Inspiring Mentors and Faithful Friends

Lois with one of her scarves, made in
her late eighties.

I am such a lucky woman. Throughout my life as an artist, I have been surrounded by amazing friends, several of whom are or were my mentors. Lois Carroll was one of those people, both a best friend, partner in crime, and mentor. She died this past week, right after her 91st birthday. 

I moved back to Ohio in 1988 after living in Europe and then on the east coast for several years. My husband and I and our two little children decided to move back "home" with plans of raising our kids surrounded by grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. 

An angora scarf, my birthday present from
Lois that year.

Having been part of the quilting community in Philadelphia, I knew that connecting with other fiber artists in my new home would be a great place to make friends. I jumped right in. 

Detail of her hand-knit scarf as well as the
art jacket she is wearing. With the hands of
an accomplished seamstress and artist,
Lois still almost always had her nails painted.

Lois was the first artist I met. She had been hired to present a program at a local quilting guild. Vibrant and funny, she was easy to approach after the meeting to talk to about her presentation. We hit it off right away, and it wasn't long before she became my best friend. 

She introduced me to all the other fiber artists in the area, and to the many groups she was active in. In my personal life, she was there through thick and thin. When times were turbulent, she was a steady friend with good advice, and she was never judgmental. In good times, we team-taught classes and workshops in venues all over the region. When a new gallery opened or the art museum installed a new show, one of us would call the other, and off we would go. She was there at every important family event from birthday parties to graduations. 

Lois with her giant cat tote.

When we had to move to Florida for a few years, I remember the sad phone calls back and forth, me walking the beach, and she surrounded by a Cleveland snowstorm. In the last years of her life, when she was in trouble, I did everything I could to support her. I was sad when she had to move out of the area. And now she is gone. I will never forget her, and will treasure the impact her friendship had on my life. Rest in peace, dear friend.

At our last visit

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.