Musings about design, art and yoga
Raul Colón grew up in Puerto Rico, where he studied commercial art. He moved to Miami in 1978 to work at an educational television center, and ten years later he made New York his home, and began a freelance illustration career. An acclaimed artist, Colon’s work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.
An award-winning illustrator of over thirty books for children, including gallery owner Richard Michelson’s: As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom, and Roberto Clemente, which was recently banned in Florida, and is being highlighted in this exhibition. The industry has recognized Colón with a Golden Kite Award, two Pura Belpré Awards, a gold and silver medal from the Society of Illustrators, and two Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Awards.
Colón uses very unique techniques in his artwork to create texture and rich, deep colors. He begins with textured watercolor paper, adds 5 to 8 washes on top of each other, and then uses colored pencils and a scratchboard instrument appropriately called a ‘scratcher’ to draw down through the layers.”
I'm at Touchstone Center for Crafts freezing my ass of in Western Pennsylvania taking African Batik class with Gasali Adeyemo. I got a scholarship for this workshop that covered tuition but not room and board. I'm in a wooden structure without heat. It's charming but again I'm a SoCal girl and I'm freezing.
I was awarded a 1 month residency at Kala today. I'm really proud of myself. Maybe I'm a good artist.
I made these swirls for waves in Key West and they ended up linking up all my work around the Henrietta Marie.
At Touchstone yesterday, I thought I'd Batik some of them. You can see my control is not that great but maybe there's some charm to being out of control. Who knows. The idea was to make the fabric to use in the quilt later.
I had made this digital collage from scanned images in Key West. It's the crew of the Henrietta Marie drowning.
I don't know if these are stupid, juvenile, are excellent. But I made this watercolor collages based on the colors, landscape and petroglyphs at Joshua Tree.
When I received the scholarship to take the Linocut Wallpaper class on the Letterpress, I wept. This past year and a half has been incredibly difficult—my career collapsed, and I found myself at a crossroads, needing to completely reinvent my life. Surface design had become a new devotion, and I felt a deep calling to explore whether I could build a new life within this creative field.
This particular class in wallpaper printing felt like a rare gem—something aligned so perfectly with what I longed to learn. Receiving a scholarship to attend, along with room and board, was a profound affirmation during a time of deep depression. I took it as a sign from the universe that I was on the right path.
Now, as the class winds down, I am just as grateful as I was when I first opened the scholarship email. Laura Baisden is an incredibly passionate teacher, and her TA, Elizabeth—herself a wallpaper professional—is equally knowledgeable, creative, and caring.
I write with immense gratitude for the opportunity to take this extraordinary class, to be nourished with beautiful food, to practice yoga, and to work in such a well-equipped print shop. Penland is, for me, a place of deep creativity and mindful care. This experience has been both transformative and affirming.
I hope Penland continues to be part of my journey. Thank you from the depths of my heart. “Thank you” feels far too small for the magnitude of what I feel.
I was incredibly inspired by this mask I saw at the Mel Fisher Museum.
