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

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="1231,1232,1234,1233"]

[get_portfolio_text 2013-0003]

 

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