Discoveries

With Ann Rebele in front of her piece at Quilt National

It's been more than a week since I returned from Quilt National's opening weekend in Athens. As always, it was fun to see old friends, and meet some artists whose work I know, but whom I had never never met in person. Over the years serving as curator for the Firelands Association for the Visual Art's The Artist as Quiltmaker, I had the chance to see so much beautiful artwork, and to correspond with hundreds of artists. I made new friends over the years at the openings, such as meeting Terry Jarrard Dimond, Ann Rebele, Nancy Condon, or Denise Mucci Furnish, among many others. I had yet to meet Wen Redmond, however, and have followed her work through the years. At Quilt National this year, Wen's piece was a show-stopper, so I was especially pleased to finally meet her.

Gillian greeted us like queens

We arrived, and were met by our hostess with a spread fit for queens, homemade scones and tea. We had the strawberry-rhubarb pie I had brought along for breakfast on Saturday morning, then headed over to the Quilt National artist's preview and gallery talk.

Nancy Condon with her Quilt National piece in the background

We met our hosts for lunch on Saturday, then went to see Quiltzilla, a fun store front at the mall promoting art in public places. We met up there with our tArts (a Cleveland area textile group) friend Christy, who was in town for the weekend.


tArt friends Po and Razzy in front of the Quiltzilla dinosaur

 On the way home Sunday morning, we stopped in Lancaster to visit Michael Mrowka and Debra Lunn at Lunn Fabrics. Although they were packing for return to the Kaufman fabric offices in Indonesia, there was still plenty of unbelievably beautiful fabric out on the shelves. They had also recently redone their floors using their fabrics. Wow, what a creative solution!

Michael shows off the new floors at Lunn Fabrics

Wearables for Spring

 I finished this jacket recently for a client, so thought I would show it to you. It is custom made completely: she picked the design, shape, sleeve length, and the colors she wanted from a selection of fabrics. I did the rest, and it came out beautifully.

The jacket is assembled in my personal collage style. I create my art quilts, Magic Baby clothing and wearables for adults in the same way: put bits and pieces of this and that together to create a quirky, fun and beautiful finished design. Hope you like it!


Detail of closures, jacket front



Jacket back in beautiful batik

Next up: a busy week ahead. I am giving a lecture and book signing for my book Thursday evening at the Medina Public Library. On Friday, I need to pick up my work from the exhibition Piecing it All Together: The Art of Collage. That means also either rehanging it or preparing it for storage once I get it home. I really need to schedule an appointment for professional photography of the pieces I finished for the show at the last minute, too!

Speaking of exhibitions, my friend Terry Jarrard Dimond is participating in an art quilt exhibition at BookSmart Studios. I received her invitation this week. I also received the Call to Entry information for The Artist as Quiltmaker XV from the new curator, Ruta Marino. The entry deadline has been pushed back from September to January 23, 2012, so get busy with your entries now.

Busy is good, right?

Color me! Artist as Quiltmaker entrant Susan Shie brings smiles and happiness everywhere she goes. She added this to the back of her entry envelope.

My busy week began last Saturday in Oberlin, Ohio. I arrived at the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts to meet the Artist as Quiltmaker XIV juror, Carolyn Mazloomi, and the generous volunteers who came to help me, the curator, with the image jury for the exhibition.

Some of the Artist as Quiltmaker XIV entries, organized for the Image Jury.

After a nice lunch with my friend and colleague Mary Ann Tipple, I drove home, showered and dressed for a fun evening out at my local arts facility, BayArts. A local writer friend, Kristen Hampshire, hosted a book signing in the gallery of the art center, and my husband's band, Back Bay (aka 'The Lads') performed. There was a great crowd, as Kristen signed several of her books, and people crowded into the gallery to hear the music and talk. I have never seen so many local writers in one room at one time. What a blast!

Kristen (center) with a fan, and her editor from Quarry Books, Mary Ann (left)

After the show, recording artist Cletus Black stopped by the house to drink some beer and gab with us. It was fun getting to know him better, and, for me, to learn more about being an artist from a singer/songwriter's viewpoint. I have learned over the years that the creative process is the same in many ways, only differing somewhat as the approach takes on different guises. If an artist is a songwriter, musician, actor, poet, writer or visual artist, there is a common experience to be shared. Creative inspiration is universal, yet simultaneously unique to the creator. We stayed up talking way too late. I was invited to join Cletus on Tuesday, when Back Bay went into the recording studio to add some kick-ass guitar and back up vocals for his new album.

Sunday morning, I slept in, and aaahhh, what a luxurious indulgence. I worked on getting the Artist as Quiltmaker jury notification letters prepared, and drank way too many cups of coffee. I like to respond to the artists who enter the show as soon as possible, so that they can either enter their work into another show, or prepare to ship it to FAVA for the Object Jury in November, when the juror selects the final work that will be exhibited next May, and awards the prize money.

On Monday, I began to prepare for my contribution to an artist's group project, Compositional Conversations. This is a cool project started by my colleague Terry Jarrard Dimond. I have blogged about this project before, and encourage you to check out Terry's link to see more. I have now sent the piece to the next artist, and will be writing more about my thought processes concerning this collaborative project later this week.

Back Bay at the Dave's studio (center); David Speaker and Chris Pritchard discuss the microphone set-up with Dave.

Tuesday evening finally arrived, and it promised to be a fun night. I was not disappointed. Chris added a cool rhythm guitar track, then he and David laid down vocal tracks to Cletus' song Drew Us Kings. The album will probably be out in the spring.

Cletus arrived, and he and I sat in the upstairs "crow's nest" listening to the vocal tracks, and talking about art.

Dave's cool board...

Since this was the first time I had been in a recording studio, I was fascinated by every aspect of it. The digital technology is simply amazing. Study and talent in special combinations are required for all: the artists recording, playing music, and singing, and the engineering on the board. Oh, and Dave is also an amazing musician with a great ear!

After David needed to take off to take his dogs home, Cletus invited Chris to stay. He recorded a demo of his version of another of Cletus' songs, Road to Nowhere, from his Down Those Tracks cd. Of the thirty plus years I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by Chris' music, this little demo recording, with his heartfelt vocals and simple acoustic guitar, is one of my all-time favorites. Not to mention, it's a fabulous song, with lyrics that will bring tears to your eyes.

The Taylor or the Fender? The Taylor or the Fender? Chris and Dave test out guitar sounds to see which one will be right for the recording. Just like visual artists, using the right tools for the desired effect is crucial.

After Road to Nowhere, Dave recorded while Cletus and Chris played a rousing Cletus Black version of Kansas City. By the time they were done, it was after midnight (the hour, not the song!), and we had stayed up past out bedtime again. What a fun night!

Did I mention it was only Tuesday? More of the busy week's events to come. Happy October!

Fiber Art Exhibits Gearing Up for Fall, Part 1

One of the joys of looking through the mail is receiving invitations from artist friends and colleagues for their upcoming exhibitions. This is the season for new fiber art exhibitions, and this fall will be no exception. Visiting art exhibits is self-stimulating. It is also a fact that, especially in our field, other fiber artists eschew petty jealousies and competitiveness, instead appearing at openings from near and far to see other fellow artists, and to be supportive of those whose work is on exhibit.

Conversation in Fabric at the Ohio Craft Museum in Columbus. The fabulous work of artist Susan Shie graces the exhibition postcard.

The exhibition I curate, The Artist as Quiltmaker, juries in the fall, but hangs in the late spring, a time when the school year is coming to an end and we all dream of the coming summer. The biennial exhibition, the second oldest, longest-running venue for viewing art quilts in the world (second only to Quilt National) carries the pulse of the art quilt movement, both through the jurors and the exhibitors throughout the history of the show. This year's juror, Carolyn Mazloomi, will bring her own sensibility to the entries, one of the exciting things about utilizing a single juror. The entry guidelines are left purposefully flexible. We do not limit the size or offer a definition of a quilt, for example. As a result, we really receive, and exhibit, very cutting edge work. If any of you are planning to enter, click on the link to the show above, and download the pdf entry form. The entry deadline is September 29, 2009.

Opening on September 13, Conversations in Fabric at the Ohio Craft Museum was curated by Tracy Rieger and Linda Fowler of Quilt Surface Design Symposium fame. The work of twenty-five artists will be on exhibit through November 1st in Columbus, Ohio. The exhibiting artists include longtime friends Susan Shie, Sandy Shelenberger, Deborah Anderson and Barbara Lind, new acquaintance Sue Cavanaugh, as well as the wonderful work of artists such as Dorothy Caldwell, Patricia Larson, and Catherine Jeffers. Because of the incredible depth of Ohio's art quilt scene, (successfully documented in my book), there is always something wonderful to see in Columbus. Don't miss this one.

Corner Office by Terry Jarrard-Dimond, from her solo exhibit, Textile Constructions

I am currently participating in an online artist dialogue started by South Carolina fiber artist Terry Jarrard-Dimond and called Compositional Conversation. It is the second such virtual artist project I have participated in, and it promises to be a very stimulating experience. I first became familiar with Terry's work when several of her art quilts were juried into The Artist as Quiltmaker a few years ago. A stunning, process oriented artist and craftswoman, Dimond's solo exhibition at the Goodall Gallery at Columbia College, South Carolina promises to be fabulous. Textile Constructions opens September 1, so check it out if you're in the area.

My husband had surgery on both feet earlier this week. As a result of caring for him until he can walk again, my focus is elsewhere this week, and likely in the coming weeks. Look for more information on upcoming exhibitions to see in the coming days. And enjoy your feet, and your hands! I have gained a new appreciation for these taken-for-granted body parts this week.

Cleaning Out Our Attics

These are fish napkin holders. They arrived in Saturday's mail, carefully wrapped and shipped USPS Priority Mail. Inside the box was a note from a dear college friend I had seen earlier in the week. She was in town from Paris visiting her elderly parents, and they had been cleaning out the attic of their family home. The never-used fish napkin holders, gifted to her parents long ago, had sat boxed up in the attic for years, waiting to be re-gifted to someone who still uses cloth napkins. That someone would be me, the recipient of a sweet and thoughtful gesture from a friend and her elderly parents, all of whom I adore.

This entire episode reminded me that we, 'we' meaning my husband and I, my siblings, my colleagues and all my friends in their fifties, we are all in a "cleaning out the attic" stage of our lives. The attic-clearing can be literal: passing long things we've held onto over the years, but no longer need or want, to someone else.

When my children left home, out of my house went extra furniture, dishes and pots and pans. Now that they both own homes, I have a list in my mind of special family heirlooms or otherwise valuable items in my attic and closets that I have now decided they are "old enough" to value and take care of. By becoming homeowners and parents, they have attained a certain level of stability in their lives at the same time that I am in the mood to clear "things" out of my own.

My 'baby' sister and I this summer, during her visit from Italy

My entire summer has been a more metaphorical cleaning of the attic. I have been acquiring new roles, such as "grandmother of three," "college buddy now in her fifties." I have also had the pleasure of not only forging fresh relationships with new grandbabies and old college friends, but of reconnecting with high school friends on Facebook and my own siblings, all wrapped in a parentheses of the music being created within my own family unit.

At this age, relationships become even more important, as they are my fuel for being an artist. Over the past decade, I have carefully swept my attic clean of unhealthy, one-sided relationships. I find I no longer have a tolerance for being with people who have nothing to give back in return. Instead, I have focused on my family, and building new and stronger relationships with our artist friends and musicians, all of whom provide deep love and support, shared experiences, and new ideas that find their expression in a cleaned out attic, where there is room to grow.

In July my tArty friends, a local artist group, met at my house to share their new work. It ran the gamut from exciting commissions, new, mind-blowing sketchbooks, and ideas developed into artwork.
Christy's commission sketches

Jill's sketchbook drawings

Christine with work inspired by her sketchbooks

In my own work, I have spent the summer working on designs for my new line of Magic Baby clothes. They have been selling as fast as I can get them finished and photographed. Now I am gearing up for Fall and Winter, with new editions being created in soft flannel, knitted fabric and baby cord. I am also trying to work out some baby boy designs. I need to come up with something very cute and very unique, but not "girly." My 'clean attic' and supportive relationships give me the support and space to let my mind have room to think.

Please don't get the idea that my house or my work space is literally clean. Quite the opposite. In my writing studio, every shelf is covered with research materials, my manuscript pages and files, and accented with piles of finished artwork, TagTalk cards and the like decorating the floor.

In my art studio, a too-small bedroom filled with a Pier 1 dining room table converted to a work table, fabric and works in progress are everywhere. It looks like a mess, but this is how I work. I have my fabrics organized in ways that I can find just what I am searching for. My trims and notions are organized in containers and boxes that fill the space under my work table. The lighting is terrible, but this is the space I have to work in, and this is where I work. Every day.

My point in showing this to you is that the "cleaning the attic" analogy has nothing to do with literal cleaning. It has everything to do with clearing out our lives so that we can focus on our passions. For those of you who haven't found your passion yet, I suggest the technique of attic-clearing to help you make room for finding it.



Another artist group I am participating in, Compositional Conversations, was formed online by my colleague Terry Jarrard Dimond. You can check the links in my sidebar to some of the artists who are also participating and writing about the project. Terry, an amazing artist, invited 16 artists to participate in a conversation, both in writing online and responding, but also by agreeing to be recipients of an art piece begun by her with a single piece of fabric which is sent to each artist respectively to be added to, considered, and conversed with. It's an intriguing exercise for the artists, and a chance to respond to the choices other artists have made. My turn to receive the artwork-in-progress is fast approaching. Each week, as I see the pictures posted from the other participants, my heart starts to race in nervous anticipation. Clearing out my metaphorical attic has made room for these new experiences and artistic conversations.

If you regularly follow my blog, you may have noticed that I have been absent for awhile. I have been really, really busy working, and have needed to focus on that. Somehow, though, the fish napkin holders arriving in the mail following six weeks of reconnecting with old friends and loved ones got me to thinking about the past, about attics, about relationships, and about making room for what is important. I hope, perhaps, my thoughts will jog your own in the same way. Time to clean your attic.