Circling Back Home: The Opening Reception

The artists gather for a picture: Jill Milenski, Gail Crum
and Gayle Pritchard.

Exhibiting artist Gayle Pritchard looks on the
crowd at the entry to the exhibition.

 The opening reception for Memories Evoked: Circling Back Home was last Saturday night. The gallery staff reported it was the largest attendance for an opening they had seen. Needless to say, Gail, Jill and I were thrilled at the turnout. Having worked for two years to create the exhibition, each of us is delighted to be able to show a large body or our work. There are just over a hundred artworks on display, and each of us have thirty some pieces in the mix. Even we are amazed, not only with the amount of new work we created, but with how beautiful it all looks installed in the gallery.

Two feelings prevailed for me that night. Talking to people I know, such as my family, friends, my in-laws and other artists who came to see the show, I could say, "Now you know me better." The other palpable feeling I experienced is the slightly nervous anxiety that arises from being vulnerable in public. While viewers are necessary to artists, musicians,writers, poets, actors and other creative people, they do not always grasp what they are seeing, hearing or experiencing. My main goal is to create work that people engage with, as opposed to simply walking by it, leaving the work unexamined or unnoticed.

Another artist group to which I belonged, the West End Textile TArts, were organized by Susan "Pomme" Shie (not shown here: she's taking the photo!) to arrive early for a quick meeting. We were happy to add two new members, Mary "Ginger" Urbas and Gail "Riesling Grape" Crum. From the left: Jill "Lime" Milenski, Gayle "Kumquat" Pritchard, Christine "Cherry" Mauersberger and Christy "Raspberry" Gray. Our new members are on the right!

Friends old and new engaged in the show.

Spouses, children, collectors and strangers.

Susan Shie, Mary Urbas, and Christine

Mauersberger make their way through the

gallery.

So many people attended, and we were delighted!

My artist granddaughter made me a card that said Happy Art Night! My
grandson observed, "Grandma, I've been seeing all of this since I was, like,5,
and way before anyone else. It sure looks different in here, though."
Be still my heart. And thanks for coming.

 Up next: please come to our Gallery Talk on Sunday, March 12th at 1 p.m. at the Beck Center in Lakewood. You will meet all the artists, learn more about their processes, and see the artwork from the show in depth. Plus, ask all the questions you can think of! See you then.

Hearing Voices

Last year, I was part of a small group show with my local artist group, affectionately known as "the tArts." The show was held at the lovely and spacious Stocker Gallery at Lorain County Community College.

The tArts in the 2008 configuration: Christy Gray, Tina Rossi, Gayle Pritchard, Christine Mauersberger, Lois Carroll, Susanne Gregg, Jill Milenski, Susan Shie, at the opening of Flavors of Fiber in 2008.

One of the pieces I made for the show, I Hear Voices, was inspired by a song my husband wrote, Simon Says. It's a fairly large piece, given the work I have created in the past years, and attempts to tell the story in fabric. The installation image of the piece doesn't quite do it justice, because of my limited photography skills.

I Hear Voices in My Head by Gayle Pritchard, 2008.

All of this is to give a little background to the video I have posted to my blog. My husband, Chris, who has been a musician all of his life, also happens to be the most creative human being I know. Today, he made a video integrating the song, his photography and my art piece. I hope you will enjoy it.

Fiber Artists Converge on Middle Bass Island

Longtime friends, these Cleveland area fiber artists ride the ferry to Middle Bass Island on Lake Erie.

Yesterday was a picture perfect day in northern Ohio. It was a perfect day to ride the ferry to Middle Bass Island, one of several popular island destinations that dot Lake Erie. For this crew, the trip was an annual visit to My Aunt Irma's, an island treasure trove of a one-of-a-kind gifts, handmade crafts and clothing run by quilter, knitter and crafter extraordinaire, Mary Roesch.

Due to the size of the group, some of us received a police escort!

After the requisite coffee at Mary's house, we admired the view from the deck before heading to the shop. With two vans full, a few of us took Mary's hand-painted golf cart, and laughed the whole way there.

There are only a few things more uplifting than spending a day with friends. One of them is spending that time with friends who are also artists. The conversations are easy and fun, and often inspirational. This is especially true when fiber artists get together. There is always a lot of food, excited talk about exhibitions and new work, and breath-taking show and tell. (Please be sure to see my next post for pictures from show and tell.)

A group of friends; an inspiring and accomplished group of artists.

I feel so fortunate to live in an area where artists abound. I have many artist friends nearby, and I also belong to a local artist's group, the West end Textile tArts.

I also feel lucky that I live in a time where we are able to connect with each other in this way. I would like to hear from you what type of support, if any, you have in your area, or whether you rely on your online connections or something else. Let me know your experience.

Next post: Artist show and tell and another question for you.