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The Glorious Gel-Git Gazette!This page is where we get to tell you
what a great job you are doing, and how it has helped us - and others - do a better job ourselves. Together, we make a pretty darn good team. |
 Yikes. September is almost upon us. Every year, the ninth month seems to mark a turning point. It brings the end of the summer schedule, the beginning of the school year (for most), the turning of the leaves... but that isn't what I am talking about. It's the change of perspective.
During the lazy days of summer, we bask in the complacency of long hot days, icy cold drinks, sleeveless nights, the lapping of the water, the sizzle of the sidewalk, the jingle of the ice cream truck and the scream of the rides at the fair. It is a blur, it is warm, it is comfortable. But when September rolls around, we suddenly find ourselves looking forward to cold starry nights, hot fires, and the warmth of family. We pick up the pace, we focus our eyes on a higher horizon, start planning out how we are going to make this holiday season/school year/fiscal end different. We realized today that, after Labor Day, we have several "no event" Fridays at our usual spot at the Huntington Beach Pier Art-A-Faire. How are we going to make up for that lost opportunity? We'd better not wait until September to figure it out. Time to mobilize. So, we are offering a 15% discount on any corporate or private event which is booked between now and October 2. What a great opportunity to get started early on your holiday planning, or to throw one really awesome party to celebrate the end of summer! We would love to make summer last just a little longer....with you :) -Star P.S. We will be at the Huntington Beach Pier on the following dates: August 28 Labor Day Weekend September 4-7 October - December many dates To Be Announced!!
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On April 30, we had the pleasure of being one of a handful of artisan vendors selected to showcase their products at L.A. Weekly's ARTOPIA at The Container Yard. This annual celebration of the vibrant arts and culture scene in Los Angeles! Art, fashion, music, food, mixology and fun came together in a vibrant splash of color as guests stepped off the city street into a wonderland intended to excite all of the senses, and we were thrilled to be right in the midst of it all. It was a very eclectic show, with everything from from fresh floral wearable art, to hand crafted beers and cocktails, to body painting and a Scream Room, which invited people to release their pent up anger by, well, screaming. One of the folks who visited our booth was blogger Jen a.k.a. Hugs a.k.a. Jennie Jen. Her photographic blog (https://loveandhatela.wordpress.com/) is a virtual portrait gallery of L.A.'s best street artists and performers.
Just unearthed from the internet (ie, we didn't see it til now), Jennie Jen had these words to say about her experience at Artopia, and especially about the Mayu Silk Art Experience: For those of you who were unable to make the exhibit, here’s a photographic recap of what went down for LA Weekly’s Artopia at The Container Yard on Thursday, April 30, 2015. The artists were all very talented but if I had to narrow it down to one of my most favorite from the event, I would have to say that I was really intrigued by the interactive display presented by Mayu. Colorful things attract my attention. I was kind of blown away and spent a lot of time at their booth. I was just trying to gather as much information about their technique as possible. They were a very pleasant pair. I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to see them in person if you ever get a chance. You can also visit their website at www. mayusilkart.com ... Jennie Jen's great photos of the Mayu Silk Art booth start HERE Scroll through in either direction to see the full gallery (note: some of the art contains live nude models). You can learn more about Jennie Jen and her artistic journalism & photography by visiting her website, at http://loveandhatela.com/  Until today, it has been a hectic week. Ok, it has been a hectic month. That's not really going back far enough. We're talking months, years even. For the most part, my life is hectic. There is seldom a moment when I am not trying to DO something. I am like the Energizer Bunny on Auto Pilot.
Today, however, I found myself wooed into taking a time out, and going to the pool. I did not admit to myself that it was a time out. I did not go with the intent to NOT DO something, but reasoned that I could get some much-needed exercise AND cool off at the same time. I took a hat and my phone, in case I needed to check my emails or answer a call or look something up on the internet. I'm always prepared to DO something. The moment happened, though, when I found myself floating on my back in an otherwise empty pool, arms outstretched, eyes closed, doing NOTHING but breathing, gently, slowly, and quietly until all I sensed was breath and water. Breath and water... My beloved art of water marbling was born in breath and water. Suminagashi (墨 流 し) is the ancient Japanese technique of decorating paper with inks. It is believed to be the oldest form of marbling, originating in China over 2,000 years ago and practiced in Japan by Shinto priests as early as the 12th century. Suminagashi (sue-me-NAH-gah-she), which means literally “ink-floating” involves doing just that. Japanese Sumi-e inks were originally used, dropped carefully to float on a still water surface and then blown across to form delicate swirls, after which the ink was picked up by laying a sheet of white rice paper atop the ink covered water. Water and breath. In suminigashi, no tools are used to directly manipulate the inks. The artists uses only the breath, or wind created by fanning with the hand, moving across the surface of the water, to create graceful designs that evoke images of mountains, lakes, forests and streams, flowers and trees, earth and the heavens. Today, I was the ink, not the artist. And that, I think, is utterly beautiful.  Laguna Woods Village Loving this life, living this dream
 We were pleasantly surprised to receive a request from The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Garden, ordering several scarves for the opening of their new museum store on January 14, 2015! After the busy holiday season, our inventory was woefully low, and with only a few days' notice we had to scramble. Scarves and paint had to be ordered, and we encountered a glitch in the studio when our paint started misbehaving on the water (yikes!), but we were able to send a small sampling in time for their opening day. Go to http://www.huntington.org/ for more information about the new store, or to arrange your next visit to The Huntington, one of the world's great cultural, research, and educational centers. We are unspeakably proud to be part of it all!
We are now looking to fill up our calendar for the rest of the winter and into the busy spring season. In addition to several private corporate events, we are putting together a Mayu Silk Art Experience for the residents at Laguna Woods Village, and making plans to set up our marbling tables at local art shows, street markets, and Art Walks around the southland, from L.A. to Orange County, the Inland Empire, and San Diego County. Come spring, we are looking forward to heading out to Arizona for the Pima County Fair. More details to come - check our events page often for updates and new opportunities to partake in the one-of-a-kind experience that makes Mayu Silk Art truly unique. For those who missed it, here is our December newsletter/end of year thank you: 12/23/2014 Hello, fellow artists! Happy Holidays from all of us at Mayu Silk Art! We hope this update finds you warm and cozy, cool and invigorated, full of bustling excitement or relaxing serenely - whichever suits you best - as you partake in this holiday season. As you know, we've only just begun on our endeavor to make Mayu Silk Art a successful business, and we are so thankful for the love and support we've received from all of you. Many of you know that it is not easy for us, working long hours to prepare for each event, and even longer hours manning our booth or serving at a private function. Often, this means being on our feet from dawn to dark. Occasionally, we are reduced to sheer exhaustion. And yet, we have found much joy in sharing this unique art form which is both singularly individual and collectively interactive and inspiring. Each person who participates in the making of a Mayu design understands how this is; by working on our own design, we somehow draw closer to the water, to the paint, to the moment in which we say, "There, it's ready, let's do it!" And then, assisted by others, we lay the silk on the water and watch our one-of-a-kind creation come to life, to the amazed enjoyment of the curious crowd of onlookers around us. And we ourselves, the artists, are often surprised to see that our design has mysteriously become more than we imagined, different from our original plan and yet, still, very much ours. We, Phil & Star, feel that sense of joy every single time we help someone else discover the art of water marbling. We are blessed and humbled, and reinvigorated. Thank you for being a part of this serendipitous journey in 2014, and hope you will continue to follow us as we head into 2015. We have many exciting new venues on the horizon. Watch for charitable events and new silk and silk-free products, coming soon! Remember to check out our website at www.mayusilkart.com for updates, photos, and more. Some of our coming events are listed below. If you're looking for something fun to do for the holidays, consider a day at the beach!! We'll be at the Huntington Beach Pier from 10am to 5pm on 12/26, 12/27, 12/28 and 1/1/2015. Weather should be BEAUTIFUL. May the New Year bring all of us closer together, for having shared the experience of being part of something new and beautiful, this Mayu Silk Art experience. Wishing you many moments of joy and serendipity, Phil Greenwood, Managing Director/ Star McCain, Artistic Director and our wonderful assistants: Oliver (OC/LA area) Emma (OC/South Bay area) Edam (LA area) Hannah (OC/Riverside County area) Sabrina (LA/San Fernando Valley area) Liam, who is always a welcome helper at our booth in Huntington Beach! and Alan (our canine mascot) Cheers! Star & Phil & Alan  Mayu Silk Art LLC
www.mayusilkart.com (949) 424-3458 Instagram: @mayusilkart www.facebook.com/MayuSilkArt MAYU SILK ART: COMING EVENTS Friday, 12/26 10:00am - 5:00pm Huntington Beach Pier Plaza Art-A-Fair Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway and Main St, Huntington Beach, CA Sun, sand, water, plus shopping, restaurants and taverns, rental bikes, surfing, fishing, nightlife - So-Cal at it's finest! Saturday, 12/27 10:00am - 5:00pm Huntington Beach Pier Plaza Art-A-Fair Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway and Main St, Huntington Beach, CA Don't forget the sunscreen. Glorious weather is expected. Parking is available in several parking structures off of Main St./Walnut for about $8/day. Sunday, 12/28 10:00am - 5:00pm Huntington Beach Pier Plaza Art-A-Fair Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway and Main St, Huntington Beach, CA Bring the kids, your mom, your grandmom, your neighbor, or that special someone you've been wanting to ask out but couldn't figure out how.... Friday, 1/1/2015 10:00am - 5:00pm Surf City Splash Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway and Main St, Huntington Beach, CA Beach, street entertainers, artisan booths, discounted beach clothing, sunglasses, and other gear, surfing exhibition, and much more. Most of the restaurants, bars, and breweries will be open New Year's Day. |
"Gel-Git" is a Turkish phrase meaning "back and forth," and is the name of the basic chevron-like water marbling design formed by pulling the rake, comb or stylus back and forth through the paint.
We hope that this phrase will also describe our relationship with you and the many other folks with whom we have enjoyed sharing this beautiful art form. Please feel free to contact us at any time with your photos, ideas, questions, event inquiries, or custom orders. AuthorStar McCain and Philip Greenwood took a leap of faith, abandoning lucrative professional careers to follow their dream of working together to share the joy and beauty of water marbling on silk with others. Archives
October 2020
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