Gallery reception this Sunday (10/6)

The closing reception for "Moving in Circles" will be this Sunday (10/6), 1:30 - 3:00 PM at the Greenbelt Community Center Gallery. I hope you can stop by. If you miss the reception and still want to see the show, it will be on display through next Friday, the 11th.

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

[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.