when the sweltering Sahara winds barrel westward feeding on hot ocean currents. Metereologists like to call these "favorable conditions" for hurricanes.

Here's NOAA's satellite imaging of this morning, showing four little monsters at play in the Atlantic:

Earl brought us tropical storm winds and lots of rain. We almost lost a flamboyant tree on the hill. Here's Vincent the Gardener cutting down some branches before righting it.

Happily, we gained 34 mangoes from the Robinson mango tree. These babies are huge and rock hard. I'm glad I wasn't standing beneath that tree when it was throwing mango projectiles all over the yard.

Fiona tiptoed by us, and we barely noticed the splash of her tail. We'll wait for the mangos to ripen as we brace for Gaston's visit sometime next week.

Mango Melee at the Botanical Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:17:00 +0000

Yesterday the St. George Village Botanical Gardens hosted its annual Mango Melee, a big party in celebration of mango at the peak of its season. There were mango exhibits, mango cooking competitions and a mango eating contest. Here's an exhibit of the many varieties of mango available on the island.

Other tropical fruits in season were also exhibited.

In the gardens, vendors sold fresh mangoes and home-made delicacies.

The Mango Dis Mango Dat cooking competition showed off the versatility of this fruit as contestants entered drinks, sauces and desserts to be judged for flavor and creativity.

There were also lectures and workshops on growing mangoes and other tropical fruits. My friend Joanne White showed off her cooking prowess while teaching us the nutritional value of Mamey Sapote and Sapodilla.

We got a taste of a delightful milk shake and a pie made with sapodilla. It was light and offered hints of pear.

Joanne also prepared a chicken dish with Mamey Sapote, which reminded me of pumpkin.

Eating Sapote cooked in a chicken dish was a new experience for me. As a child in Colombia I remember opening the mamey sapote in half and eating the fiery orange pulp on the spot. Nobody I knew cooked with it. And here Joanne showed us how to infuse it with a little Pernod for a hint of anis. It took Sapote right out of my childhood and into an elegant meal, all grown up.

Technicolor Dream Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:36:00 +0000

After saving every scrap of fabric, I found myself with a bag full of quilted strips leftover from other projects. I spread them on my work table and wondered how I could conjure up a funky bag out of all those haphazard strips.

I began by piecing together similar-sized pieces for a base fabric, which I covered with more fabric strips.

I also had lots of random scraps with fusible webbing to use for a decorative feature.

I cut out lots and lots of circles and made a sun and a moon.

Then yarn and more yarn.

Here's the moon side.

And the sunny side.

And a happy yellow lining for the inside.

An Unexpected Visitor

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Sun, 02 May 2010 01:37:00 +0000

I watered my plants this morning and was surprised to find a visitor in my Papyrus plant.

A quick search online told me that we were hosting a Mr. Bufo Marinus; common name: Cane Toad or Marine Toad.

This fellow was introduced to the islands in the 1930's to eradicate pests from sugar cane crops. He sleeps by day and eats by night just about anything it can swallow: rodents, bugs, snails, ants. When Bufo is threatened, its glands secrete a toxic milky-white fluid known as bufotoxin. According to Wikipedia, "toad licking could result in serious illness or death."

Our guy was about 5 inches long, the size of an average adult. He didn't seem concerned by my movements and sat completely still throughout the day. I kept checking on him and began to worry that the afternoon sun would roast the fellow. So I rigged an umbrella that kept him in the shade, as any good hostess would.

After sunset, when it was good and dark, I came out one last time to check on him. He was gone, and perhaps with him, my day-long obsession.

Cleaning Up St. Croix

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:43:00 +0000

This weekend the island has undergone a major spring cleaning. Hundreds of volunteers came out to pick up roadside litter as part of an effort sponsored by the St. Croix Environmental Association, St. Croix Foundation and The VI Waste Management Authority.

This is all in preparation for next week's Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, when world-class athletes swim, bike and run around the island in order to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. St. Croix is considered one of the most beautiful courses in the sport, and the island takes great pride in this distinction. Click here http://www.stcroixtriathlon.com/half-course-map.html for a map of the entire St. Croix course.

So when the call for volunteers went out, Bob and I signed on to clean the 1.5 mile stretch (or 3 miles round trip) from Route 80 to the entrance to Salt River Marina.

Along the way we found many, many beer bottles, tires and other debris. Other people had already collected a lot of stuff along the section some weeks ago, which definitely made our job easier.

We picked up nothing terribly interesting. Just plain old garbage. We completely filled up nine 39-gallon green bags, which we left dispersed along the entire section.

We picked up from 6am to 10am. We started at sunrise to avoid some of the heat and traffic. Some people were very supportive of our efforts, giving us high-fives (on the elbows, since our gloves were filthy!) and stopping to chat. Others honked and waved.

We finished hungry and tired, and so treated ourselves to a big breakfast at the new IHOP in Sunny Isle.

Our names went on the waiting list as Barack and Michelle, after we refused the card for Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise (my least favorite actor).

The breakfast sampler didn't disappoint.

Luckily, it rained during the meal and not during the litter pickup.

It was good to see clean roads awaiting the athletes next week.

An Afternoon Hike in Salt River Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:35:00 +0000

Sunday afternoon we joined Olasee Davis and the St. Croix Hiking Association on a hike at the Salt River Natural Historical Park and Ecological Preserve.
Salt River Bay has probably seen more action throughout history than all the rest of St. Croix. There's evidence of settlements by the Igneri people during their migration from South America around AD650, and later settlements by the Arawaks, the Taino and the Caribs.

Columbus's men got into a scuffle here with the Kalinago people in 1493. Two men died of their arrow wounds, and so Columbus named the eastern tip, "Cape of the Arrow."

By 1663, Salt River Bay was a European settlement with governmental buildings, parks, and stables. The area later became a sugar plantation, and now it is a park and a preserve.

Join us on this little hike as we take a tour through history:

Piles of stone mark the sites of archeological finds.
This is the view East towards Christiansted
A ship wreck off the Cape of the Arrow.
Grapetree bushes and succulents thrive here.
Including the Aloe, which old-time Crucians used for home remedies.
Lots of coral along the northern shore.

Our guide Olasee demonstrating how his grandmother used this coral as an egg beater.
Facing west Salt River Bay, where the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has an underwater research lab located near the deep submarine canyon known as "The Wall."
Rounding the corner towards Triton Bay
Hiking along Salt Pond
A mini forest of baby mangroves growing up in Salt Pond.
In the 1960s the area around Salt Pond was dredged and filled. Land developers began construction of this hotel, but it was soon abandoned.
Their dreams of making big money went down with the structure as it began to slowly sink because the fill on which it was built turned out to be unstable.

The place lies derelict while the Park Service decides whether to destroy it or restore it.

A Literary Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:32:00 +0000

How often do we get Nobel Laureates on St. Croix? Not too often, from my experience. But last weekend, Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate in Economics, was at Undercover Books. Many of us flocked to hear him answer a variety of questions, mostly dealing with the healthcare reform drama unfolding in Washington at the time.
My husband Bob had a list of general questions that he didn't get to ask. I wish he'd had a chance to ask Mr. Krugman: Is it possible, in today's world, for the entire population of the planet to have a decent standard of living?

If Friday was about economics, Saturday was all for literature. Tiphanie Yanique was on St. Croix celebrating the launch of her debut collection of short stories: How to Escape From a Leper Colony (Published by Graywolf Press). Tiphanie is a native of St. Thomas and also has family here on St. Croix. She is now an assistant professor of literature at Drew University in NJ. Her portrayal of island characters is so authentic that, after reading her book, I find myself thinking about these people and almost wondering if I might pass them on the street.

Tiphanie invited a young Crucian poet named Wendell to share some of his poetry. He warmed up with a little instantaneous stream-of-consciousness poem that had me hooked! Wendell plans to go study biology in college. I hope he doesn't leave behind his immense poetic talent.

Good Hope Art Exhibit

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:54:00 +0000

Last month I showed five pieces at the Twenty-Third Annual Caribbean Fine Art Exhibit at The Good Hope School here on St. Croix. Here is the result of many hours contemplating fabric, color, texture, form, and overall feel. These pieces represent to me a tribute to the inspired life, where it isn't so much about the final product, but about those hours surrendering to the creative spirit.

Marlena (41"x55"). She's the big version of the little quilt I made last summer.

Detail:

Coral Confetti (27"x27"). This guy took me a year to figure out. I'm happy with the results, and so is the patron who bought it.
Detail:

Slow Tide at Sunset (17"x37"). This one also sold at the Exhibit.

Detail:

Fantastic Fish 3 (22"x16.5"). Part of the Fantastic Fish series begun last year.
Detail:

Fantastic Fish 4 (20"X17"). Ditto.

Detail:

Krewe de Barkus Dog Parade 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:30:00 +0000

The parade was on the Christiansted boardwalk, to benefit the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center. This year's theme was "Moon Doggies."

There were astronaut dogs

and the space shuttle

and lunar dogs

including a lunar princess

and a whole galaxy.

There were extraterrestrial dogs

and an alien goat

and a flying saucer.

There was Donny Osmond the dog, dancing with the stars

and ruffles

and pearls

and hipsters

And a Crucian lady sitting in the shade

watching the rastas go by

and a hippy in bell bottoms

and Elvis

And Eeyore the donkey masquerading as a golden retriever.

The Alchemy of Politricks

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:07:00 +0000

The lazy waves at Rainbow Beach on Sunday afternoon provided the perfect backdrop for the sounds of Politricks, one of my favorite bands on the St. Croix music scene.

I've seen Glenn play bass and Tyler play the drums with various other bands here on island, and they always sound great. But when these two talented musicians team up with singer/songwriter/guitarist Sebastian, a different kind of alchemy takes place: three unique talents blend to create Reggae Jazz fusion spiced with a little Funk. The original lyrics are ardent and colorful, inviting you to dance, or to hang back and mellow out, depending on your mood.

My mood yesterday had me swaying on my seat while watching a beautiful mid-winter sunset.

New Year's Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:55:00 +0000

This was the blue moon as it shone on St. Croix welcoming the New Year. For me, it is the harbinger of new creative ideas. If I have one resolution, it is to see those ideas come to fruition in 2010. Happy New Year!

The Christmas Boat Parade

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:04:00 +0000

It's hard to conjure up the spirit of Christmas in 80F degree weather. There is no smell of pine or the crisp snow air, or cozy hats and mittens and sweaters to snuggle into. But here on St. Croix there is one event that for me brings out the best that Christmas has to offer: a happy and harmonious coming together of a diverse community.

Before sunset, half the island population convenes along the waterfront on Christiansted Harbor.

And when the darkness settles in, there begins a parade of boats decked out in lights.

They look like floating Christmas trees.

And along the waterfront, the crowds go wild with cheers.

This was a crowd favorite, and mine too!

And when the parade ends, the fireworks begin.

And it was my luck that my beautiful friend and photographer extraordinaire, Kelly Greer, was at the scene with her camera and a fancy lens that captured the lights and the nuances of the night sky. To check out more of Kelly's awesome photography, visit www.kellygreerphotographer.com.

thank you, Kelly!

Thanksgiving at the Robinsons

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:22:00 +0000

The placemats came from the garden.

The turkey was cooked al fresco

And perfectly done in 30 minutes.

The master carver did his magic

And a succulent table was set.

After dinner, a bonfire under the palm tree

With tasty dessert bites

And blackberry-flavored hookah.

It was an evening that had, in the words of Lord Buckley, "everything to have a good time with."

Christmas with a Sea Theme

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:37:00 +0000

It's been a productive time at the studio as I get ready for the upcoming Christmas festivals here on St. Croix. You can find me selling my creations at the Starving Artists Fair at the Whim Plantation Museum on November 29, 2009, and at the Christmas Spoken Here Festival on the grounds of the St. George Botanical Garden on December 6, 2009.

Meanwhile, here's a sneak preview of my assorted quilted gift items, all with a sea theme, of course:

Cuff Bracelets

Journals

Bookmarks

Eye Pillows

Satchels

Totes

If you can't make it to St. Croix but would like to purchase any of these items, contact me and I'll ship to wherever you are.

Halloween at Norma's

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:31:00 +0000

For Halloween my husband Bob announced that he wasn't going to dress up, but his finger wanted to go as a frangipani caterpillar.

We went to Norma's (aka, the Domino Club) for the big Halloween Bash featuring the music of Kurt Schindler. The little caterpillar found his way among costumes that were:

wild

gothic

alien

historic

dramatic

mystical

and feminine.

Still Life with Mango

noreply@blogger.com (Jamila) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:50:00 +0000

July is peak mango season on St. Croix. Mango trees on roadsides and backyards are bright and fragrant with ripe fruit. In early July, the Botanical Garden hosts a Mango Melee, showcasing the 80 varieties of mango grown here on the island. By summer's end the harvest winds down and we all settle down to wait for next summer's crop.

Not so for my friends Brooke and Valerie. Their home, nestled on the hills overlooking St. Croix's north shore, has a lovely orchard and a mature mango tree that comes into season right when every other mango tree has called it a day. This tree is about 25 feet tall and is currently producing mangos the size of grapefruits. I don't know the name of this particular variety but these are truly the Rolls Royce of the mango kingdom. Plump and juicy, the flavor is a perfect balance of sweet and tangy. These mangos have made a mango lover of my husband, who, up to now, never gave a mango a second glance.

Yesterday Valerie told me that she was trying to rescue as many ripening mangos as she could before the birds and bats got to them. Bob and I volunteered to assist with the mango rescue. We saved a couple dozen mangos and a handful of sour oranges and mandarins that beckoned from nearby trees. Here's the bounty we just acquired:

I have visions of mango mousse, mango curry, mango salsa... but I suspect that as they ripen, Bob and I will devour these mangos fresh and unembellished.