FREDERICK HAMMERSLEY FOUNDATION... ...NEW MEXICO ARTS, A DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

...AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU THIS TIME, ON COLORES!

ALBUQUERQUE POET LAUREATE, MARY OISHI SHARES HOW POETRY IS A TESTAMENT TO THE STRENGTH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT.

INSPIRED BY THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, VIRGIL TAYLOR LISTENS TO HIS RAW MATERIALS.

SHARING INSIGHT INTO HER PROCESS MARSHA MONROE PIPPENGER CREATES KALEIDOSCOPIC COLLAGES OUT OF PAPER.

USING THE ANCIENT TECHNIQUE OF MARBLING ON FABRIC MELISSA MICHELSEN CREATES VIVID REUSABLE MASKS.

IT'S ALL AHEAD ON COLORES!

APPRECIATING LIFE'S GIFTS.

>>MARY OISHI: A WISE PERSON TOLD ME ONCE THAT THERE IS NOBODY EVER BORN WHO HAS YOUR EXACT COMBINATION OF DNA AND EXPERIENCES.

AND SO, YOUR VOICE IS UNIQUE AND SOME PEOPLE ARE IN A PLACE TO HEAR IT AND SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT AND SO YOU CAN'T WORRY ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T IN A PLACE TO HEAR IT.

YOU ARE OBLIGATED TO PUT IT OUT THERE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN A PLACE WHERE THEY HEAR IT.

WHERE THEY ACTUALLY CAN USE IT IN THEIR LIFE FOR NOURISHMENT OF THEIR SPIRIT OR FOR INSPIRATION OR FOR HOPE.

WHATEVER IT IS, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT, THOSE ARE, THE PEOPLE I WANT MY VOICE TO REACH.

SO, EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOOD IN MY LIFE, I WROTE ABOUT.

AND THINGS THAT WERE HARD IN MY LIFE, I WROTE ABOUT AND, YOU KNOW, CONTINUED THAT ALL THROUGH MY LIFE, AND NOT THAT WRITING IS ONLY THERAPY, IT'S TO ME, IT'S KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE IN A WAY, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, I'M JUST LETTING IT COME THROUGH.

THAT'S WHY I SIGNED MY POEMS IN LOWER CASE, YOU KNOW, MY NAME AND LOWERCASE, IT'S NOT TO IT'S JUST THAT, UH, I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT ACTUALLY COMES FROM ME EXACTLY.

IT'S MORE LIKE IT COMES THROUGH ME SO, WHY I WRITE IS, YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO CHOICE BASICALLY.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE WHEN YOU'RE PREGNANT AND YOU'RE READY TO GIVE BIRTH AND IT'S STARTING TO COME, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING INTO LABOR AND THE CONTRACTIONS ARE THERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT CHOICE DO YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA SAY NO, DON'T COME OUT?

I MEAN THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE WAY IT IS FOR MOST OF THE >>MARRY OISHI: I THINK WHAT IT MEANS, TO TRIUMPH, TO OVERCOME IN YOUR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT GETS SENT YOUR WAY.

I THINK IT'S NOT JUST PERSONAL SURVIVAL.

I THINK YOU'RE CHAMPIONING, IT'S LIKE THE OLYMPICS OF ALL TIMES WHERE YOU'RE CHAMPIONING THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND SHOWING JUST HOW STRONG IT IS AND JUST HOW MUCH IT CAN ENDURE AND HOW FAR IT CAN GO PAST ANY DETRACTORS AND ANYBODY WHO WOULD BRING YOU DOWN OR HOLD YOU BACK AND TO BE ABLE TO CROSS THAT FINISH LINE AND BE VICTORIOUS.

I THINK IT INSPIRES EVERYBODY ELSE, EVERYBODY ELSE.

SO, IT'S NOT JUST YOUR OWN PERSONAL SURVIVAL BUT YOU'RE GIVING THE GIFT OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SURVIVING TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL IN THE THICK OF BEING HELD DOWN AND HELD BACK... AND THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING.

EMBRACING BEAUTY.

I PLAY WITH FIRE.

I ZONE OUT ON WORKING WITH METAL.

IT HAS, IT SPOKE TO ME.

I'M AN ARTIST.

I'M NOT A JEWELER.

AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

I HAVE FRIENDS THAT ARE JEWELERS THAT ARE BRILLIANT.

SOME OF THE STUFF THEY DO I COULD NEVER DO.

I DON'T HAVE THE PATIENCE NOR THE TEMPERAMENT FOR IT BECAUSE MATERIALS TALK TO ME.

I GREW UP IN DETROIT, AROUND CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.

MY MOM WAS A HUGE ART FAN.

AND SO IT WAS ALSO, WHEN I THINK BACK ABOUT IT NOW, LIKE NOTHING IN OUR HOUSE EVER WENT UNUSED.

WE WERE ALWAYS CREATING STUFF.

AND SO I GUESS I WAS, I HAD A NATURAL APTITUDE FOR IT.

I'VE HAD A VERY INTERESTING LIFE, BUT I WASN'T DOING MY CRAFT ALL THE TIME.

I'D COME BACK TO IT, I'D DO IT.

AND THEN THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY, THE BIRMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD ART CENTER, I WAS IN MY THIRTIES WHEN I DISCOVERED THIS PLACE.

AND SO I START, THIS PLACE STARTED GETTING ME BACK INTO IT.

I HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF JEWELRY.

MOST OF THE STUFF THAT INSPIRES ME, UM, COMES OUT OF THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST.

THAT'S KINDA WHY I CALL IT THE ANCIENT CRAFT.

UH, ANCIENT AFRICA OR AFRICAN NATIONS, MIDDLE EASTERN NATIONS.

MY INSPIRATION TENDS TO BE AROUND THOSE REGIONS, I HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR ANCIENT TECHNIQUES.

UH, I WENT TO AFRICA LAST YEAR AND SPENT TIME WITH THE MAASAI.

I WAS REALLY HONORED TO DO THAT AND FASCINATED BY THEIR PROCESSES BECAUSE THEY'RE SO RAW.

I MEAN, WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE MAKING, LIKE, ANNEALING METAL OVER DUNG OVENS, WHICH IS PRETTY FASCINATING TO WATCH.

I DO A LOT OF REALLY ORGANIC STUFF.

I'M VERY FOND OF HAPPY ACCIDENTS.

YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES OTHER PEOPLE WILL GO FOR REFINING I'M LIKE, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

THAT'S PERFECT.

LEAVE IT JUST LIKE THAT.

IT WORKS FOR ME.

SO I DON'T STRIVE TO MAKE ART THAT IS REAL REFINED.

I HAVE A RING THAT I'M WORKING ON NOW I HAD NO CLUE WHEN I STARTED WITH THIS RING WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.

AND I ENDED UP WITH A STONE THAT I HAD NO IDEA I WAS BUT IT JUST KIND OF ALL EVOLVED AND THE FINAL TOUCHES ARE DECEIVING ON THAT PIECE m I HAVE A CLIENT THAT'S ECUADORIAN.

I DID SOME PIECES FOR, I DID A BANGLE BRACELET FOR HIM THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING AND THE DESIGN ENDED UP BEING MY INTERPRETATION OF AN ANCIENT ECUADORIAN PALATIAL AQUEDUCT.

AND SO IT, IT WAS FILLED WITH A BLUE RESIN.

IT WAS DONE IN, UM, COPPER, 18 KARAT GOLD AND STERLING SILVER.

AND SO THE RESIN THAT I USED IN IT IS BLUE, SO IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS A POOL AT THE TOP AND IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS BLUE RUNNING THROUGH THE VEINS BECAUSE I CRACKED IT OPEN.

I HAD ANOTHER CLIENT, A YOUNG MAN, SHE WAS VERY CLOSE TO WAS KILLED IN THE NAVAL ACCIDENT OVER OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN A FEW YEARS AGO AND SHE WENT TO HIS FUNERAL AT ARLINGTON AND THEY GAVE HER, THEY GAVE HER ONE OF THE SHELL CASINGS FROM WHEN THEY DID THE 21 GUN SALUTE FOR HIM.

I WAS IN THAT PRESIDENT'S HONOR GUARD.

I WAS IN THE UNIT THAT DID THAT.

SO WHEN SHE SENT ME THE SHELL CASING AND SHE WAS LIKE I NEED SOMETHING MADE OUT OF THIS AND I TOOK THE SHELL CASING AND TURNED IT INTO PART OF THAT BRACELET.

SO IT CAME UP PRETTY REMARKABLE.

I WAS REALLY PROUD OF IT.

THAT'S A TREMENDOUS HONOR FOR ME.

AND I HAVE HAD PEOPLE GIVE ME THEIR PARENTS JEWELRY OR GRANDMA'S JEWELRY OR YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PIECES.

I GOT THIS URN THAT I'M GETTING READY TO DO.

THAT'S JUST A HUGE HONOR FOR SOMEBODY TO ENTRUST THAT KIND OF THING TO ME.

I RECENTLY HAVE BEEN DOING SOME BRACELETS.

THEY'RE AFRICAN, THERE WERE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF AFRICA, BUT THEY'RE CURRENCY JEWELRY, WHAT THEY WOULD CALL WEARABLE CURRENCY JEWELRY.

SOME PEOPLE GET A LITTLE MIFFED BECAUSE WHEN THEY SEE THEM, A LOT OF TIMES THEY, THEY SEE IT AS REPRESENTING SLAVERY.

BUT THE REALITY OF IT WITH THOSE, THOSE BRACELETS THOUGH WAS THAT, YES, THEY SOMETIMES WERE INVOLVED IN SLAVE TRADING, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT WERE USING THOSE BRACELETS AND THIS WEARABLE JEWELRY, THAT HAD LITTLE OR NOTHING TO DO WITH SLAVE TRADE.

UM, THAT WAS A METHOD OF PEOPLE, CURRENCY WEARING IT BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE POCKETS AND THINGS.

AND SO THEY WOULD WEAR THESE THINGS AND SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE A DISPLAY OF WEALTH.

PEOPLE WOULD BARTER WITH THEM.

SO IT WOULD BE THE EQUIVALENT OF US WEARING DOLLAR BILLS OR $100 BILLS ON OUR WRISTS.

SO I'VE BEEN DOING SOME OF THOSE RECENTLY.

I'VE BEEN CASTING THOSE.

THE BEADING THAT I DO, I TYPICALLY THEY'RE TYPICALLY ANCIENT AND UH, THEY HAVE A VALUE AND A LOT OF SIGNIFICANCE.

SO THE STUFF THAT I CREATE HAS SOME HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OR SOME MEANING TO ME.

SO WHEN I CREATE IT, IT'S MORE THAN JUST A BEADED BRACELET OR A BEADED NECKLACE.

I FEEL LIKE IT'S WHERE I COME FROM.

IT RESONATES WITH ME.

IT ALWAYS HAS.

FOR ME WORKING WITH ANY OF THOSE MATERIALS IS THE ABILITY TO TAKE SOMETHING AND CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL THAT SOMEONE WILL ENJOY AND OTHER PEOPLE WILL MARVEL AT AND LOOK AT IT AND SAY, "OH, THAT'S SO BEAUTIFUL OR INTERESTING OR WHATEVER", IT'S JUST ALWAYS COOL.

I GUESS IT ALWAYS RESONATES WITH ME THAT LIKE WHY, WHY ARE WE ATTRACTED TO JEWELRY?

JUST LIKE, WHY DO WE SING?

WHY DO WE DANCE?

YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHY DO WE, WHY DO SOME THINGS MAKE US HAPPY?

AND WEARABLE ART OR JEWELRY FOR ME IS, IS JUST PART OF THAT IS BEAUTIFICATION.

TRADITIONALLY, HUMANS LIKE TO EMBELLISH.

THEY LIKE TO, TO BEAUTIFY THEMSELVES, WHETHER IT BE WITH PAINT, IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT OLD CAVE DRAWINGS, PEOPLE WOULD PAINT THEMSELVES WITH MUD OR WHATEVER, AND THEN THEY WOULD ADORN THEMSELVES WITH BONES OR, OR BEADS OR ROCKS OR WHATEVER THAT THEY FOUND FEATHERS THAT THEY FOUND THAT WERE, WERE BEAUTIFUL.

SO THERE'S SOMETHING TO ME THAT RESONATES WITH US AS HUMANS ABOUT BEAUTY, ABOUT THE EMBRACING OF BEAUTY.

FOR ME I THINK IT'S A REFLECTION OF OUR PSYCHE, OUR DESIRE TO ALWAYS EMBRACE THE BEAUTIFUL.

AND SO JEWELRY, WEARABLE ART, IS JUST ANOTHER COMPONENT OR ASPECT OF THAT.

ART OF INTUITION.

WHEN I TEACH ABOUT COLLAGE, I ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT PICASSO AND BRAQUE ARE CREDITED WITH INVENTING COLLAGE IN 1912, AND I BEG TO DIFFER WITH THAT, ALWAYS.

BECAUSE, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED ANY KIND OF PIECE WORK THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES, TAKING ALL KINDS OF EPHEMERA AND DISCARDED MATERIALS AND FABRICS AND PAPER SCRAPS AND CREATING THINGS OUT OF THEM FOR ME, THAT'S COLLAGE.

I'M MARSHA MONROE PIPPENGER AND I'M AN ARTIST, I'M A TEACHER, AND I'M A TEACHING ARTIST.

I'M KIND OF THE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE HERE AT THE REQUARTH COMPANY.

WE HAVE 7 ACRES HERE AT REQUARTH.

THE BUILDING OF COURSE IS OLD, IT DATES FROM THE 1880'S OR 1890'S.

THE REQUARTH COMPANY MOVED DOWN HERE IN 1895.

THERE'S A KITCHEN SHOWROOM HERE NOW, AND WE HAVE 6 KITCHEN DESIGNERS, PLUS THE LUMBER YARD AND THE LUMBER AND EVERYONE WHO WORKS HERE WILL BRING CLIENTS UP TO MEET ME AND SEE THE STUDIO AND THEY ENJOY THAT.

I THINK CUSTOMERS ENJOY THAT TOO.

I HAVE LOTS OF ROOM.

I HAVE REALLY GOOD LIGHTING, IT'S ALL NORTH LIGHT.

THERE'S GREAT STORAGE.

IT'S JUST A REALLY GOOD SPACE.

THE BUILDING, THE PEOPLE, THE SURROUNDINGS, ARE WONDERFUL.

WHAT'S MY FAVORITE... MY FAVORITE PART OF ARTMAKING?

THE FIRST FAVORITE PART IS THE IDEA, WHICH OFTEN COMES FROM MY READING, READING BOOKS, ARTICLES, OR A PHRASE THAT I HEAR THAT WILL CAPTURE ME.

AND FROM THERE, IT'S GOTTA ROLL AROUND IN MY HEAD A LITTLE BIT.

I'LL MAKE SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS AND I PUT THE DRAWING ON CANVAS.

SOMETIMES IT'S TO SCALE, SOMETIMES NOT.

AND, THEN THE SECOND FAVORITE PART IS GETTING IN THERE WITH THE PAPER.

I START PULLING THE PAPERS THAT I THINK WILL WORK AND SORT OF CREATING A LITTLE PILE, AND START MOVING THINGS AROUND.

I DON'T COMMIT RIGHT AWAY AND I USE THOUSANDS OF GLUE STICKS, BECAUSE THE NICE THING ABOUT A GLUE STICK IS I CAN PUT A DAB OF GLUE DOWN, I CAN PUT THE PAPER DOWN, I CAN REMOVE IT IF I WANT TO IF I CHANGE MY MIND, OR I WANT TO MOVE IT OR WHATEVER.

YOU CAN MIX PAPERS, YOU KNOW.

I LAYER THEM AND MIX THEM, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE MIXING I HAVE A HUGE COLLECTION OF PAPER, HUGE.

IN THE BEGINNING, I USED TISSUE PAPER AND CHEAP MAGAZINE PAPERS AND THEY FADE.

THEY DON'T LAST.

SO I USE MOSTLY HANDMADE PAPERS TODAY AND I DO USE PAPERS FROM MAGAZINES BUT IT'S GOTTA BE A HIGH QUALITY MAGAZINE WITH HIGH QUALITY INKS.

AND THEN SOMETIMES I INCORPORATE OTHER THINGS...BITS AND PIECES OF ROCK, OR TILE, OR RUST.

YELLOW IS MY FAVORITE COLOR.

I'M PRETTY SURE THERE'S A TOUCH OF YELLOW IN PROBABLY EVERY SINGLE PIECE I'VE MADE.

I REALLY LIKE TO WORK BIG LIKE 36 BY 48, THAT'S 3 BY 4 FEET.

THAT'S A NICE SIZE, I LIKE THAT SIZE.

I'VE GOT THESE COLLAGE TAPESTRIES THAT I'VE BEEN MAKING, AND THEY'RE BIGGER.

THEY'RE 4 BY 6, 5 BY 7, AND 5 BY 8.

BUT I HAVE LEFTOVER COLLAGE PIECES THAT HAVE INNATE, NICE LITTLE COMPOSITIONS.

I'VE BEEN MAKING PENDANTS FROM THOSE.

SO, THEY'RE ABOUT 2 BY 3 INCHES...SO 2 BY 3 INCHES UP, YOU KNOW, AS BIG AS I CAN MANAGE.

THE MOST CHALLENGING PART ABOUT CREATING A COLLAGE MIGHT BE KNOWING WHEN IT'S FINISHED.

I THINK IT'S REALLY EASY TO OVERDO, AND THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I FELT LIKE I NEED SOMEBODY STANDING BEHIND ME TO TELL ME WHEN TO STOP, BUT YOU SHOULD LEAVE A LITTLE MYSTERY.

WHEN YOU PUT IN ALL THE INFORMATION, YOU END UP BORING PEOPLE, AND YOU NEED TO LET THE VIEWER DO A LITTLE WORK.

AND SO I TRY TO KEEP THAT IN MIND, THAT'S ONE OF MY MANTRAS SO TO SPEAK FOR ARTMAKING, IS TO TRY AND STOP JUST A LITTLE BIT SHORT OF FINISHED.

AND I THINK THAT WORKS.

ABOUT FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO, I WAS ASKED TO DESIGN A PRAYER WALL FOR MY CHURCH, WHICH IS WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH HERE IN DAYTON, DOWNTOWN.

AND I DESIGNED IT TO FIT WITH THE ARCHITECTURE OF OUR SANCTUARY AND IT'S MADE OUT OF WOOD.

AND I HAD DESIGNED IT SO IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD GROWN KIND OF ORGANICALLY, SO IT HAD SORT OF A RANDOM PATTERN, AND SO YOU COULD TUCK YOUR PRAYER INTO THE CRACKS AMONG THE WOODEN BRICKS.

AND THE PASTORS REMOVE ALL THE PRAYERS ABOUT ONCE A MONTH, I THINK, AND NOBODY READS THEM.

IT'S BETWEEN YOU AND WHOEVER YOU BELIEVE IN, AND THEY'RE BURNED.

OUR SENIOR PASTOR INVITED PEOPLE TO COME UP AND PUT THEIR FIRST PRAYER IN THE PRAYER WALL, WHICH I DID LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

AND I TURNED AROUND AND I LOOKED DOWN THE CENTER AISLE OF THE CHURCH, AND PEOPLE WERE LINED UP ALL THE WAY DOWN THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE SANCTUARY OUT INTO THE NARTHEX.

AND I STARTED TO CRY, AND AS YOU CAN TELL, IT STILL AFFECTS ME.

AND I STARTED THINKING ABOUT WALLS, AND HOW WALLS CAN BE POSITIVE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE NEGATIVE IN CONNOTATION, THAT WALLS CAN PROTECT AND SURROUND.

AND SO I STARTED A SERIES CALLED REDEFINING WALLS OF COLLAGES THAT ARE ABSTRACTIONS OF WALLS.

I'VE BEEN MAKING THEM EVER SINCE.

I'VE MADE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF COLLAGES RELATING TO THAT IDEA OF REDEFINING WALLS, AND IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF THIS SERENDIPITY, THIS BLESSING THAT I HAD, THAT I CERTAINLY DIDN'T EXPECT.

THERE'S A QUOTE THAT I REALLY LIKE: "FINE ART IS THAT IN WHICH THE HAND, THE HEAD, AND THE HEART AND SO, IF YOU CAN INCORPORATE THOSE THREE INTO YOUR WORK, I THINK YOU'VE DONE A GOOD THING.

STAYING SAFE AND IN STYLE.

[HUM OF SEWING MACHINE] MY NAME IS MELISSA MICHELSON.

MY BRAND IS LOVE MERT.

IT'S A SUSTAINABLE ACCESSORY BRAND THAT I STARTED 20 YEARS AGO.

I SOURCE MY MATERIALS MOSTLY FROM SECONDHAND SHOPS, AND THEN I ALSO SOURCE RECYCLED BITS OF LEATHER FROM A COUPLE SUPPLIERS THAT GET GIANT AMOUNTS OF OFFCUTS FROM OTHER PRODUCTIONS AND THEN I BUY 30, 40, 50 POUNDS AT A TIME.

MY STUFF REALLY DOES WELL IN SMALL, INDEPENDENT BOUTIQUES BECAUSE EVERYTHING'S JUST HANDMADE VERSUS MASS PRODUCED.

I WAS ALWAYS PASSIONATE ABOUT FASHION AND WANTED TO BE A DESIGNER OF SOME SORT.

AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN ARTIST AND GREW UP IN A FAMILY OF ARTISTS.

SO I GUESS IT WAS HARD TO ESCAPE.

SO I KEPT MAKING THINGS AND OVER THE YEARS, THINGS HAVE EVOLVED AESTHETICALLY AND I STARTED MESSING AROUND WITH SCREEN PRINTING FABRICS FOR A WHILE, AND THEN I FELL INTO MARBLING AND I THOUGHT MARBLING'S AN ANCIENT TECHNIQUE THEY'VE DONE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD TRANSLATE REALLY WELL ON FABRIC.

AND I STARTED MAKING SOME REALLY COOL PIECES OF FABRIC THAT I WAS TURNING INTO OTHER PRODUCTS LIKE CANVAS POUCHES AND SOME REALLY NICE HOME TEXTILES AND THEN I STARTED MAKING SOME EYE MASKS AND THOSE WERE DOING REALLY WELL FOR ME, JUST LIKE RELAXATION EYE MASKS IN A HEART SHAPE, AND THEN THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED.

AND SO I THOUGHT THIS FABRIC WOULD BE REALLY BEAUTIFUL TO MAKE A MASK OUT OF BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GONNA WEAR A MASK, A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING UNIQUE OR THAT SPEAKS TO THEIR INDIVIDUALITY, I GUESS.

I MEAN, WE ALL HAVE TO WEAR THEM RIGHT NOW, RIGHT?

SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL WEAR ONE THAT'S KIND OF FUN AND COLORFUL.

THE PROCESS OF ME MAKING A MASK STARTS WITH MARBLING THE FABRIC.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A WET PROCESS.

IT'S A MESSY PROCESS.

IT GOT MANY STEPS.

I KIND OF USE THE WATER AS MY CANVAS.

YOU HAVE A TRAY OF WATER.

THE WATER HAS A LITTLE CELLULOSE IN IT.

SO IT MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT GELATINOUS.

WHEN YOU PLACE THE PAINTS ON TOP OF THE WATER, THE PAINTS FLOAT, AND YOU'RE ABLE TO KIND OF MOVE THEM AROUND AND THEY DISPERSE WITH EACH OTHER.

THEY PUSH EACH OTHER AROUND YOU LAYER AND LAYER IT.

AND THEN ONCE YOU GET WHAT YOU THINK IS WHAT YOU WANT, YOU GET YOUR FABRIC AND YOU LAY IT DOWN AND YOU PULL IT BACK UP.

AND THE RESULT ON THE PIECE OF FABRIC IS AMAZING.

AND YOU NEVER GET THE SAME THING TWICE, ALTHOUGH I CAN KIND OF CONTROL COLOR COMBINATIONS IN A LITTLE BIT OF TECHNIQUE TO DO A PRODUCTION RUN OF SORTS, BUT EVERYTHING'S ALWAYS GONNA BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

I WONDER TO MYSELF WHEN I'M SELLING THEM LIKE HOW MUCH LONGER WILL THIS BE GOING?

AND I THINK THIS WHOLE PANDEMIC THING HAS TAKEN A LOT OF US BY KIND OF SURPRISE AND WE ARE ALL A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED AND JUST TRYING TO MAKE OUR WAY THROUGH EVERY DAY, I WAS WORRIED THAT MY BUSINESS WAS GOING TO GET HURT BY IT.

AND I THOUGHT, WHAT CAN I DO IN THIS STATE OF WHERE WE'RE AT TO PROSPER AND MAKE SURE MY FAMILY'S TAKEN CARE OF?

BECAUSE THE MASK THING IT TOOK A WHILE TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN DURING THIS PANDEMIC.

AND IT WASN'T NECESSARILY RIGHT THEN AND THERE LIKE, "I'LL MAKE MASKS."

IT'S ACTUALLY BEEN REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE IT'S BRINGING WAY MORE PEOPLE TO MY WEBSITE THAN I EVER USED TO HAVE TRAVEL TO MY WEBSITE.

AND PEOPLE ARE GOING THERE BECAUSE THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT MY MASKS, HOWEVER THEY DID, AND THEN SEE ALL MY AND SO I'M ACTUALLY TRYING TO DESIGN A MASK SO THAT WHEN ALL THIS IS OVER, BECAUSE IT WILL BE, IT CAN SERVE ANOTHER PURPOSE.

SO MAYBE IT ENDS UP BEING LIKE HEADBAND OR SOMETHING.

THE SUSTAINABILITY HAS BEEN THERE WITH LOVE AND YES, I'M MAKING PRODUCTS, BUT I'M TRYING TO DO IT AS CONSCIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE AND ARTFULLY AS TO VIEW THIS AND OTHER COLORES PROGRAMS GO TO: NEW MEXICO PBS DOT ORG AND LOOK FOR COLORES UNDER WHAT WE DO AND LOCAL PRODUCTIONS.

ALSO, LOOK FOR US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM.

"UNTIL NEXT WEEK, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING."

FUNDING FOR COLORES WAS PROVIDED IN PART BY: FREDERICK HAMMERSLEY FOUNDATION... ...NEW MEXICO ARTS, DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

...AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU