Friends and Inspiration

It's Kristin again.
I have completed 11 painted and stitched canvases from the Service Star quilt in the previous post here! The curious can find them on my blog. I am happy to report that I feel no regret at painting and cutting up a decade's worth of work.

I am also happy to report that I had the opportunity to visit friend and fellow 8 That Create artist, Natalya, last weekend. We had a great time in NYC with two of three from a special circle of friends.



We spent the better part of two days together seeing art and soaking it in. This is our posse on Broadway, posting on one of Chakaia Booker's Rubber Sentinels.

One of my favorite exhibits (Natalya will post about the other, was The Urban Fabric, by Liz Kueneke at The Hudson Guild. 

Kueneke embroidered city maps on fabric and then invited the city’s inhabitants to stitch on the maps in response to several questions, such as “what is the heart of the city?” and “what is a negative place in the city.” The embroideries were accompanied by legends explaining the symbols used, and photos and videos of participants telling their stories. The large scale made it relatively easy to "read" the maps, but it also allows the viewer to walk through them and therefore feel more connected to the city and the project.

The embroidered maps themselves are meticulous and attractive, and create a neutral backdrop for the rougher participant additions. It was interesting to see that in some cities, the loves, hates, and interesting bits were scattered overall, and in other cities, they were clustered in specific spots. The maps are beautiful in and of themselves, but the viewers’ responses on them add a wonderful depth. 

Even the backs of the embroideries are intriguing. 

I'm so glad we took the time to seek out this exhibit. I found the work to be well conceived and beautiful.  It was all thought provoking and excellent fodder for further conversations and curiosity.

Of course, it didn't hurt that I was there with friends who were also inspired, and that our conversations veered into our own explorations and experiences and our own personal maps. We may work alone in our studios, but to also come together and commiserate with, encourage, and support each other is just as important to our work as the lone, introspective time. I am glad to have found such a group.

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!

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.

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.