Tribal Textiles in Zambia

I recently returned from Zambia. While there, I took the opportunity to visit Tribal Textiles, near Mfuwe.
Driving along a bumpy country road lined with trees, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, there is a signpost for Tribal Textiles. Turning off the main road, you are greeted by white-washed buildings, lush greenery overhanging wooden benches and stone courtyards. The air is cool and fresh under the shade. We stretched our legs, cramped from the long road-trip and walked through the shop and workshops.

Colors pop off of pillow cases and aprons. Bold geometric shapes and traditional patterns cover everything from bedsheets and curtains, to table runners and other home accessories. Everything is made with 100% cotton, designed and painted individually. I first thought the designs were created using Batik, like in Indonesia. But the designs are made using a starch paste that is sun-dried and then hand-painted. Baking the fabric makes it durable in countless washes. We arrived during the mid-day meal break so we missed out seeing the process, but there's a great little video (by Will Benson) that explains the How To part.

Enjoy!

Into the Wild...really wild

A trip to Kenya got me all into the wild. The one week safari started immediately upon arrival in Nairobi. There was no time to lose. We arrived to the Masai Mara jet-lagged, tired, and feeling achy after 10 hours of driving on Kenyan potholes, I mean roads. Kenya is an amazing country, rich with culture, fantastic wildlife, smiling faces and, potholes. With some common sense, safety precautions and a good guide book, Kenya is a traveler's paradise.

 Most tourists consider it a "goal" to see the Big Five: Lions, Buffalo, Elephant, Rhinos and Leopards. It is a humbling experience and one that is not forgotten. For the purpose of my t-shirt prints I decided on my own Big Five, the Big Four: an elephant, a buffalo, a zebra (no picture) and a giraffe (because where else in nature do you find such great patterns than on a giraffe?).

These prints were made by cutting out a transparency with an exacto knife. I wanted each animal to appear like a stamp, simple edges and visible from afar. Knowing what I know now about screen printing I would like to revisit the Kenya wildlife theme. I am certain that I can do the giraffe more justice, taking advantage of the aforementioned fantastic natural patterns on its body.

Vespa Mania

I bought a 1988 Vespa Bajaj from India. Many Vespa enthusiasts don't recognize it as a "real" Vespa. I've even had a hard time getting a mechanic to work on it! I know, I know, Bajaj and Piaggio split in 1970, but frankly, I couldn't care less if my "Wespa" is real or not, I just care that it's from India. I remember these durable scooters as a kid and owning one for myself is a joy.

Bajaj Auto does make a few scooters that have a remote resemblance to the early Vespa®. Forty years ago, Bajaj Auto was building Vespa® scooter under license from Piaggio.  Splitting with Piaggio around 1970, Bajaj Auto set off on their own engineering and design path. -Quoted from Bajaj USA

These are some of the earliest t-shirt prints I made. I sketched the image and overlay a transparency (similar to that used for an overhead projector) and using an exacto knife, I would cut out the stencil by hand. It was moderately time-consuming and my hand would get soar after a while, but this was before I knew how to use photo emulsion.

As with most of my designs, I had big hopes for the Vespas. I envisioned the t-shirts hanging in mechanic shops and retail stores with other equally cool items. Did I mention my binder labeled "To Do"? Yeah, the Vespa t-shirts have been very popular amongst friends and co-workers but I've never actually gotten to hanging them in public to sell. Tsk, tsk, tsk...