Thoughts & news
A major milestone: QUILT NATIONAL 2019!
Outward Movement #1 (2018)
I have some exciting news to share. This week I reached what feels like a major milestone. One of my art quilts, “Outward Movement #1,” was accepted into Quilt National 2019. Quilt National is a biennial quilt show that attracts entries from all across the world. It’s among the top tier of art quilt shows, and it’s been a stretch goal of mine for several years. This is my first acceptance after a number of attempts. To say that I’m thrilled and honored is an understatement. Over the moon is a little more accurate. When I read the acceptance email I had one of those gasping/laughing/crying moments. Let this be a lesson not to read email at stop lights. I told a few people right away, but have been keeping this to myself for a couple of days, just letting it roll around in my head and heart while I remember the great teachers, mentors, and colleagues who’ve helped me learn and grow. Thank you all.
You can see more images of the quilt and read more details in my portfolio.
This quilt was created using the hybrid manual/digital techniques that I’ve been writing and talking about for the last couple of years.
New items in my online store
Check out the newest items in my online store--the fruits of an intense month of dyeing!
New items in the portfolio section
Collage #1
If you follow my studio Facebook page, you might have seen some quick & dirty snapshots of recently finished work in early September. I've just finished properly photographing all of those pieces and adding them to my online portfolio. Take a look at:
Recent sales!
I'm delighted to say that my ongoing relationship with Peg Leg Vintage in College Park is proving to be both pleasant and rewarding. Their super-cool midcentury vibe fits perfectly with my own aesthetic, and their enthusiasm and support for my work is just great. The piece above, "Emerge" is an older work from 2009 that just sold last month! They've also carrying smaller framed works. Now, if could just stop buying furniture perhaps I could make a genuine profit!
You can read more about "Emerge" in the portfolio section.
Recent work added to my portfolio
I've completed several pieces in the last couple of months, including three art quilts. It's always a bit of a delicate dance with new work. Do I love it? Do I hate it? Can I calm down long enough to see and fairly judges it's merits and faults? For what it's worth, the two "Shadow" pieces were rejected for 2 prestigious art shows. Win some, lose some. Lately it's been a lot of losing. Ah well...
Click the links below each photo to see more images.
Check out the new items in my online store
Black Friday? Really? Isn't there still a pile of Thanksgiving dishes in the sink?
Whether you're a conservative shopper or an an all out shopping maniac, it is indeed the time of year when we all begin to contemplate gifts for friends and loved ones, and perhaps for ourselves. It's also an incredibly busy time of year for everyone involved in creating, marketing, and selling. I know I've certainly been busy.
Click on over to my online store and see some of the newest creations. Buying from local merchants and small businesses is a great way to support the community. These folks--people just like me--are wonderful source for original, one-of-a-kind gifts.
And, if you find yourself in the Washington, DC area next weekend (Dec 5-6), stop by my booth at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights craft fair to see more of my work.
Visit my booth at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights craft show Dec 5-6
Stop by my booth at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights craft fair next weekend, Dec 5 (10am - 5pm) & Dec 6 (10am - 4 pm) at the Greenbelt Community Center located at 15 Crescent Rd in Greenbelt, MD (map).
It's exciting to be participating in this wonderful gathering of talented artists and craftspeople for my 5th year in a row. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with longtime supporters, meeting new folks, and showing my most recent wearable creations.
An acceptance in the middle of a sea of rejections
I'm happy to report that "Focal Point" has been accepted into the Art Cloth Network show "Anything Goes". Elin Noble was the juror. She's a delightful, talented artist and teacher. It's an honor to have had her review my work. The first venue for the show hasn't yet been determined, so that's something else to look forward to.
"Focal Point"
New art cloth added to my portfolio
Illumination- Shockwave FULL
I've just added three recently completed art cloth pieces to my online portfolio. Click the images below to visit the individual pages in the portfolio, where you'll find more images and details about each piece.
Illumination- Stripped DETAIL 1
Illumination- Counting FULL
"Counting" accepted into ACN "Illumination" show
I learned last week that my art cloth composition titled, "Counting" (shown below; additional images and info in my portfolio) was accepted into the new Art Cloth Network show, "Illumination." Bruce Hoffman juried the show. I'm thrilled to have had an opportunity for him to see my work, and delighted to have been selected. We're currently seeking a venue for the first exhibition of this new show, but I expect that an online gallery will be available soon as well.
New items added to the portfolio
I've just added three recent pieces to the portfolio section. Take a look. [gallery ids="1355,1359,1378"]
First review of work for "Moving in Circles"
Yesterday afternoon Nicole DeWald, the art director at the Greenbelt Community Center, and I sorted through the work for my upcoming show to see what how things might fit into the gallery. It was an afternoon of firsts.
Yesterday afternoon Nicole DeWald, the art director at the Greenbelt Community Center, and I sorted through the work for my upcoming show to see what how things might fit into the gallery. It was an afternoon of firsts:
- I've never hung a show before,
- I've never seen all of this work laid out together in a big, open space, and
- I've never had anyone look at the work and talk about how the pieces fit together.
It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot and I got some tangible confirmation that I've got what I need for this show. The actual hanging won't happen until late August. While there's still preparation work to be done between now and then, I still feel like I've just past a huge milestone.
New work added to my portfolio
I've been working hard the past couple of weeks to finish quilting several pieces that have been in the queue and get them photographed in time to include them in an exhibit proposal.
I've been working hard the past couple of weeks to finish quilting several pieces that have been in the queue and get them photographed in time to include them in an exhibit proposal. I dropped the proposal at the post office yesterday, and now I've just finished adding the new work to my online portfolio. Check out the new items in the "Restructured Circles" section of the portfolio page.
Restructured Circles #3
I finished this piece about a month ago and submitted it for a local show. No luck. It would have been nice to show it, but for some reason I'm not terribly disappointed that I don't have delivery, pickup, and reception on my to do list. Go figure. This is the 3rd completed piece in my "Restructured Circles" art quilt series. The marks are made entirely by discharge and I very happy with the results. The piecing is minimal, by which I mean it's 2 pieces. It doesn't get much more minimal.
When I finished the piece I stood back and said, "OMG it's a cairn." I've been taking pictures of rocks for years, and in the last few years have really become fascinated with stacked rocks. I think this might be the beginning of something. A new direction or a course refinement? To be determined.
Finally finished: Part 4
OK. This is the last of the series of finally completed work, but I promise that there's more to come. These two pieces are called, "Sedona #1" and "Sedona #2". They're the first installments in a little mini-series inspired by a few days spent hiking in Sedona, Arizona earlier this summer. They each measure 30" w X 72" h. They're art cloth (cotton broadcloth) with a rod pocket at the top. They incorporate painting with thickened dye, low water immersion dyeing, soy wax resist, bound and stitched resist, and discharge with both chlorine and thiox.
Finally finished: Part 3
But wait, there's more. This one is called "Restructured Circles #2," which of course means it's another member of my "Restructured Circles" series. I have to say that I really love this piece. It's not heavily pieces, but it didn't need to be. It started out, as all of the pieces in this series will, as a whole cloth. It was then cut up and reassembled. In this case nothing happened to it after the reassembly other than quilting. The quilting is closely spaced echos following the general shape of the circular forms.
I'm pleased with the line quality and the feeling of the brush strokes, some of which I applied directly to the cloth and others indirectly through a silk screen. I also got where I wanted to be in terms of value and balance.
Finally finished: Part 2
This is the next installment in the series of recently finished work. It's called "Restructured Circles #1." I'm not sure that's the most evocative name, but it's part of a series by that name. I'm happy with both the concept and the result, and I'm looking forward to continuing this series for awhile.
The quilting is equally spaced parallel lines with a few lines intersecting at obtuse angles in the lower left. I used a mixture of variegated and light solid colored thread to create a visual variation in the quilting.
Finally finished: Part 1
This is the first of several posts showing newly finished work. This one is called "Line and Rhythm." I finished the quilt top probably two years ago, but have only recently completed the quilting. Like several recent pieces, the quilting here is very dense, about 1/4" spacing. I love the texture it creates.
I like this piece very much and have yet to make anything quite like it. I hope to get back to this sometime to use it as a starting point for a series. Actually, I can say that about several of pieces. Getting them photographed and getting some distance is allowing me to to see better what's working and what's not and to think about how individual pieces can inspire future work. Yes, of course, I know that I'm supposed to do that along the way--and I do take photos of work in progress. But, sometimes it seems that only at the very end--and sometimes only ofter considerable time has past--can I see the connection between one piece and something to follow.
UPDATED 9/21: In response to Judy's request, here's a detail shot of as well. Forgive the color balance and quality. It's an iPhone quickie.
By the time that I quilted this piece I'd switched to Aurifil 50 weight Mako cotton thread for quilting and I just love it. I was using Gutermann before. It's not bad thread per se, but the Aurifil is just so very superior. It's wonderfully fine. It feeds beautifully through the machine and there's virtually no lint (except of course from the batting). There's no local source around here that I know of so I've been mail ordering from Red Rock Threads in Nevada (redrockrockthreads.com).
Recently finished
Just in time for Christmas, I finally finished a commission quilt that I started *months* ago. Thanks for being so patient Jennifer. Aaron, I hope you like it. By the time I was done I almost didn't want to let it go. That's a good sign.
