Who I am

I found clay with a group of women back in 1983 at "La Casa de la Mujer del San Jorge", the centre of my life during the seven years we lived in Montelíbano, Córdoba, Colombia.Córdoba, Colombia. I worked with grass root women doing whatever is needed, and for several years as a volunteer Birth Companion, intuitive work, valued experience to become a Certified Doula today. There, and then, while working as a social researcher I repeated: woman’s liberation starts in our pockets while working with 16 women groups in the region. One group wanted to make pottery; another to give support to pregnant women. These two groups changed my life. I am now a Mixedmedia Artist and a Doula. I believe this is the way Life shows its beauty and its gifts. “Our elders were potters, so we must learn how to do it”. And we did. The hard way. Go to the creek to look for clay. -“It looks and feels like soap”-, my daughter María told me over a long distance call. She is an artist and knows. She is my mentor and critic, my "Maestra". Our work started, simple, elementary: low temperature bisqued figures of dancing women, their dresses painted red with acrylic colors and white polka-dots. And there it came to me, the BLISS of clay work. More than twenty years have gone by. They still work with clay and I am still in love with the softness and plasticity of clay, and yes, it feels like soap. Clay is endless: all possibilities to express ourselves, to develop our own artistic language through the mystery of form, of contraction and expansion and the interaction of my soul through my hands with earth, water, air and fire. Now I am in Canada with Ricardo, my life-companion since 1962. I have made a bridge between work in South America and my life here. Daily work in my Studio and an endless learning about life: "our main work of art is our own life". I have participated in collective and solo exhibitions combining woman-flowers, birds and angels as a statement against violence towards women and war. Again and again I make a “mountain” of clay to express our belonging to mother-earth; I play with light and shadow following Carl Jung’s concept of archetypes and our individual and collective shadows. It is the work we must do with our own personal shadow and our collective shadows. I work flowers, birds and angels, sculptures as symbol of love, freedom and peace. I seek to express myself as a woman committed with Life, peace, suffering, violence, death, joy, hope, love and Being. Now, I am over 60 and start each day on my path with a new understanding where the Unknown moves deep inside and pushes my daily Work. All of it. I live love with Ricarado, my family and others. I live the passion of giving support to pregnant women as a Doula (or birth companion) I express myself in all I do, -cooking, knitting, gardening, playing, painting, making pots... all this is "my main work of art, my life".

2009. New year, new life, new plans and dreams

New Year. New Life. New Work...

plans and dreams of travels.

Last year was a difficult one.

So I did these "Six Healing Angels"

to heal and give myself support and gratitude.

They keep us company in our home, in front of my husband Ricardo's Father's oil painting of El Quijote

And a sculpture honoring Lysanne and Alejo, our son, expecting their first baby, Gabriel

Gabriel, born Sept 13 2008

at the General Hospital in Ottawa!

Alejo has been a dad for 10 minutes.

Emilia and Luisa with their cousin, Gabriel

Some of my work this year:

Madonna of the Garden

and Madonna of de Sea

Set of porcelain plates with birds,

bisque fired, drawing with under glazes,

engobes and oxides. After they will be will refired

with clear glaze.

These Five little windows are called

"I peek... inside myself"

During the past three years I have been fusing glass in the kiln. Now I also have a small jewlery electric kiln.

It has been a challange, new experience

and a whole world of learning...

How to make jewelry with glass, how to fuse, make moulds or to fuse it on my pieces.

Sometimes successful

others a total frustration

and an invite to continue...

small glass dish, fired 4 times

In February we will go back to Seattle

to give support to our son.

To be with him for radiation treatment

after two Thyroid cancer surgeries

in October and December.

He is now healed!

Photos during our last visit, the Needle in Seattle:

Visiting Stephen Hirt's glass Studio with the boys,

and the amazing Uwajimaya Market

Candle lit honoring Claudia.

She left a year ago.

when we are back, ready for Spring our grandson Gabriel

will be six months old!!!

Today we were with him and Lysanne, his lovely mom.

He is the most beautiful baby we have seen.

Smiling, goooo goooo ing and chewing his chubby little tiny hands.

Gracias a la Vida...

2008 summer Country Fair

Not much work this summer... a few pots, a few angels and peace birds... time for joy, family and friends visiting. A good Summer! Here we are at the community Summer Country Fair: Emilia, now 14, Luisa is 12. They enjoy helping during exhibitions, sales and fairs. I do too, love their energy, company and to work together.

Tamales on my Birthday

We get together to cook!!!

Always fun...

With Isabella and Susana we have been getting together to cook. Informal, always learning something new from each other.

So we added Ricardo, Diane and Emilia to make tamales for a birthday celebration.

I hope this works. It is a link to a slide show with music of the TAMALES party... if you wish to have the recipe, go to my blog "cocinar/rico" here.

2008 in my Studio, starting again

My Studio is my temple. Each time I go in, I start again. Whatever. There are tree spaces in my studio: a fireplace makes a cozy corner for reading, sitting and being in silence. In front of the window is the second space for work in the computer. the third one is my work studio, my temple. Here there is no time, the only thing there is, is to be here. It is where I sit and work. And when lost, I start again. I play with photos, send them and keep contact with family and friends through the most wonderful technological invention ever: email. And here I work with clay, glass, rods, copper wire, wax. Whatever material to be transformed into living forms. My temple is the best.

New Sculptures, new work

Since I started clay work in the 80's I have been intrigued by the use of glass on clay. When I have found an artist that mixes glass and clay work I am thilled although some say it is impossible. But it has always pushed me to try it. Very few success stories to tell. But then, in my community I have found two glass artists, Sandy and Bonnie and they also wanted to work fusing glass, so we have shared knowledge, frustration, kilns and tests. It`s been great. Since 2006 and mostly this Winter of 07-08 we have been researching on HOW TO FUSE GLASS; they work jewlery, objects and stained glass windows and I research it on clay. Very difficult, hard work, good for stubborn people like me, a good Aries. How to fuse glass, a complete new chapter and technique to learn, so I start here... fusing glass in my kiln. Then, learning about glass, which would work on clay, what is a great calamity, just as Zorba the Greek`s falling structure. Glass shatters when improperly cooling off. Then, starting to fuse glass on my ceramic pieces... here I am, so far. Testing, testing, testing... colors, temperature, results.

Start again after Claudia's death

Our family has been the center of life during the end of 2007 and these first two months of 08: being together for Claudia's death. Instead of trying to express with words love, compassion, pain, a smile, I share with the language of images through photos.

Ricardo has been writting the most beautiful, compassionate and deep pages in his blogs, transforming into words the beauty of love, grief, death and his mourning and healing. My son started when she was diagnosed and goes through her fight against Ovarian Cancer at http://shareclaudiashealth.blogspot.com/. Then he is writting a second Blog as he bloomed during Spring and Summer.

Be prepared to fall in love with this son of ours, his family, his extraordinary photos, his grief and joy.

Here, my homage to him, to Camila, Tomas and Mateo.

Claudia, last days

Almost a month with our son and his family. There was snow in Bellevue. Friends brought her flowers, cards, special food, beer. And love. Here you may visit the album of our family during her last days. Claudia dies at noon, February 24, 2008 You may also visit my son's Blog, during Claudia's fight against Ovarian Cancer. Be prepared to spend quite some time with him, with her, with them. After, life goes on. Start again... for this too, will pass.

Honoring Claudia

During our visit to Bellevue and Seattle she got the news: cancer.

This visit in October 2006 to our son Ricardo, Claudia and their children, Tomas, Mateo and Camila is special, when a new chapter starts for the family with her fight against both, ovarian and cervical cancer. We all are devastated. She decided to fight it, and she did. For 28 months she lived each day, always with a smile, kindness and peace. All the support and love and hope from Ricardo, the kids, family and friends. they found the true community in Bellevue at Eastshore Sanctuary in Bellevue, Washington.

Many tears and community words during the beautiful Memorial Service. I read a page to thank her for her life, her love and her fight. With claudia we learned about living, to keep a smile no matter what and to live and die in grace, January 24, 2008. You may read and see and live with us, be touched by Ricardo's Blog and walk with him in this path, he continues writting about Life Without Claudia.

Glass on porcelain, more tests, more of the same

Fusing glass is great fun. I have fused broken window panes, shattered pieces, mirrors, constructions, wine glasses, glass plates and jars from the dollas stores, beads. anything goes.

Then I made moulds and started to make constructions with glass...

and have moved to what I wish to learn, how to fuse glass on a ceramic or porcelain dish or sculpture.

Should it be fired before or not... ???

Glazed or not... ???

what kind of glaze, from what temperature, color, texture, form ???

This is a porcelain dish, fired at Cone 06. Then a frog drawing with underglazes on satin white glaze, again fired at cone 5. then the test, fused clear glass over, fired at Cone 015, slow cooling of kiln.

I have tried most of the possibilities and now I have a large garbage container filled of broken, useless pieces... something will be done with them out in a garden sculpture in the Summer.

But a few success pieces have come out, so I am thrilled.

Slowly I am learning how not to, how to do it.

2007, this Good Year, painful year, and my work

2007 has been a pain year with Claudia's health. We were with them in Seattle in april for Easter and Birthdays, Tomas' and mine. By the end of the year she was so ill... in November we thought of going to be with her and the family, but our son Ricardo said, let's wait. And we did. We knew it would be her last Christmas and New Year's. So my heart has been in sorrow, being here but also there in my heart. And while here working, kept on my work with Angels. It helped me to be in peace and understanding the non-understandable. How can a young mother die? The success story has been at work, well at Life. This year I finished a beautiful series of eight Angels. New expression. New mixed media, some glass, textures, shapes. They became powerful. Tall, wide, terracota work and the wings in clay did not look so well, too big and heavy, so I changed them to 3/16 copper tube I brought from Honduras during our visit in 2005. Here, I have not been able to find it.

Angel of Peace. . . . Angel of Love. . . . Angel of Nature. .

Angel of Life. . . . .

Angel of Youth...

Guardian Angel for the Garden. .

.

2007 Garden Guardian Angel

2007, the challange is to make an angel for a water fountain. I made it with porcelain slabs, copper slips and under glazes. On her back I left holes to fix the copper wings after the kiln. once slowly dried, fired it to Cone 4 and added a light copper wash and clear glaze. Refired it at Cone 04. This Summer we will install the water so it spills it down the rock, and recycle it with a small pump. This last part is still to come. So fat the Garden Guardian angel has been keeping us company in the studio, where I have a small Gallery with my work.

2007 in my studio

Luisa and Emilia are our grandaughters that live in Ottawa. She loves to be here, doing any of the multiple projects we have together: beads and jewlery making, knittig and sewing, we love to paint, cook and watch tv. Here she is, also working with one of my apron-old stained blouse she loves while I load the kiln

Near success with Fused Glass on Porcelain

Some of the fusing glass testa are beautiful, but not good for functional use, as this lovely blushed pink (chrome test tile near a white glaze with Calcium Carbonate). I drew blue brush strokes (cobalt carbonate) on the white glaze and fired it at Cone 6. Then, added Spectrum clear and green glass cut according to the drawing and refired it at Cone 015. It kept these beautiful bglass bubbles, but not safe for handling or to be near kids. So it is a piece just to show up high on a the wall. Touch pas.

2007 Fundraising for Colombia

When friends ask us about Colombia we have so much to say... they have only heard about violence and war... but there are other stories to share, like these, gathered in Grass-root War Displaced Women´s Groupos in Antioquia. So, we have decided to organize a Fundraising tu support these groups. If you are interested, wish to send a dontation (will send a tax excemption receipt) or wish more info, please contact us at http://www.amaryservir.org.co/ You may see and album, know more about the education and support programs that are going on at this precise moment, while you read these words. Become a member of our support group by a monthly donation, or participate in our events. A translation of 500 Corazones here http://www.amaryservir.org.co/ Here, in Ottawa we are organizing a Fundraising campaign to support Women´s groups, women that have said NO MORE to violence, war, death in Colombia´s half-century old social and armed conflict. Their work is centred on forgiveness, solidarity, emotional support, healing and community work. You may visit them at http://www.amaryservir.org.co/Proyectos/051.PPP.004.006.PDF We have found that by supporting Amar y Servir organized groups in our country people may have hope to achieve thir goals and that their dreams of peace may come true. It is an NGO from the Jesuits in Colombia, working in Social Projects. Several Social Institutions have been gathered under the same Foundation, such as: CINEP (Centro de Investigacion y Educacion Popular), Fe y Alegria, IMCA (Instituto mayor Campesino), Servivienda, Programa por la Paz, Servicio de jesuitas a Refugiados. More info at http://www.jesuitas.org.co/hacemos/obras.html Colombia. Do you want to see photos from our beautiful country? Here are some links: From Juan Antonio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasiando/sets/72057594094699456/ (More photos to come... or to be continued!)

2007, Recent functional ware, here it is leather hard, working with slips, wax resist and oxides. glazes are applied after the first firing.

2005 NVAC, Nepean Visual Arts Centre in Ottawa

There is this extraordinary Visual Arts Centre in the City of Ottawa, in Nepean: the NVAC. Sculpture, life drawing, watercolor, photography, Senior groups and activities, a place to meet, workshops. artists working and sharing their love for art. And the best space is ours: Pottery. Both classes and studio time for potters. Just great. There we have the best technicians and support. Potters work and learn, comment and encourage others. We make friends, good companions, colleagues, critique, feed-back, exhibition space for those that wish to show work. And at NVAC there is the best staff! Photo by Peter McKenna, another potter at NVAC.

Tulip woman, sculpture

after making the ¨silleteras¨, I start to change the sculptures. They start to grow up, other forms come as if they had their own choice. Well, they do, after all, art is about expressing our view of life... One of the spontaneous forms is this slender woman: Tulip Woman porcelain Sculpture Stoneware and porcelain flowers Fired at Cone 6, 3 and 04 Fused glass, fired at cone 1015

2006 "Goddess" wall sculpture by Maria Gomez and my "Tired Woman on a Jug"

2 goddess wall sculptures by Maria Gomez and tired woman on a jug, fraction of one of my tall sculptures

Sculpture "Prayer for Peace"

When the Iraq invasion starts I feel so........ overcome, overwhelmed... sad, so powerless... more war, more death, more violence, more women suffering, left alone, displaced........ orphan kids, loco, loco, loco... more for the mad-house in the world, as if it is not enough as it is. What can I do? I must do something. What I do is art. So I start to look for inspiration... flight and peace......... birds in a flight for peace. In a prayer for peace... My prayer is done working in my temple, in the silence of my studio. So I start to do these sculptures of flying birds, then turn them into a prayer, a prayer for peace. these 20 are a "flock" some are individual flights as garden sculptures, a presence to remind someone of peace.... First version of the sculpture, Prayer for Peace: 21 flying porcelain birds on steel rods, anchored to a railroad tie flying in a Prayer for Peace.

earth, water, air, fire... inside my kiln at 1000 C.

It takes two to take these photos: one, just opens the kiln door at 1100C and the other photographs it. From a distance of at least 6m. or the camera will melt... These were made in my Studio, Guamuca, La Calera, Colombia (2001)

2001 Woman-flower Flower-woman, Installation, Bogota

Woman-flower Flower-woman... each flower is beautiful, fertile, colorful, unique. No matter her color, shape or size... This is the statement for the Installation at Centro Colombo Americano, Bogota (May-June 2001) (More on this installation in this blog in May 2001) I played with the metaphor: flower'woman flower'shadow shadow´woman woman´flower woman´shadow... on and on, one illuminating the other... High fired clay flowers on copper rods

2005 Camping at Sandbanks Provintial Park

The main work of art is our own life. Besides people, I love camping, nature, water and bikes... Sandbanks is an Ontario Provintial Park where the Ontario Lake flows North-East turning into the magestic Saint Lawrence River.

March 2005, Installation at UNAM, Gatineau

1 En la Galeria, atras se ve el "banner" que enmarca la Instalacion... 2 Entrevista con la CBC sobre el tema de la Instalacion: "Wombangels" o sea, "una palabra acerca de la violencia contra la mujer" 3 en la Galeria Felipe Gutierrez de la UNAM-ESECA 1 RU with "Prayer for Peace" sculpture; and at the back, the banner, framing the Installation 2 Interview with CBC View of the Felipe Gutierrez Gallery at UNAM-ESECA

Maria & Rosario, Sculpture Prayer for Peace

Maria, my mentor, my critic, my friend, my daughter, my maestra.

My collection of poor dolls

When our oldest granddaughter Camila was a baby I looked for simple, beautiful rag dolls to play with her. And slowly I start to find hand-made, beautiful, down-to earth dolls, dressed with traditional not-fancy but creative garments and many of them made by local groups of women. These became my favourites. Now I have about a hundred poor dolls from many countries, friends see them in trips and remember my collection of simple poor dolls. A couple from Honduras, made with corn husks; a trio from Peru, dressed as those found in ancient Inca burials; one from Guatemala made with their own hand woven alpaca wool; a set made by my daughter Maria, with fairy tale characters; another by a native Amazon region group of women that use fibers from tree barks... I made an addition with a few porcelain dolls, representing displaced women; they all stand there and remind us of so many women working with recycled, found, natural materials to represent their traditions and culture making these beautiful poor dolls.

2006 a Gallery of my sculptures "silleteras"

Young Silletera, with a ceramic pot

Grandmother Silletera, with thrown miniature pots.

My Grandmother-Silleteras honor Stephen Lewis's Projects in Africa.

"The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) helps to ease the pain of HIV/AIDS in Africa at the grassroots level. It provides care to women who are ill and struggling to survive; assists orphans and other AIDS affected children; supports heroic grandmothers who almost single-handedly care for their orphan grandchildren; and supports associations of people living with HIV/AIDS"

(Taken from the S. Lewis Foundation)

Grandmother Silletera #2 Silletera-potter He is wearing a "ruana" (it is like a poncho)

we all do to keep warm in the mountains of Colombia

Grandmother Silletera, (side view)

Silleteros in love A fusion of an old tradition,

"el desfile de los silleteros" in Antioquia, Colombia with Ottawa's beautiful Tulip Festival in May. These photos by Pilar Gomez, October 2006

2006, Regional Contact, CTV Program

2006 end of Summer Kathy Donovan, Editor of Regional Contact invites me to show my work in the CTV News Saturday evening. She is such marvelous, fun, great person! she does the interview and edition with the excellent photos and camera work of Randy in my garden, studio and home.

Who I also am, Ricardo & Rosario

Mas de la mitad de la vida con Ricardo... en las buenas y en las malas...

siempre ahi... ha sido el mayor y mejor apoyo

en el trabajo...

pero mas aun, en la vida.

Hemos compartido........ todo. More than half of my life with Ricardo... Always there.

He has been the greatest,

the best support in my work

more than that

we have shared it all through life. Junio 2007, celebramos 45.

2003 Diefenbunker Museum, Carp, Ontario

Inside the Diefenbunker, 3 floors down under

Rosario with Ricardo, Maria & Alejo;

my daughter and sons.

They have given support strength and love

needed for this show, all shows The Diefenbunker is now a Museum. An underground bunker constructed during the "Cold War", (as if there are hot and cold wars). It is a 4 storey building, millions of bags of reinforced concrete. it now shows art work. The entrance to the Diefenbunker Museum

is through a tunnel.

Corridors and design belong to the fifties.

Since it was designed as a bunker in case of war

its spaces are very... -original, unique.

But just like the Fortified Walls in Cartagena,

to keep the pirates out in XV and XVI

it was never used.

Now, a museum full of little rooms and corridors in Carp, Ontario.

2006 Art and Garden Tour

The TOP neighbourhood: Tweedsmere on the Park in Kanata! A group of neighbours organize an open visit to our gardens and art studios during Labor Day. Here, the door of our home. Some sculptures live joyfully in the garden all year, as the birds in a flight for peace. Since they are high fired, may stay out in the garden doing their prayers for peace during the Winter. Making tiles, sculptures, flower pots for the garden is a joy. I even learned with how to make garden cement tiles! I use old windows for sculptures, working the wood, the original glass -if possible- and adding fused-glass figures and porcelain sculptures.

Selfportraits

My signature in photography: self portraits while observing my own shadow, acording to Carl Jung, it is our life-time work, to illuminate our own shadows...!

2006 Silleteros, sculptures

The Spaniards had the idea back in 1500: They tied a chair to the back of an Indian, to sit on. To travel. They became the "silleteros" or chair carriers. About 50 years ago, the tradition of silleteros was transformed into an artistic, beautiful flower parade, "el Desfile de los Silleteros" in Medellin, Colombia. Farmers or "campesinos" carry on chairs tied to their backs their beautiful, tropical flowers to the city. Here is an archive photo from the Newspaper El Colombiano, in Medellin. I also found a Blog with a visit to Medellin, during el Festival de los Silleteros These are the real silleteros; I borrowed their dresses to make my sculptures mixing the tropical flowers with Ottawa's tulips during the Spring. I exhibited two of these sculptures during the 2006 Tulip Festival at the Ottawa Guild of Potters Juried Exhibition.

These are the Sculptures I made inspired on the flower parade and Ottawa's Tulip Festival: Silletera. After two or three firings at different temperatures, joining and adding fused glass, copper wire (to hold some of the flowers, others are glued) here she is: a silletera. Ready to be out, in public! High fired Porcelain, glazes, underglazes, oxides, fused glass, copper wire. 28cm x18cm These two "silleteros" made it to the Tulip Festival in Ottawa thanks to the Ottawa Guild of Potters 2006 Spring Juried Exhibition

Fotos Mujeres Desplazadas en Bogota Colombia

some of the photographs at the Exhibit ¨Waging for Peace and Hope¨ at the Deifenbunker Museum, Carp, Ontario

2005 Doula work, or Birth Companion

DOULA. the best gift a mother can give another woman is to invite her to live through her birthing process. To be there and live this beautiful moment all it takes is love, compassion, common sense and experience... and some professional training, which is becoming a Doula. This work is living a deep contact of a woman with another woman, during the greatest life event full of emotion and meaning. We learn each time about the miracle of life, but we are also technically trained to be effective, acertive, informed, strong, wise and compassionate. Training to be a Certified Doula is excellent, I did my Certification with DONA (Doulas of North America). I have found support and collegues at the City of Ottawa support programs, at Mothercraft , the Ottawa Carleton Birth Companion Program and several Doula Associations, as Confort & Joy Doula Association. We work alonside with midwifes or in a group of mothers and birth practitioners as Midwifery Consumers has been great support, training and feed back. My mother tongue being Spanish, it is wonderful to have a Latin American client. You may see my Blog in Spanish here.

2006 Summer camping: selfportrait

While walking the Lower St. Lawrence River I was breathless... the beauty of farm land, rocks billions years old, whales, huge ships, marvelous people... my being breathless shows here......

a passion, being a Doula, being with mother during birth

The greatest gift a future mom can give us, Doulas, is to invite us to be with them during the last weeks of pregnancy, birth and post-partum. Being a Certified Doula has given me to love unique and touching experiences with babies, beautiful as this one... This is the Information I send or discuss about my work, so we get together, talk. Then a decision to have me as their doula (or not!!!) I would love to be with you during the last weeks of your pregnancy, birth and after birth. For me this is the best gift a young mom can give me... to be with her and give her support and strength with comfort measures, breathing techniques, special movements, walking, even dancing. I have been doing this for many many years, in South America, (the first baby I gave support during labor and birth is now 31 and now has her first baby!!!). Now living in Canada I have been trained both as a Doula and a Birth Companion by Mothercraft, Ottawa. I am a certified by DONA and participate in Comfort and Joy Doula Assoc. I usually have a previous meeting with the mom, to get to know each other and see each other¨s needs, this meeting is free of charge. My fee will be discussed with you. I would visit you so you learn some comfort measures, breathing, movements and relaxation techniques. I would be present during labor and birth where you choose to do it; I meet you when you call me, usually when active labor starts and would give you physical and emotional support, find out what you need in order to deal with pain, try different positions and techniques. If you have a partner we make a team work. And we agree on two postpartum visits. I am always available to talk to you in the phone, any time day, or night... If you wish any further information, please call me. Visit my Blog in Spanish at http://doula-birth-companion-rosario.blogspot.com/

Cathy Donovan, Editor of Regional Contact, a TV program from CTV invited me to participate in a program to show my work. The 9 minute TV program will be available here in the Blog, when I find out how to do it. When she called to invite me to her show I did not know who she is, I am not a TV watcher! I thought it was a sales person who would offer a Cell phone, or some service. Since I was sitting, painting in my Studio, we started to chat and she made questions about my work. It seemed a bit strange, but she sounded so nice and bright, I kept on talking with her. After some time she asked me, 'have you seen Regional Contact? 'What is that, I answered. A TV program on Saturday evenings. No, sorry, I am the worst TV watcher... and then she told me she is the Editor... if I wanted to be interviewed, that she would send a photographer... it was one of the biggest surprises ever. Two months after, about 4 cassettes were made in my home and Studio, hundreds of photos and she made an interview. She is so bright, charming, creative, critical, joyful. It shows in her programs. From the DVD they sent me, I will copy'paste some images here... but I dont know how to do it so far. Sorry.

2006 Art in the Park, Central Park in Ottawa

At Central Park in the the traditional neighbourhood of The Glebe in Ottawa, about 150 artists show and sell their work during the first weekend of June. This year I show something new in my work, besides other sculptures and pots: work with glass. Recycling old wooden windows, they become garden sculptures, as these here. I was assigned in a very beautiful spot, next to the Rideau Canal, under an enormous weeping willow, which I loved.

2006 Ottawa Guld of Potters Juried Spring Exhibition

I submitted two of the "silleteros" at the OGP Juried Exhibition in 2006. They were accepted, they were supposed to be shown together, as a couple. But the Juror decided to give him (the male sculpture) an award, "best decorated". So they are shown each on its own. I was so pleased to see them up there in the podium! 5 of the selected pieces of the show. My "silletera" is separated from her partner (photo above) but enjoys the company of Chandler Swain's sculpture "Eve" with tulips, Carolynne Pynn-Trudeau's vase with yellow tulips, a teapot and a platter.

"WOMBANGELS INSTALLATION" UNAM-ESECA, Gatineau, Quebec

Wombangels.

A Wombangel flies, she is a bird.

She prays, she is an angel;

sensitive, humble and wise, she is a woman.

murdered somewhere in the world, this world of war, conflict, this enormous mad-house we have made, she is a Wombangel.

"Mario y Elsa"

2 porcelain Sculptures honoring Mario Calderon, Elsa Alvarado and Carlos, her father.

Murdered in their apartment,

Bogota, May 19, 1996

25 and 28 cm x 10 x 13

Porcelain slabs oxides, engobes, fired in oxidation, Cone 6

"Displaced Women"

15 photographs of women, men and children living in the streets of Bogota, Colombia

Copies of 10 Stories I wrote were available. Read in Spanish, French and English during the Inauguration, celebrating International Women's Day.

2006 A new idea: Silleteros

End of march. End of Winter. Gloominess, the snow in not good for sports, Spring seems far away. Kirstin, at the OGP meeting proposes the Guild's members to participate in the City of Ottawa Tulip Festival with a pottery exhibit. As I drive back home I get a flash, it just comes: -"this is what I need! Spring. Flowers, color, life reborn. I think of Claudia, she will also live a New Spring. -YES! I will make flowers..." How? What? Next day I remember: in Medellin, Antioquia, our beautiful mountain region: the Silleteros, the parade of the flowers, the city of Eternal Spring... YES! I will make Silleteros, fusing our beautiful tropical flowers, honoring Antioquia and it's flowers and the tulips from Ottawa. Yes!!! "Silleteros". Sculptures start to flow. here, bisqueware, more work, more colors, more fireings.

2004 Wombangels and birds in "flight for peace"

Here, each Angel is a woman... each bird is a young girl... a murdered woman who now flies free... she lived in Latin America, in Irak, Russia, the Middle East, China, Africa, North America, anywhere, North, South, East West everywhere in the workd, violence against women. Here, each wombangel has a name, a real name. This work started when I heard about the murdered women in Ciudad Juarez, in SMexico. I wanted to honor them. and this moved me into another chapter, a shout against violence towards women. Search it in the Web; or visit any of the following pages: http://www.amnestyusa.org/women/juarez/ There are many pages on Mujeres Asesinadas en Ciudad Juarez in all laguages, such as http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/ciudad_juarez/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_homicides_in_Ciudad_Juárez http://libertadlatina.org/Crisis_Lat_Mexico_Juarez_Femicide.htm http://www.google.com/Top/Regional/North_America/Mexico/States/Chihuahua/Localities/Ciudad_Juarez/Society_and_Culture/Murdered_Women/ http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGAMR410302005 http://www.lavc.edu/Library/bib-women_of_c._juarez.htm http://www.lepetitjournal.com/content/view/2408/310/ http://www.frauenrechte.de/filmfest/uebersicht-engl.html http://www.ffq.qc.ca/actions/ciudad-juares.html http://www.bibliojuridica.org/libros/libro.htm?l=1072 Individually made porcelain sculptures, high fired (Cone 6) with underglazes, glazes, oxides and oil paint; mounted on steel rods.

Doula works also with father

We live a team-work: Mother, baby, father or the persons she chooses to be there with her during birth, along with her Doula, I am a most joyous one.

During the last weeks of pregnancy the preparation for birth is a ¨hands on¨ experience, learning the breathing techniques, massage, pain relief meassures, preparing the birth with more information, awareness and with his participation and committment. Our concern is her, the mother and baby.

Visit my Blog as a Doula, in Spanish at http://doula-birth-companion-rosario.blogspot.com/

April 2005, Rosario in Stonehenge

Travel... the best way to learn, grow, share, admire... live through the ages, as we did it here, with Jan...

Preyer for Peace, places where it has been shown

" PRAYER FOR PEACE "

While the birds in this sculpture fly in "Art in the Park" (Ottawa, Summer 2003), it is invited to participate in the collective show Waging for Peace and Hope at the Diefenbunker Museum in Carp, Ontario in the Fall. After, it is accepted to pray during the Spring Juried Exhibition of the Ottawa Guild of Potters OGP

After being in the centre of the "Wombangels Installation" it now nests more birds for peace while flying in a permanent exhibition at the entrance of UNAM-ESECA Library, in Gatineau, Quebec. The sculpture is 2.40m x 2m x 1m; has 21 porcelain flying birds on iron rods, mounted on a railroad tie.

2006 Watering Cones

In Guamuca, my Studio in Colombia I made many different containers for watering plants, fruit trees with porous pots. They work by capillarity! For garden use, I made large porous bowls, round buttom and placed them in a hole near the trunk of fruit trees. These release water slowly. Then, how to make something for planters? After trying several shapes, for small containers these watering cones work perfect. Now I continue making them just by adding 20 or 25% grog to stoneware clay, wedge it very well and fire the cones at low temperature to make it porous.

UNAM Installation Inauguration Night

During the evenig of March 8th, International Women¨s Day, at the UNAM Gallery.

2005 Banner, Wombangel Installation at UNAM

Finally, I made it. A frame around the Gallery. The banner is 42m long. It hangs all around the wall as a frame of the Gallery and my work inside it. I loved the visual result. The phrases in gray are from the news and media; countries with issues of Human Rights according to several Human Right organizations, and most of the names are of 50 murdered women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico I found during the research for the Installation. Other names, women from Guatemala, Colombia, Iraq, Beslan in Russia, Africa, Middle east, USA, Canada... Women murdered all over the world to be honored this March 8 in my Installation and let them fly in freedom as Angels, my Wombangels.

2005 The Frame of the Installation: this Banner

While I was preparing the Multimedia work for the Installation at UNAM (March 2005) at their beautiful Gallery, "Sala Felipe S Gutierrez", there was something missing, something to "frame" the Gallery. I review: There are 10 of my stories in Spanish, English and French, 15 photographs of displaced women in the streets of Bogotá, 100 porcelain sculptures of "Wombangels"... I felt the need to have it all with a social context in the "now". How to do it??? The idea of a banner appears during sleep, like a flash! Then for weeks I would get up at 3, 4 or 5 am. to write, or during the News, or in a conversation, a little jotted note started to make the social context frame. The problem then became, how do I print it? I spend hours at the computer learning "how to"s through frustration and errors; but with the help of computer-wise friends, Julio & Eduardo Serje, finally I get it. A banner 75 meters long, to frame the Gallery.

2005, Art Bazar at UNAM

Esperanza Garrido, Director of UNAM ESECA (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Canada) invites 5 Latin American artists, a Fair Trade Group, along with an anthopologist who is researching on beautiful embroidered Mexican women's groups of Aztec themes to show our work during a BAZAR at the UNAM Gallery. It is a great fun day of sharing, showing our work, meeting people and enjoying Esperanza and her team's hospitality in a cold January day.

2004 Waging Peace and Hope, Diefenbunker Museum

During ART IN THE PARK in Ottawa, I was invited to participate in a collective show, Waging Peace and Hope at the Deifenbunker Museum in Carp, Ontario, along with 8 other artists. As a statement for hope and peace, there they were, the sculpture "Prayer for Peace" and a series of 15 photographs of "Displaced Women in the streets of Bogota, Colombia". The photographs were taken by photographer Camilo Gomez in the streets of Bogotá, then digitally altered with Maria Gomez, my daughter.

2004 Wombangels getting ready for the OGP show

My Wombangels are joyful today, will be on their second show, this time at the Ottawa Guld of Potters Spring Sale and Exhibition, after being at UNAM in March. I set up a beautiful display; the organizers located it just in front of the entrance of the Hellenic centre Hall.

2004 preparing sculptures for the OGP Spring exhibition and sale

Preparing the sculptures for the Exibit... last touches in my Studio Display at the Ottawa Guild of Potters Spring Sale

2004 Wombangels Installation

15 Photographs of displaced women in the streets of Bogota, Colombia;

10 stories read out loud

100 "Wombangels" remembering murdered women;

43 meters of a wall banner framing the Gallery with a list of countries that have pending issues with Human Rights, phrases with current issues and 50 names of murdered women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in Latin America and the Caribbean, in North America, in Vancouver a collective murder of sex workers, women from Iraq, Afganistan, Palestine, Russia, Africa... in one word, everywhere. This is my Installation

2002 to Date, my Doula Work

This work is a passion: being a Doula. What is a Doula? The word Doula comes from ancient Greece: the woman who supports with the mother during birth. It is Being there with her... working with pregnant women during the last weeks of pregnancy, during labor and birth and after-birth or post-partum. After many years of empyrical experience in Colombia, South America now in Ottawa I am trained by the Ottawa Carleton Birth Companion Program of Mothercraft, Certified as a Doula by DONA, -Doulas of North America-; I participate in Midwifery Consumers Group and in Confort & Joy Doula Association. http://www.dona.org/mothers/index.php Here I am working with mother, father and family;

birth may be at the Hospital or homebirth, or at a Birthing Centre.

It is a team work with Midwifes or Obstetrician.

My work is with the mother.

We may work either in English or Spanish.

A new blog in Spanish, at http://doula-birth-companion-rosario.blogspot.com/

2003 Sculpture for OGP Spring Juried Exhibition

My sculpture was selected... I am so happy. And placed in the centre of the exhibition... After trying different ways to help them take off, my friend Chandler had old railroad ties stacked somewhere back... we found one, the perfect length, and what else can word to hold my 21 flying birds in a ¨Prayer for Peace¨? Here they fly on their own... they fly in a "Prayer for Peace" Here they are, at the Ottawa Guild of Potters Spring Juried Exhibit, 2003, receiving the award as "best non-functional piece"

2003 Ricardo Setting up the Sculpture "Prayer for Peace"

Ricardo is my best right-hand... This year, we celebrate sharing everithing, being together for 40 years. He is my companion, which means the one that shares our bread: com-pan- He is the best. 40 years of sailing, good winds, tempests, calm bays, many islands visited, many ports known; our travel to Ithaca has been filled with Life´s generosity. You may read the greek poet clicking here, I honor Kavafis´ Ithaca, when I see my life... Ricardo is helping me to set up the sculpture for the OGP Spring exhibition. Will it be chosen? I wish to Pray for Peace by showing ir... we'll see...

2002 OGP Christmas Sale

The Ottswa Guild of Potters has this extraordinary pottery display at the Hellenic Centre, 1535 Prince of Wales Drive each November. About 100 potters show their creataive work and about 3 or 4 thousand persons visit the Sale during the four days. Here is my table and work for 2002 Miniature Christmas tree with porcelain prnaments

2002 Working with pregnant women

This is my other work, it is a passion: being a Doula. I give support to pregnant women during the last weeks of pregnancy, during labor and birth and after-birth or post-partum. I had many years of empyrical experience in South America, and in Ottawa I have been trained as a professional Doula. I have participated at the Ottawa Carleton Birth Companion Program of Mothercraft, and was Certified as a Doula by DONA, -Doulas of North America-; I participate in Midwifery Consumers Group and in Confort & Joy Doula Association. I am starting a Blog in Spanish about being a Doula... Slowly translating it into English, is my wish... For now, I am just writting stories, birthing experiences, hoping to have them along with photos and share this experience with future moms, other Doulas and any one interested to read. You may visit the Doula-Rosario-blog en español here

2002, my mother dies in Zipaquira, Colombia at 90

A few months after moving to Canada, my mother dies in May, at Foyer de Charite, Cogua, Colombia. She went in joyous peace. I felt so happy to have honored her as the main Woman in my life in my artistic work. She was a committed believer, an Artist and a Teacher, a mother of 8 and left a family of almost 100. In the photo, just some of us, at my sister Pilar.

2002 Tray with Flower-Women

First Sculpture in a Show. After six months in Canada I submitted my sculpture to the OGP spring Juried Exhibition. To my surprise and joy it was admitted and won an Honorary Mention as ¨best non-functional¨ category. I was thrilled. this is my first step into Art-life in Canada. Even though several buyers came and inquired, I keep it. NFS. I hand built the basket or tray with porcelain, added textures, stamp a small fish bone, add slips and oxides, rub away the excess. After the first firing, a white satin glaze, washed away and again fired to Cone 6. Then ensemble flowers from the Installation in Colombia at Colombo Americano, 2001

This sculpture is the bridge between my life in Colombia and now in Canada. Tray with flower-women

2002 First Clay Workshop with Iza and Maria

Isabella and Maria (then 3) are the first to sign-in to my clay workshops. Maria still comes and has learned many secrets of "how to" play and do her own pieces, knows all about clay and her work is unique...

2001, Rosario at her Studio

"Start again....... start again..." I learned in Vipassana... a learning task to be done over and over... many times, each moment, through life. I organized my studio with austerity, the minimum needs, a quiet and beautiful space that a has become "my temple" in the basement of my new home in Kanata, Ottawa, Canada.

2001 Flowers from Installation travel to Canada

After the Installation woman-flower Flower-woman at Colombo Americano (may 17-June 30), these flowers are wrapped and packed with the rest of our personal bags and boxes and move to Canada.

2001 flower-shadow

“flor-mujer mujer-flor” Ceramic Flowers on rods, set up so each one projected a large shadow behind, indicating our own shadow, the invitation life gives us is to enlighten our own shadow... which is a lifelong work: getting to know them and then, to let the light through... Carl Jung works the concept of the shadow: (click here to further reading) “The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside as fate. That is to say, when the individual remains undivided and does not become conscious of his inner opposite, the world must perforce act out the conflict and be torn into opposing halves. C Jung”

2000-2001 Instalacion ¨mujer-flor flor-mujer¨ text in Spanish

2000-2001 Durante este tiempo combino la preparación de la Instalación Multimedia, con la preparación para viajar al Canadá. Desprenderse, soltar, liberarse, dejar… realizar un trabajo para el cual sólo tengo intuiciones y cientos de ideas y siento la necesidad de despedirme de mi trabajo en Colombia, de grupos con quienes he trabajado, de los amigos y familia con esta Instalación, como expresión artística y homenaje a las mujeres de mi vida. Inicialmente trabajo elaborando flores en cerámica. Las monto con varillas de cobre y voy armando un conjunto que va tomando forma. Preparo imágenes fotográficas para el video, logrado finalmente con la extraordinaria colaboración de Marcela Vásquez. Simultáneamente participo durante los últimos dos años en un seminario sobre Carl Jung y su tema “La Sombra”, elemento teórico que completa la Instalacion con un aporte muy bello sobre aquellas oscuridades de nuestra alma y que tenemos que aprender a lo largo de la vida a iluminar. Jugando con todos estos elementos y con el espacio y muros de la Galería encuentro un nuevo problema técnico: -cómo integrar la sombra, con flores, nombres, historias, video en un montaje coherente e impactante? Inicio con dibujos borrosos, mas bien manchas hechas con la mano sobre los muros con arcillas de diversos tonos. Allí, proyectamos las Sombras. Como armar todo esto! Conseguimos pequeños reflectores halógenos, y con un técnico especializado en iluminación artística, los instalamos y fijamos al piso. Llevamos con Ricardo en la camioneta una tonelada de tierra, arcilla, piedras y humus a la Galería. La movimos en bolsas, carretillas y cajas. Una vez allí formo una montaña con forma de “U” en tres de los lados del espacio, colocando las flores una a una en la montaña. Luego, entre ésta y el muro, una capa de 2 centímetros de humus, dando a la galería un aroma fresco, de tierra húmeda extraordinario. Inicialmente pensé identificar las flores individualmente, escribí 365 nombres y frases con historias. Ubico en el muro de la entrada las 365 historias y en otro lugar cerca, los nombres. La Galería se diseña oscura, solo las luces iluminando la montaña de tierra y flores proyectando su sombra aumentada sobre la pared; el olor del humus, los gritos y susurros del video hacen de la Instalación un espacio impactante: entrar, caminar, recorrer los diversos espacios y múltiples elementos simbólicos para terminar viendo el video en posición de reverencia dada su ubicación en el piso, hicieron que esta Instalación fuera realmente un homenaje a la mujer-flor flor-mujer

2001 Central page, Installation Catalog

Photos made opening the door, looking inside my gas kiln at 1000C

May 2001 Woman-Flower Multimedia Installation

Installation: flor-mujer mujer-flor Centro Colombo Americano

Bogota, May –June 2001 http://www.colombobogota.edu.co/ 365 flowers, each beautiful, unique, perfect, fertile, a promise of life to be. One Ton of earth, stones and organic debris forming mountains where the flowers bloomed. And in one corner, a circular three minute art-video (link), using many of my photographs and other images of women: my mother, my daughter, my hands working. Life mixed with shouts and music, shadows and light, flowers and water, transformation through purification of fire. I am so sad not to have photos of the show...... only a video. Will learn some day how to publish those images

2000 Commission Mural with Maestra Marta Combariza

The last commission in Colombia before traveling to Canada is an enormous wall mural to be placed near a water dam of a Hydro Company in the mountains of Boyaca, Colombia. It takes us a year to do it: I go to the mountain and bring local clay, tests are done and I get the mix to meet the high temperature needed by adding grog, sand and iron oxide; once the tests are done I prepare a batch of a Ton of clay. In the meantime, Maestra Marta Combariza works on the design with the ideas discussed: mountains, water, textures, birds and fish. We make a work plan, blow up her initial design to life-size (6.80m x 3.40) and adjust it. Then clay work starts by making 25 x 20 cm. tiles on 2m x 1m boards. Slowly the mural starts to have a life of its own: marshes with reeds, a river in the centre and mountains on both sides. We add textures, branches, leafs, birds, fish... oxydes and several natural earthy color slips. The slow drying takes most of my Guamuca Studio space for the technical problem is warping of the tiles. Then I start to do firings in the gas kiln (come 8, or 1250C or 2300F). Here we are organizing the finished mural, just as making a jigsaw puzzle. She packed and finished it; still lives in Colombia, teaches Art at the National University in Bogota and I moved to Canada and never saw the finished mural on the wall specially made for it somewhere in the Central Andes, near the water dam in Boyaca, Colombia. In my heart the mural is alive, stands there and has its own life to be seen each day by local campesinos (farmers) and passers by.

2000 Ceramic Mural with Marta Combariza

Over 600 hand made tiles 23 x 25 cm to make a mural of 6.40 x 3.80m. This was a gigantic mural... a commission made with Maestra and friend, Marta Combariza y my Studio, Guamuca, La Calera, Cundinamarca, Colombia Here we are organizing the fired pieces, as a puzzle

1998-2000 Installations: flor-mujer mujer-flor

Third Installation: "flor-mujer mujer-flor"

1998-99 Trabajo con la "Asociacion de Mujeres de las Veredas de La Caler (AVC)" y en mi Estudio en una de las veredas, Guamuca; inicio una serie de flores de gres, con la metáfora: “flor-mujer mujer-flor”

a finales del 2000 elaboro una propuesta para realizar una Instalacion: 365 mujeres, 365 historias, 365 nombres, 365 flores, deseando unificar los diferentes aspectos de este momento de mi vida.

1998-99 I continue my work with "Asociacion de Mujeres de las Veredas de La Calera (AVC)" and in my Studio, located in oun of la Calera's counties, I start a series of ceramic flowers woth a metaphor in mind: “flor-mujer mujer-flor”

2001 mujer-Flor flor-Mujer Installation Catalog

Installation Catalog 8 pages with texts by Marta Combariza and Ana Maria Lozano and my Artist Statement, sponsored by Centro Colombo Americano, Bogota, Colombia.

2000 Asociacion de Mujeres de las Veredas de la Calera, Colombia

Weaving Organization's Leaders AVC's own home, our location, our pride and joy. Photos by Yves Beaulieu, IDRC

AVC women fro La Calera, working with wool

Photo by Yves Langlois

2000 AVC Installation: the Wool Labrynth

The first Installation is walking a labyrinth. We do it in the field with knitting wool and a bonfire in the centre, at AVC location in La Calera. The group symbolized with wool and fire our life-path; after slowly walking through the circles to the centre, a small fire is burning and each one of us feeds it with a piece of wood: herself; there she would say something of her life, her work, the "Asociacion" as we call it, of herself.

April 2000 Second Installation at AVC

The second Installation is done with the groups from AVC (Asociacion de Mujeres de las Veredas de la Calera) in Colombia: "365 women". Ephymeral art, for it lasts through the afternoon. After, the cows pasturing reorganize our work in their own logic... I make many tiles, collect recycled or unused ones, old and broken slabs and start to write with oxides in each piece names and phrases of stories gathered in years of work with women's groups. Then I re-fire the slabs and pieces. We make a path of ceramic broken pieces through the field surrounding our location in La Calera. Each fragment placed is shared, saying something about it, our life and mutual transformation through the interaction of our group work, communication, love and time. I used the written texts in fragments of slabs as a symbols of broken women by violence, death and war.

Ceramica de Josefa Bautista, la Maestra de Ceramica Tradicional

scanned from my family albums, here is ¨Doña Josefa Bautista¨, she does not throw her pots, she uses coils, handbuilt vessels, 80 cm high. The pieces are low temperature, fired in traditional wood kilns. The work she does is that of a Maestra... Other photos during a workshop with local potters, Raquira, Boyaca, Colombia These water vessels are drying to go to the kiln. 75 cm. high, local clay.

1998-2000: Studio Work, Groups and Changes

While working with groups of grass-root women both in Montelíbano, Córdoba and with “Asociacion de Mujeres de las Veredas de la Calera" (AVC) ( 1981-2001) I learned, grew and moved from social research into art, but at the end, kept them both. In 1999 we decide to move to Canada, so I find deep within the need to pay tribute to the women of my life and my land, my earth. So I start making multimedia installations with the women I work with (AVC), using photography, wool, flowers, clay, music, light and shadows. The result has been a touching artistic experience that has let me combine multiple artistic media and has become the central theme of my art. I gather life stories, set up diverse lists and sets of names, situations and images; I combine ceramic work in my Studio with earth and mud, humus as decay and fertility, clay and fire, music, observation and silence.