Dia de los Muertos and Papel Picados

our day of the dead altar in 2004 - the year Johnny Cash died
Our ofrenda (altar) in 2005
ofrenda 2006 with my paper cut out of a rakish Mr. Skull
Dia de los muertos/hallowen dispaly with my paper cut out of "forever sexy" Mrs. Skull in her lingerie

I love papel picados (mexican paper cut outs) , in fact I love all paper cut out or scherenschnitte (as they are called in Germany). I have made a variety of them over the years and like particularly my two big Mr. and Mrs. Skull, that I hang up on Halloween, Dia de los muertos.

The Red Display

I have a sideboard in my dinning room and always set up different objects and flowers. I change these displays every couple month or whenever I feel the need for change. This red display features 2 beautiful beaded boxes that my dad gave me, knowing that I am such a fan of everything beaded. They are real treasure boxes and I am actually keeping some lovely pieces of lace ribbon in the bigger box. Also on the table is a book about trompe l'oeil paintings borrowed from my mom and a strawberry plant, that did carry some little berries until recently.

Display with Chirimen Sakuras

The sun was shining and the beautiful weather was calling out to me to change the display on my sideboard in its honor. Perfect time to set up the lovely little cloth flowers and frogs I had bought on my recent trip to Japan. These wonderful decorations are made of chirimen silk and follow a long tradition. Women would use left over kimono pieces to sew little toys and decorations from the Chirimen silk. The toys and decorations would often depict flowers and animals in accordance with the four different seasons. For example autuum leaves in reds and oranges, pink and white cherry blossoms (sakura) for spring or snails and hydrangeas as symbols of the rainy season in June. I love the idea of honoring the seasons like the Japanese do and have sometimes followed the theme of the four seasons in my decorating scheme.
Setting up the display on the sideboard is always great fun for me, it is after all like a small personal home altar. Kay Turner writes in her book "Beautiful Necessity - The art and meaning of women's altars" that the tradition of home altars dates as far back as the fifth milenium and that home altars were almost always tended to by women. Often these altars were called hearth altars, since they were located in the kitchen next or above the hearth. I guess my altar is close to the kitchen: in the dinning room, which is the center of our house. I have always been intrigued by the notion of altars and always created a little spot in my living area where I would display something of meaning - which always changes. It fascinates me to think that People have done it for ever without giving it much thought, just doing it because this act of creativity feels good and affirms what is important for them. That's the kind of art I love - people being creative just for themselves.