Spotlight on Artists in Chile

Derek Way of Chester Beer

We got a tour from Derek Way of Chester Beer brewery this week, located on a farm just outside of Puerto Varas.

This craft beer is brewed in two repurposed stainless steel refrigerated shipping containers, and efforts towards waste reduction, recycling, and upcycling are incorporated throughout their entire brewing process.  The leftover malt doesn’t even go to waste – it is fed to the cows on the farm!

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Weichafe Recycled Jewellery

Derek’s partner, Jenny Gonzalez Assis, makes a line of beautiful jewellery out of recycled aluminum cans, called Weichafe.

The interior of her pieces are filled with a variety of found treasures; seaweed, traditional woven textiles, yarn, copper wire, merken (a common spice in Chile), the list is vast and potentially limitless.

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Fundación Artesanías de Chile

The Fundación Artesanías de Chile in Puerto Varas is a great non-profit organization and store that sells items made by artisans in Chile, who are fairly paid for their work.  On each tag is information regarding who made the item, where it was made and with what materials.

Woven textiles at the Fundación Artesanías

Many of the crafts are made using traditional methods, and these methods are also outlined.  Here you will find fine woodwork, jewellery, textiles, knit and woven garments, dolls, and more.

Mapuche weaving class

The Foundation brings in skilled artisans for workshop series as well; I was lucky to be invited to sit in on a Mapuche (an indigenous group within Southern Chile) weaving session one morning.  The process requires incredible attention – strands of yarn are warped around a rectangular stand-up loom, which could easily be homemade (here in Chile, homemade looms would be the norm).

Mapuche weaving students at work

A heddle bar rests towards the top of the project, and the only other tools are a shed stick and your hands.  I had to really dig deep to where what little I know of weaving was stored inside my brain, but after two hours of concentrated attention I mostly pieced it together and now have a strong resolve to pull my second-hand frame loom out of storage when I get home and try my hand at this craft once again.

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cranberry harvest with Osorno Volcano. credit: Macarena Acuña Schmidt

One beautiful sunny day, I had the opportunity to watch a cranberry harvest with the lovely photographer Macarena Acuña Schmidt .  The 350-hectare farm was so vast – each field was about 1.6 acres, dug a few feet into the ground with a trench around so they can flood the field for harvest.  The cranberries are rustled from the low-laying plants, then the field is flooded with water (which they recycle) and the berries corralled to one end and up a conveyor belt, into a waiting truck.  Such an interesting process, and so well documented by this great photographer.

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More to come!!

Published by Terri on April 30, 2012 in Arts & Culture and News. 0 Comments

larry. Residency in Frutillar, Chile: Week 1

It’s been just over a week since I arrived in Chile for my month-long residency with Patagonia Media, who invited me to be here and create a larry. collection as part of their inititiave to develop collaborative partnerships on an international scale.  Emphasis is on the exchange of cultural ideas, learning from local artisans, and drawing inspiration from the environment and landscape.

the highest point on the Patagonia Virgin property

Patagonia Media is the marketing branch of Patagonia Virgin, which is a large-scale real estate company that is developing hundreds of hectares of land in Frutillar with townhomes, hotels, a golf course, and a small village/esplanade  containing shops and restaurants.  Their process is strikingly admirable for such a development; progression of the project is carefully considered, with due care taken to preserving the beauty of the land while addressing local culture and needs.  They have planted over 40,000 trees in an adjacent nursery, and hundreds of hectares of land will remain protected within the native forest reserve.  My role here is to learn about the region and local culture, and reflect these ideas in my designs for Patagonia Style, which will serve to celebrate the creative nature of this place.

farm inspiration

The goal for the first week was to get acquainted with the area, and begin sourcing materials to work with.  I had very broad expectations in this regard – I did not arrive with specific ideas in mind, as I wanted to remain open to work with whatever materials presented themselves or made sense for this climate and region.  One of the first stops was an antique shack in Puerto Varas, which reminded me very much of my favourite shop in Clinton, BC, with lots of old farmhouse equipment and things of that nature:

farm antiques in puerto varas, chile

I ended up buying a small lot of watch parts, wheels and frames, trinkets of time.  I was tempted by the typewriters with grass growing out of them, but knowing that I have three in storage at home helped stave off the urge to buy.

underwood typewriter

Scoured around Puerto Montt for yarn sources, walked the artisan’s row along the waterfront, lots of Chilean crafts, yarn, ponchos, souvenirs.  The colours of yarn were vibrant and beautiful, though I prefer to use natural colours in my own work:

yarn in puerto montt, chile

I did get some cream roving (see forefront of image), which I will hand-spin slightly as I knit with it, I think it will turn out pretty nice – very warm and bullky.  We also stopped by the marina, looking around for discarded parts and rope that I might incorporate into an installation piece, or woven work, or…

I’ve also met with Maria, the daughter of the cowboy Jose, who manages the horses for Patagonia Virgin and leads the horseback expeditions.  She showed me some of her weaving, demonstrating on her wooden loom, and a rare spinning wheel built in Villa Alegre that is over 40 years old.  Maria also dyes her own wool, using fruits, tree barks, and other materials to naturally colour the wool fibres.

loom built in villa alegre

Marcela Rios, an artisan in Llhanquihue who sells her work at the shop in the Puerto Montt airport, took me out to the town of Chamiza to the Chucao Lanas studio.  I got a demonstration of their process for dyeing the yarn, which is sourced from Punta Renas in southern Chile.

yarn ready to be coloured and cooked

It was very soft and of great quality, so I bought a couple kilos of cream yarn, some of which I plan to dye using natural materials from our backyard here in Frutillar.  Speaking, of our backyard, the Patagonia Virgin is home to sheep, geese, and horses.  I crept through the goose pen to collect some feathers one sunny afternoon:

And throughout all of the day trips, yarn sourcing, brainstorming, backyard barbeques, meeting amazing creative people who shared not only their time but their inspiration, we managed to find the time to have some great fun.  On Sunday we went on a 6 hour trek through the property on horseback, stopping at the top of a hill for a beautiful lunch before continuing on our countryside adventure:

break from horseback expedition through patagonia virgin land

The first week has been utterly amazing, very inspirational – everything from the people, the landscape, architecture, indigenous crafts.  Looking forward to seeing what the next week will bring!

Thank you, Chile!


Published by Terri on April 23, 2012 in Lifestyle and News. 0 Comments

Winter Skin Savers

My journey across BC has taken me from Prince George to Kitimat, up to Prince Rupert for a quick visit with an old friend,  across to Port Hardy via BC Ferries (potential rant about BC Ferries possibly coming soon).  Then the long, snowy drive from Port Hardy to Comox, where I took yet another ferry to Powell River, which is where I’m holed up now.  One of my biggest priorities throughout all of this travel has been downsizing.  This has not been an easy task.  My 4 pieces of luggage has been degraded to 2, and I only carry essential beauty and makeup products.


AHAVA moisturizers

AHAVA is the brand of moisturizers I have absolutely fallen for; they just recently launched in Canada from Israel (check out The Bay to buy) and the line uses minerals from the Dead Sea.  I was already familiar with the brand as an old roommate of mine during university married an Israeli and would bring back AHAVA products whenever she visited there.  I was especially familiar with the magical properties of the Dead Sea because she also brought back mud collected from its shores, which we would slather on ourselves before baking in the sun during the summer.  I use the eye cream before bed along with the night cream, and after just one day of use my skin felt plump and full of…well, moisture.  While I don’t believe in fad creams or “age-defying” baloney, I do think that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so I started using eye cream on a consistent basis this year.  AHAVA’s version gets a big thumbs up from me.


Kerstin Florian Clarifying Serum

Next is the Clarifying Serum by Kerstin Florian, which was recommended to me after visiting the Willow Stream Spa in Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel.  [Sidebar: best spa in the city.  And I've been to a lot.]  I’m almost 30 but still get blemishes here and there, and this is one product that really seems to eliminate that problem for me.  I use it day and/or night depending on how finicky my skin is being.  And it’s small enough to throw in my little travel make-up case so I carry it with me basically everywhere.  I’m also a fan of the Cleansing Milk by Kerstin Florian, it’s great as long as you don’t have a ton of makeup to remove, which I very rarely do.

Finally, and this you can’t buy this in stores, but my dear friend Vanessa has refined a line of natural, home-made body products over the last year.  She just recently made me a balm made with beeswax, shea butter, almond oil and grand fir gum that she collected herself (how? by climbing a big fir tree).  The result is a balm that smells like a forest, and you can apply to your lips or to cuts and abrasions.  Always a handy little container to have with you.  If anyone in the Vancouver area is interested in buying Vanessa’s products, you can email me (info@theconveyorbelt.com) and I can help you out.

Happy Winter skin!

Published by Terri on November 22, 2011 in News. 0 Comments

Fashion Upate from Prince George

Just kidding!  There’s no fashion in Prince George.

I’m nearing the 3 month mark of my stay in Northern BC, with little time to update the blog despite many posts and ideas in the works – so right upfront, my utmost apologies.  Life sure is different up here than in the city – I’ve never been away from my pretty little urban lifestyle for such an extended period.  Quick recap: I bought a motorcycle, and the only places I’ve been shopping are Mark’s Work Warehouse and Superstore’s Joe Fresh Styles.  Did I mention how different life is?

bikes, collecting wildflowers

One of the challenges of living up north is maintaining some sort of personal style in a city where everyone wears pajamas or their work gear, everywhere.  It’s a delicate and difficult balance to strike.  There are small ways I can feel like myself, though; making a point of dressing ‘up’ to go out for dinner, conditioning my hair, finding 5 minutes to give myself a manicure before bedtime, lip gloss.  I was horrified once I got up here at the lack of independent stores (and restaurants).  The most indie of the offerings is the Salvation Army, and I’ve browsed once or twice…not as good as you might expect for a big small town.  Besides that, my fashion needs are purely utilitarian, with little time to explore or get creative with what I’ve got to work with.

I am on the hunt for a single jacket that will satisfy the following needs: protective enough to wear on my motorcycle, warm to get me through to November up here (and believe me, the weather is shifting fast), and not something I will toss away in horror once I get back to Vancouver.  The key here is black, simple, and warm – but not Stay Puft styles.  My bike is an ’81 Hondamatic, all classic and lady-like, so the gear needs to be appropriate.  One thing Mark’s is good for – bandanas…I’m kind of obsessed with them.

bandanas

Plus Stanfields to keep warm, though I wish they made a ladies’ version of these industrious woolly coverups.


stanfields FTW

Work/winter gear aside, highlights from my jaunt up North have been the aurora borealis, learning to drive 1 ton trucks with prowess, the drive in movie theatre, lake swimming at night, campfires, bundled-up walks, and endless laughs.  There are some things that never change I suppose.

Soon enough I will be delving into a new larry. collection, with much more time to write and share adventures.  Please stay tuned…

Published by Terri on October 11, 2011 in News. 0 Comments

Whistler Bound with Stella McCartney for adidas

I’m not a skier, nor am I a snowboarder.  Gasp, I know, it’s a horror for a Vancouverite with such easy access to numerous ski hills to admit that.  However, from time to time I am wrangled up to the mountains to attempt some winter sporting.  And for each outing I am relegated to borrowing a snowsuit from a friend – suits which are inevitably brightly coloured, very ‘pro’ looking, matched sets.  I wear this snowboarder costume well, but something about looking so fit to the role without the skill to back it up makes me feel like…oh how do the skibums put it….a “poseur?”

Stella McCartney for adidas Wintersport All in One suit

Enter the Stella McCartney (I’m a big fan of her skincare line also) wintersports ski suit.  All black, streamlined and adjustable, microfleece interior with an outer layer that is water-resistant but doesn’t look it, and would transition effortlessly between the mountain and the pub.  When I visited the new adidas Sports Performance Store last week, I was immediately drawn to the motorcycle-inspired jacket and the fitted, flared pants within the Stella McCartney for adidas collection, only to discover that it was indeed a ski suit.  Perfect for a gal like me; wears easily from snowy street to snowy hill, functional in its ability to preserve my limbs against the cold but not so much like a ‘snowboarder’ outfit that I’m embarrassed by my snowboarding ability to put it on.

The family and I are headed up to Whistler and Pemberton for almost a week of winter bliss over the Christmas holidays, and this catsuit easily makes the cut of necessities in my luggage.  Santa, are you reading?

Be sure to check out the adidas Sports Performance Store at 860 Granville (downtown Vancouver) for all of your athletic gear needs.  Walking through the doors made me immediately want to take up running again – and what do you know, it’s nearly resolution time.

Published by Terri on December 14, 2010 in News. 0 Comments

Movember is the Best Month of All

me and a ‘stached lady in brighton, UK

OK I admit it: I’m a bit of a sucker for facial hair (which is really bad news for a girl who lives in East Van.)  I even wrote a song with my old roomie Liz entitled, ‘The Bearded Hunk,’ and when I reach the $500 mark in donations for the Nuba Movember fundraising group for prostate cancer, then perhaps I will post the amazingly crafted lyrics to this little ditty as a thank-you.  You will probably laugh right out loud when you read the lyrics, though it’s possible I might be giving myself too much credit.

So please, help a girl help a boy out and donate some pocket change or bills towards the cause.  The first week of Movember is always the worst because everyone is clean shaven and fresh-faced and that’s so not my bag.  The only things that will get me through it are 1) dreams of bearded and ‘stached hunks, ie. weeks 2, 3 and 4 of November, and 2) your money towards the Movember Canada charity.

DONATE HERE! And tell all your friends.  Especially the handsome hunky bearded ones.

PS: All the male staff at Nuba are extremely cute so I would watch their Movember moustache growth progress very closely.

Published by Terri on November 3, 2010 in News. 0 Comments
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