Festival Miradas de Mujeres

It has been an incredible week/weekend! I have been very busy finishing 3 little boxes for the Women's Show at the Ormolú Galery, here in Pamplona, which inaugurated last Thursday night! So, 3 big, huge ups for me: one is the galery in itself, the second is that it's Women's Month, just like I mentioned in my very first post. And the third, I will describe it in my next blogpost.
   Let me tell you about the Ormolú Gallery. It is one of the best in Pamplona, Navarra! When I came to live here, 5 years ago, I did not know anyone here, I didn't have any friends, it was the first time I had met Javier's family... and let alone the language!!! The only word I knew in Spanish was 'puta,' but this can be kept in secret.
   From the very first days here in Spain, I was the luckiest in meeting Javier's friend who had an uncle, Pedro Salaberri, who turned out to be a very famous and well-known artist in Navarra. When I met Pedro Salaberri, not only he loved and appreaciated my work, he immediatelly talked about me to the Maites or the Ormolú Gallery. The gallery is situated uptown Pamplona, it a relativelly busy but nice area of the city. I finally got to meet the 2 Maites (they are both named 'Maite,' which is 'my beloved' in Basque). They abosolutelly loved my work, just like Salaberri. And since then, they have been my 2 best 'Art advisors/dealer,' I don't really have a specific name for them but to me, they have always been my 2 Angels here in Pamplona. They talk well about me to people, they try best to sell as much of my art as possible, they recomend me to people and artists, they promote me... In brief, I wouldn't be anyone here in Pamplona, if it wasn't for these two beautiful, middle-aged, blond and very successful lovely women! I feel so grateful, I love them dearly and I owe them so much!!!
   So, this month, they chose me, including 6 other women artists (Gloria Santacruz, Conchita Bardají, Eva Armisen, Alicia Otegui, Susuna Zaldívar and Carmen Salgado)! How more lucky and grateful can I be? Being with Gloria, which I love her Art so much, because she has a childhood-style that often comunicates to my illustration style!!! Such tender and feminine work. Also with Conchita (in one of the following pictures with me), an absolute honor!!! I love her work so much... she has much more of an elegant, experimental style, and I feel so grateful to have one of her artworks in my home! (One day, I will reveal her painting which Javi and I have, because it is a very importnat piece in our lives!!!)
   One top of being in Ormolú this month, the gallery is participating in the Women's Festival ''Miradas de Mujeres,'' here in Navarra! I feel so so so proud, so so so happy!!! I am so amazed, and feel so grateful, to be recognized as a woman, no, as a Woman... it warms a little bit my heart, because I am not used to be seen, or even consider myself in this way! I am just my little me, and I forget sometimes I can get to be the big Me!!! I do not know much of the other women, I am obviously meeting them as well...
   But I feel so enchanted by two ladies in partical. One is Mireya Larumbe, a very tall and slim red-headed lady, who is an artist, which 3-4 years ago, I got to see her work. She is very famous here in Navarra, being one of the prized young artists. I was just able to meet her briefly, but I remembered her beautiful art--paintings of butterfly wings mingled in human bodies and faces.
   The other lady which I met in this festival in Marta Prieto. She has stuned me in her composure, a delicate small figure, and yet with the power of her intence black hair and red dress. The couple of times I have seen her, she has worn red or black. I really admire women who can wear these darked and intense colors-- to me, they transmit personal empowerness, just like my mother, something I do not dare to dress myself. Marta is small, but she stransmits such strong feminism: the way she walks, the way she speaks, I have noticed that everyone around her seems to be depending, or waiting on her. Plus, she smells the loveliest sweet perfume!!! She is 'Gestora Cultural,' which I am not sure how to translate this in English, other than she has been the one to organize this whole festival all over Navarra. She has convocated some women and made a promotional video for the Woman's Festival, in which I appear, which I am attaching here and in which you could have a good laugh. I sense this woman to be so sweet, so beautiful, and yet so powerful, so I will just leave it at that!
   I will also leave you the invitation of the Ormolú Exhibition in which I am participating (and which I will describe it to you in my next post). Also, a picture of the newspaper in which we, some of the Women appear...
   And of course, the video! I feel really grateful for been part of this Festival, and beein with these women... I only have one criticism to the whole experience, which I will allow to say it since this is my blog: there aren't any other Black American, african, or asian woman represented. There are many international wiem here in Navarra, although I do not know many myself.... But I have a Brazilian friend who has lived as many years here as I have. Her name is Allethea Mattos, and she is a beautiful crochet designer. I will see if next year, she could be included in the Festival. Because, she is also quite a Woman!!!...