Small Wonders

Our Exhibit is ready to be seen! Please join us for the opening reception on Sunday, September 7th from 1 to 4PM at the Etui Fiber Art Gallery in Larchmont, NY.

Here's the official invitation:

Diminutive bugs and birds, petite scale, delicate details of line and stitch – all in tiny treasures on view at Etui Gallery during the month of September, 2014. Eight artists brought together by a love of fabric and stitch show off their varied approaches to mixed media textiles in this exhibit of small works. Layers of machine and hand stitching intimately render buildings and homes both in Natalya Aikens’ works, which incorporate recycled ephemera, and in Kristin La Flamme’s fabric collages. Benedicte Caneill’s work incorporates impeccably sewn pieces of her monoprinted fabrics to create dancing compositions of color and line. Jane Davila and Gloria Hansen turn their focus on small-scale flora and fauna with an eye to graphic simplicity and macro photography respectively. Carol Sloan, Liz Kettle, and Beryl Taylor round out the collection with tantalizing layers of intriguing fabrics, delicate paper, painted textures, wee stitches, and tiny details that draw the viewer in for a closer look.

Here are a few photos to entice you to come see them in person!

Front facing wall with art by Jane, Benedicte and Gloria

Small wonders by Kristin

Corner view with work by Gloria, Benedicte, Liz and Natalya

Gloria's butterflies

Benedicte and Liz's work

Main wall with work by Liz, Natalya, Carol, Beryl and Kristin

A restful spot with work by Kristin, Natalya and Carol

 

Art Quilt Elements Reception

Kristin here. I had the great pleasure to attend the opening reception of Art Quilt Elements at the Wayne Art Center in PA this last weekend. I blogged about the weekend on my blog (click on my name to go there), and in the next post on my blog, about my impressions and the juror's talk.

Being one of the preeminent art quilt shows, lots of the artists were there. I always enjoy putting names and artwork together with faces and personalities. There are a few people I keep seeing over and over, like Betty Busby who seems to show up to all the events even though she lives halfway across the country in New Mexico. I spent a lot of time with fellow Virginia artist Julia Pfaff, who I had met previously in North Carolina at a PAQA South/SAQA event. And there are all the new faces to meet.

It seemed like there were a lot of New Yorkers there, and I was pleasantly surprised to meet our very own Benedicte live and in person! I don't know if readers can tell from her blog posts, but Benedicte is bubbly and funny and personable and an absolute pleasure to meet. It was fantastic to see her work in person too. It glows just as much as when viewed on a computer screen.

Of course, seeing anyone's work in person is the main reason to go to exhibits in the first place. I've decided that opening receptions, while not mandatory, are really worth it if it's possible to attend. No need to fly around the world, but if it's near a friend or an easy drive or train ride, it should be done. There's no substitute for seeing the art in the cloth, it's an opportunity to get to meet other (often like-minded) artists, there's a positive buzz that is very validating for an artist, and you never know when someone will be there with a winning certificate or check to hand to you!

Unconventional Venues

This is what I did on Monday. I mounted my drawings and matted them, framed some, added hanging hardware, and put identification labels on the back.

These drawings are destined for a show at our local fine lingerie shop. They like to intersperse the lacy bits with fine art and feature a different artist every month or two. When you think about it, lingerie and nudes actually pair quite nicely.

I also have two textile pieces in a display case at the National Institutes of Health. They have a full time curator who makes sure the walls are filled with high quality, diverse art, both permanent and changing, for patients and visitors to enjoy.

Next month I am also taking my Army Wife series on the road. I will display two quilts and six aprons at a fancy luncheon for the spouses of high ranking officers in all branches of the military. The keynote speaker for this year's luncheon is the author of Army Wives, so my artwork will be a good compliment.

I'm not sure what to expect in sales or other doors opening in these unconventional venues. So far nothing has panned out from the NIH, but at least the work is in public and not under my bed. The lingerie shop has sales potential, which would be great. I don't expect any sales of the artwork at the luncheon, but I do think I'll have an appreciate audience who would not otherwise see their stories in artwork. I'll be bringing catalogs and card sets though, so I hope to be able to sell some of those to remind viewers of my work.

taking notes

I don't keep an official sketchbook any more. You know the one with lovely fully colored pages, textured backgrounds, delicately drawn objects and patterns and etc. I did for a while, but in the end found that it was better for me to extend that kind of energy on my stitching. Natalya here to give you a peek at the plain and simple...

Earlier this week I finally got to see an exhibit that I highly recommend to any lover of textiles, The Interwoven Globe. It's at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC until January 5th. I came with camera fully charged only to discover the no photo policy.. Luckily I had my trusty well worn sketchbook with me. It turned out that I was happy not to be focused on taking pictures and being able to just absorb the beauty and information around me and take a moment to jot down a few details that really interested me.

None of these doodles are of any importance, the details just caught my eye and asked to be noted. Perhaps someday they will find a way into my art or not... This simple sketching works for me. It's just enough to jog my memory. How intricate is your sketchbook?

Gallery Show Follow-Up

Kristin here. A few months ago I posted about preparing for a solo gallery show. I am proud to share that the show has been up for three weeks now and has garnered lots of positive response in our small community. It's kind of amazing how much placing everything thoughtfully in a clean white room elevates it!

I'd say overall it has been a great experience. And while a few things didn't go quite as planned, most went off without a hitch. The September shows always come after a two week "clean-up" period at the art center. I was hoping for a freshly painted gallery, but alas, it was the same as always. One of the artists on the gallery committee came to the rescue with a Mr Clean Magic Eraser though. If I make a "gallery kit," I'm going to be sure there's one of those in it.  

I marked the pedestal for the mannequins before the break and told the committee chair that I'd be using it on it's side. Alas, no plug was made for the bottom, so one side is completely open. However, a quick trip to the fabric store for something white to drape over it remedied that (and gave me a chance to get some sticky Velcro dots to artfully arrange a few apron strings on two walls).

I take the blame for the last omission -- I forgot to include my name on the vinyl sign for the show! Luckily, we hung the show on a Monday and the reception wasn't until Friday, giving me plenty of time to get my name made.

The reception was well attended and it was lots of fun to talk to everyone about my work. Bonus that the Watercolor Guild who was showing in the hall Galleries traditionally pays for all the cheese and crackers so I only had to pitch in a little for wine. I'm definitely signing up for September again if I do another show!

I think the best part of this last month has been the artist talks. I really enjoyed talking about my work to  viewers and answering their questions about inspiration and technique, as well as commiseration on the lives of military spouses. If I'm lucky, a few doors have opened because of this. I'm trying to be that combination of patient and proactive in waiting on a possible loan opportunity, and sending proposals to potential galleries in other cities. The whole process has been a little intimidating, but so worth it. I can see it getting easier with time too.

Monumental Art

As some might have noticed.. I am attracted to huge recycled artworks. Natalya here, reporting this time from MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA. I have heard about this old factory turned museum for years now and finally made the trek to see what's it all about. What enticed me to make the drive? The Phoenix by Xu Bing. Was it worth it? But of course.

The museum itself is a wonderful collection of old factory buildings interconnected to form huge gallery spaces, a fun museum shop and a restaurant. It would be interesting just to wander through even without all the great art. There is a Sol LeWitt retrospective there that I didn't get a chance to see, but no worries, it's there till 2033!

But the Phoenix, actually there are two Phoenixes and they are breathtaking. My pictures do not do them justice, but here's a taste. You can see them at MASS MoCA until October 27th, after which they travel to Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. I am so looking forward to seeing how they will be displayed in such a different space.

to judge the scale look at the tiny 5"2" person in the right corner taking a picture

tail end of the second Phoenix with people for scale

talons of the Phoenix

tail feathers

paper model was so delicate

and made cool reflections in the glass case in a black room

A nice surprise was discovering another installation by Xu Bing, 1st Class. We haven't had a smoker in the family in decades, but boy, was the smell of cigarettes familiar, and I knew what was going to be at the top of the stairs immediately, while my daughters wanted to know what that smell was. The surprise for me was seeing the cigarettes arranged on the floor to form a huge tiger skin that changed shades as you walked around it. It's part of the Tobacco Project exhibit which explores some very interesting ideas.

there is the person for scale and the shades changing in the light

Reduce reuse recycle!!

What I'm Working On

Kristin here. My artistic career since starting a family has always been a side venture. In recent years it's taken on more and more import but there's always that balance to find between being present as a mother, diligent as a housewife (at least a little bit), and proactive as an artist. When we lived in Hawaii, I felt the desire to take my art more seriously, but never actually acted on it (the perils of knowing your time in one place is limited). Moving to Virginia with more independent kids and a husband who I knew wouldn't be gone for 12 months at a time, I made a pledge to myself to engage in the local arts community -- even if only temporarily.

I applied for and was accepted into the local art co-op and signed up for a solo show in their main gallery. Lucky me, I am scheduled for September! The opening is in just over two months. Yikes. But I'm ready(ish) with twelve aprons and five quilts and another textile to choose from. I've made lists and marked the calendar with dates by which I need things.

Right now I'm focused on dealing with some ideas I've been contemplating. I put the pedal to the metal on a medallion quilt that was bouncing around in my head and I'm really loving how it's looking. I'm so glad I had the chance to get a good start on it earlier in the month at the retreat even before I knew I'd be having a show so soon. I keep picking up a stalled quilt that I've been working on for over 10 years and finally decided that I'm not clear enough on it's vision to warrant stressing over finishing it for the show. I have a couple of half baked ideas in my sketchbook, but I don't think that they are necessary to fill the gallery, and I'm far more excited about starting the next series rather than dragging out this one unnecessarily.

I made a scale model of the gallery a few days ago and populated it with scale printouts of my work. It's like playing with a doll house! I ordered two mannequins to display work on but one arrived moldy, so back it goes to be replaced (glad I ordered early and have time to replace it). Next up is taking a look at my mailing list (terribly outdated) and writing a press release for some military-related venues that the normal publicity at the art center probably won't reach. Then I print postcards, and new business cards while I'm at it. I'll need a statement or something as part of my signage in the gallery (and I'll have to design and order the signage). And I can't forget to make sure each piece is signed and labeled consistently and ready to hang/install. I've got to get the builder guy at the art center to find or make me three pedestals for the mannequins too.

There's lots to do in the next eight weeks. But nothing is difficult or unexpected. I have been dreaming of this show for years as I've been creating The Army Wife series. I am incredibly excited and I can't wait to show my story to our community here.