Moving in Circles opened today

Nicole DeWald and I hung my show today in the gallery at the Greenbelt Community Center. Check out the photos below, and stop by if you're in the area. It runs through October 11. I've been anticipating this show and working toward it for so long. Now that the day has finally arrived, it's taking a little while for the reality of it to sink in. At the risk of sounding like I've snatched the mic from the presenter at an awards show, this might be a good time to thank a few people. I'm tremendously grateful to Nicole for believing in my work, offering years of support and encouragement, and trusting that I could fill a gallery. My studiomates and fellow artists in residence in Greenbelt gave me wonderful feedback, encouragement, and validation during my tenure as an Artist in Residence--particularly Sherill. And finally, without the support of my mentors, friends and family--most especially Dan--I just wouldn't be here today. I take none of this for granted, and I'm deeply grateful.

Photos of the gallery appear below. Plus, watch the video overview of the "Restructured Circles" series at http://russlittlefiberartist.net/restructured-circles-series-overview/

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Poster for "Moving in Circles"

I just saw the poster for my show for the first time. This is so cool. We'll be hanging it this Friday. This is really starting to feel real.

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:

• 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.

Open studio sale Sun, June 2

I'll be in the studio this weekend for my final Artful Afternoon open studio. My artist residency concludes at the end of June. Stop by Noon - 4 PM this Sunday (June 2) and help me celebrate 5 great years as an Artist in Residence with a real sale. Most scarves will be 10% off this Sunday only. Hope to see you there.

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 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 #11

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Big studio changes coming

After 5 wonderful years as an Artist in Residence at the Greenbelt Community Center, I've decided not to apply for another year of residency. At the end of June I'll be moving out of my studio. It was a hard decision to make. In the end it came down to some soul searching about how best to manage my time and create a little more balance in my life. (Let's check back in a year and see how THAT works out!). As it stands now, I divide my time between my home studio--where all of the quilting and sewing for wearable stuff talkes place--and my Greenbelt studio, which is where I do almost all of my dyeing, printing, and piecing. Add to that a full time job and a marriage and you'll start to get the picture. I'm trying to be in too many places at once. My residency comes with a commitment to spend at least 30 hours per month in the studio. Some months I come close, but more often not.

So, I'm moving into new quarters located conveniently about 8 feet below my kitchen and dining room. We're currently in the process of building a bright, clean, well lit, and soon-to-be well equipped studio in our basement.

The renovation project began on April 8th and we're hoping to be done by the end of next week--about 4 weeks start to finish. Insulation, drywall, recessed lights, track lighting for the design wall, new windows, and laminate floors: It's going to be great. There's also a full bath and walk-in closet, and the utility room, though a bit more sparten than the main room, will soon be sporting a beautiful new commercial stainless steel mop sink with a drain board. Funny how excited you can get about a sink!

The new studio will open a number of possibilities including more short work sessions on week nights, better organization from having everything in one place, and the potential for some small group and one-on-one teaching.

New "How to" content added

I've started creating some posts containing instructions and advice on various technical art subjects. You can find them listed under the Resources menu above or by following this link: http://russlittlefiberartist.net/how-to-posts/. I'll be adding more posts in the future.

Art Cloth Network calling for new members

The Art Cloth Network is accepting applications for membership now through March 15, 2013. If you're an artist actively engaged in creating art cloth and you're interested in connecting with a vital group of other artists from across the country, please take a look at the link below to learn more about the group's mission and how to apply. ACN has been a wonderful and supportive experience for me. http://artclothnetwork.com/join.html

Opening reception for 24x80 at Palos Verdes

You can read about the opening reception of the show at the Palos Verdes Art Center and see photos of the 24 x 80 portion of the show on the Art Cloth Network blog. http://artclothnetwork.blogspot.com/2013/01/24-x-80-at-fiber-forward-palos-verdes.html

Great fiber art at the Palos Verdes Art Center

If you find yourself in the Los Angeles area in the next 2 months consider a visit to The Palos Verdes Art Center. There's a great exhibit of fiber art being shown from January 18 through March 17. Among the work included in the exhibit is the Art Cloth Network's "24 x 80" show, which was last seen in 2012 during Fiber Philadelphia. I'm really delighted to have my work in this show and to get some exposure on the west coast. 

Sentinel covers Nov Artful Afternoon

Wanda Jackson, a freelance writer, wrote a nice article for the Prince George's Sentinel about my Artful Afternoon workshop in November. (http://www.thesentinel.com/pgs/Search/Artful-Afternoon) The Sentinel 20121114

Studio sale TODAY (Sun, 12/16) 1-4 PM

I'll be at the studio today from 1 - 4 PM for one last afternoon of holiday shopping. I've still got lots of great pieces, including new items such as the scarf shown here. I'm delighted with the way that this turned out. It's a combination of my own hand-dyed silk (the turquoise backing) and a wild textural print that I picked up last weekend at Mood in the Garment District in Manhattan.

Several of the other Artists in Residence will also be in their studios today. It's a great opportunity to shop for original art, meet the artists, and support local small businesspeople by shopping locally.

My studio is located on the 3rd floor of the Greenbelt Community Center at: 15 Crescent Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20770.

Mini buying trip to NYC

Dan and I were in Manhattan last weekend for the wedding of two friends. It was a great excuse to do a little shopping in the garment district. I found some great deals on some basic white dyeable stuff--a wonderful cotton batiste in particular. I also happened upon a wonderful, wild bolt of fabric at Mood. I came home with 2 yards I’m going to use for scarves. Last night I dyed some turquoise blue silk habotai to use for backing. The result should be...well, I’ll post pictures of the finished product and you can decide for yourself. I'm excited I’m hoping to get at least a couple of new things ready for the open studio this weekend.  

Open Studio Sale: Sun, Dec 16, 1-4 pm

I'll be in the studio this Sunday (Dec 16), 1-4 PM for one last holiday shopping opportunity. Stop by for a little light refreshment and a little shopping. My studiomate Celestine will also be there selling her bags, bowls, and other fabric creations. And let's not forget Sherill's wonderful cut paper designs--original compositions, prints, and jewelry. Three artists in one room. That's a whole lot of art!

Our studio is in room 303 on the third floor of the Community Center at 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770. You can't miss us. Hope to see you there.

Cautious optimism?

Well, it looks like the new site might be live. If you asked me right now I'd be hard pressed to explain exactly how I managed to get this to work. It involved changing my GoDaddy DNS settings. Copying a files around on my web host account and making a bunch of WordPress changes. There were times then the site wasn't working and I couldn't figure out why. The worst moment was when I did something that I thought I was supposed to do and completely lost access to the site--and only managed to fix it with a scary little PHP hack. All in all, this stuff is not for the faint of heart. I will be working over the next several days to add content, especially to the portfolio section. Watch for changes and updates.

Festival of Lights craft show was a big success

My booth at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights Art & Craft Fair was a great success. I had quite a few returning customers and lots of new ones. It was great to meet new folks, hang out with fellow artists, and get some ver nice positive feedback on my work.

I have to say though, I just don't know how working artists who sell this way do it week after week. You must develop some serious endurance. My day job is behind a desk. Two solid days on my feet and I was whipped. But I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

A week of color

Guess where I've spent the last week. Well, that's probably not a fair question. The sign will be both familiar and evocative to some, and won't register at all with others.

Mystery solved. Since last Sunday afternoon I've spent most of my waking hours at The Crow Timber Frame Barn in Baltimore, Ohio taking a special 6-day version of Carol Soderlund's "True Colors" workshop.

The workshop was great and, as usual, Carol and my fellow participants were inspiring. I'm on my way home tomorrow morning and ready to get back into the studio so I can apply some of what I've learned this week.

I haven't abandoned my independent study of MX dyes and their behavior, but this class has given me valuable direction that's going to save me lots of time and money. Thanks Carol! Another home run.

Wonderful show

I feel a little awkward saying this. Some little voice in my head is telling me that it's just not proper to be too proud, but... Dan and I just spent a wonderful 24 hours in Philadelphia roaming through the galleries that are part of Fiber Philadelphia. We saw so much wonderful work. I'm very proud to say that "Lines and Numbers", the show by the Art Cloth Network was among the best. I'm just thrilled with the way our show looks and I'm grateful to those who worked hard to organize, hang, and promote it. I feel like I'm riding on the coat tails of some talented and generous folks. Other highlights included the biennial show at the Snyderman-Works Gallery and the show at the Highwire Gallery (including new work by Rayna Gillman). Both are outstanding. I came away inspired.