Chinguetti and Terjit...

It was like this for many many many miles...

I don't even know where to begin.  First I have to thank Nitza and Chris and Joe and Masha for goingon this very short but wonderful trip to a magical place really far away from Nouakchott.  It took us maybe 7 or 8 hours to get there I think.  I am actually not sure exactly. But if you look on the map of Mauritania, you will see just how far we traveled.  We traveled in two vehicles.  Left at 6:30am in the dark.  And the streets were so quiet..even the mouton and goats were still asleep.  I can only describe the road as empty and flat...for quite some time until we hit some rock formations..here are some photos so you can see for yourself...

Nitza told me that it isn't usually this green.  Amazing to think if this landscape without the little shrubs and grasses.  I think we probably passed 20 cars between Nouakchott and Atar.  It was all just open flat space with the occasional small building, a couple of tents, herds of camels, goats and sheep roaming about. We passed through a small town and I tried to snap some shots of it..

The trip was fairly uneventful..no breakdowns with the car or people..here are some landscape shots of our trip..

So strange how the earth doesn't soak up this water..

We ran into some friends of theirs who were going to fish here..

I was put in charge of buying snacks..:)

The rock formations are amazing..

On the way into town..

We all arrived in Chinguetti ready to explore what it had to offer.  We were very  happy to get out of the car too.  Not all of the road is paved so it was quite bumpy in parts.

Nitza is friends with the Mayor, and so we went directly to his house to say hello!  And what did we find there in his lovely home, which was constructed using the old stones from the ancient city, a lunch prepared in our honor.  I will give you one guess what we ate...it was in fact, dates and grilled mouton (mutton) and bread.  We all ate and drank tea with his family.  People are so wonderfully generous and warm.  We discussed the lack of tourism lately in Chinguetti due to some reports about unsafe conditions for travelers.  It is a shame and the city is suffering because no one is visiting these days.  I highly recommend this as a destination if you find yourself in Mauritania one day.  We also talked about his family, some of who live in the US.  It was very comfortable and easy and we were all happy to have met him.

Inside the Mayor's house

Our lunch...

Masha and me..eating dates!

Close up of our lunch..mouton!!!!!!

Me and the Mayor of Chinguetti..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will post more later..after the exhibition.  We will do the unveiling of the wall at 5:30pm and the Opening of the exhibition at 6:00pm!!!! Very excited about it all....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An answer to one of my questions...

My paintings arrived about a week ago.  The museum staff helped me to unwrap them and put them against the wall.  Some of the artists were there and others were still arriving.  One artist called me over and asked me to explain one of my paintings.  Many others had already commented on the same one.  Here it is so you know what I am talking about...

Anyway, we started talking.  I thought he was going to say he didn't like it, as a couple of others had.  Well, they didn't say it exactly but they were clearly uncomfortable with the image.  One artist asked, why did you paint that, in this almost disturbed voice.  Someone else told me that the Mauritanians would not like it at all.  I am thinking it has to do with how the figure is sitting--call it a hunch. Anyway, the artist said it was actually his favorite.  He asked me what it was about and yes, why I painted it.  I tried my best to explain the feelings behind this painting..which have become clearer over time for me.  I was searching..for answers, for clarity.  It is never easy to explain a painting for me because they are so very personal.

When I paused, he said, "How did you know you wanted to become an artist?  How did you know you had it in you?"  I looked at him and smiled because I had been wondering the same thing about the Mauritanian artists.  I didn't answer right away and so he began to tell me his story.."When I was very young and going to school, the other children practiced writing the alphabet...but I just wanted to draw people, animals, anything really.  I would sit there at my place and draw and draw.  As I got older, I couldn't figure out why I had this need, this desire to create, to draw things around me.  I thought I was the only one in my family with this interest. It wasn't until my mother lay dying that I learned where this came from.  I spent a lot of time with her during her illness.  One day I was sitting there with her talking about life and our family and she stopped and pointed to the ceiling..she said: "Look up there, I see the clouds and a woman carrying a child.  See the goats and the sheep that stand together?" She was seeing these things in the shapes made by spots and stains that accumulated over time.  It was then I realized that I got my drawing and painting from her."

His mother was perhaps never able to explore her artistic side..most likely because at the time representational  art wasn't being done, the Mauritanian culture and the fact that she was a woman.  His mother gave him some understanding of where it was coming from and I think in some way, permission for him to pursue this talent. 

The Mural Update!!!!!!!!!

Well..we are almost finished.  There are only  a few spots left to touch up.  And just in time, because Tabaski is tomorrow and the next two days are basically holiday.  By the end of today we will have our wall ready for the opening.  We will unveil it on the 22nd in the park, right before the opening of the exhibition at the National Gallery.  I am really very pleased with the result.  22 artists with 22 visions on one wall...well, it is already a huge accomplishment for the artists.  The theme being "Cultural Diversity" seems to be quite a fitting one considering all the various backgrounds that make up our group. 

We have drawn quite a bit of attention from the road already.  There will be a film festival on the 23rd of November in the same park, so I think many many people will have the chance to enjoy it. 

Me, Ahmed and Abass

Aicha taking a break...

An earlier stage...working together!

Links to get to know the artists better...

I have spent the morning watching videos of the artists that Francesca sent me.  It is so great to see them work in their own spaces.  I have really enjoyed learning about them this way.  The workshop brings everyone together but I don't have a sense of how they work away from there..when they can just be themselves and create.  Here are some links to the short films on some of artists that are in the workshop.  There are a total of 22 artists, so this is only a few of them...

Mamadou Anne tells stories through is work. He also teaches other artists.  He is an expressionistic painter who collages images together, divides their forms and explores the mystical and the magical.  You can find many many stories within one canvas.  I think he is a dedicated artist--very motivated, who works well into the early hours of the morning to find the story he wants to tell.  Sometimes I would like him to show me less..let my eye rest to take in some of the more important elements in his painting. Every day he greets me in English: "Michelle, how do you feel?"

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xd090j_mamadou-anne-le-conteur-d-images_creation

I have talked about Morkis a lot I think.  He has taught and supported many of the younger artists.  I appreciate his comments, his skills and experience, his warm personality and his easy way with people.  He is also one of the most well known painters here in Mauritania.  His paintings hang in the President's residence.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xd0bfd_mokhis-le-pionnier_creation

I love watching Bechir paint because he is so confident..and his confidence is not misplaced.  He knows how to draw and paint.  He has an intuitive way of applying paint and understands the importance of shadow and darks as well as the highlights.  He has chosen to do figurative painting in the workshop but he is an abstract painter.  I need to understand more about why he chooses the stylized abstract forms.  I wonder what it means to him and if there is real significance in the forms or if it is simply an element of the composition.  He grew up in Liberia and so..he speaks English perfectly.  He brings a different experience to the workshop.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xczwre_bechir-malum-l-homme-sans-frontiere_creation

Amy invited me to see her studio.  I loved it. It is located just next to her house.  I am including photos because I found it so beautiful and inviting.  She has a great sense of style and aesthetic.  I think she should explore sculpture or design clothes.  I need to learn more about her way of painting.  She does abstract painting and I have a hard time knowing what it is all about without her explanation.  The film helped me a little.  I think Amy could go in many directions with her art.  I look forward to seeing her work in the future. 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb2ens_amy-sow-l-art-et-la-femme_creation

Sidi-yaya is not in the workshop but he was one of the pioneers of painting in Mauritinia.  I didn't realize he was also working in sculpture until I watched this film.  He works at a Mauritanian school now and also part time at the American School.  I am not sure how much time he has left for doing his own work.   It is amazing to hear him talk about how it was in the beginning and how it is now.  He stresses that most young artists do not have formal training.  I see this in the younger artists. 
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xd0h0b_sidi-yahya-le-poete-des-traces_creation

The less experienced  want to soak up as much as possible...learn more about technique.  I would love to stay and provide that opportunity for them..to learn more about the importance of drawing from observation and a strong composition.  It can only help improve their work.  As an artist, I always feel like I am searching for more.  Finding one's voice is so crucial in making art, but that voice has to be able to change, move, grow, evolve...whatever you want want to call it.

We will finish the mural in the next three hours I think.  I will post a picture of it even if we do not finish.  It has been a very exciting project.  The U.S. Ambassador will unveil it on the 22nd  of November right before the opening of the exhibit.  It will be a great occasion. 

The Mural Project...

There is so much I could say about this project of painting the mural.  I am going to focus on the technical this evening.  My next blog will be more about my thoughts and reactions to the past 10 days here working with the artists. 

We last left off when the two groups had completed their drawings and we were in the process of discussing ways to transfer them to the big wall.  It wasn't surprising they came up with two different methods of doing this.  The morning group made hundreds of tiny holes following the outline of the drawing.  They then taped the drawing to the wall and took a dye powder and rubbed it into the holes.  When the drawing was removed, they had a dotted line to follow that they then filled in with pencil.  The afternoon group emptied packets of dye on the back of the drawing, taped it to the wall and retraced their lines to create the drawing.  They, too, filled in with pencil to make it more visible.  Here are some pictures...

Morning group making holes.

Afternoon group spreading dye.

Stamping the dye through the holes to transfer the drawing to the wall.

Tracing their lines to transfer the drawing to the wall.

We also had to prep our paint by mixing colorant into a mixture of diluted glue and white house paint. This took some time, but this is how they make several different colors from the primary colors we purchased. 

So..are you dying to see the work..the wall with paint..their progress?  I know you are wondering how this all worked out..how they worked together on the wall and the results of their efforts thus far.  I am reminded very often by certain artists how this workshop is already very successful because the artists are engaged, they continue to show up every day at their scheduled time and they work hard.  I am also reminded that this working on one thing together..collectively...is very new.  Painting a mural together is new.   And I see how people are getting used to communicating better with each other.  I have also been encouraging this more and more--almost insisting that it happen.  For a mural project, it is better to plan a bit where the colors are going for harmony, balance, etc.  I found the first group is very good at this...they might not agree with each other all the time, but they discuss.  Yes, because I ask them to discuss, but so what..it is all new to them and I think they see the benefits of their conversations.  I am not sure I care that I am orchestrating it..I just like it that it is happening.  The afternoon group seems to not want to discuss anything but instead attack the wall and react later.  They are actually a day ahead of the other group.  Today they accomplished a lot, but many comments were made to me and not to the person working on a specific area.  They feel more comfortable with me critiquing than themselves.  This is my point of view.  I could be reading it completely wrong.  I have more to say on communication in this workshop, but I will leave it for another time.  I want to post our progress. So here are the two groups working and  their progress as of the end of today.

Morning Group

Morning Group after one day.  This is 2 meters by 5 meters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afternoon Group on their second day.

Both sides as they are currently. The artists decided to make one big mural instead of two.  2 meters by 10 meters.

What do you think so far?  I am interesting to hear from you a bit now...