Catching Up

Things have just been hopping around here lately! What have I been up to? Let's see...

I've been teaching...

 

Altered Surfaces - rust dyeing, stamping, discharging, and gelatin plate printing

(Here Deb and Lynn show off their awesome creations!)


Silk Scarf Dyeing...

I've been making clay buttons...

which have now been glazed and fired and I need to go pick up :)







I've done 2 festivals...

One the weekend of the hurricane and one the weekend it turned cold and rained! LOL! Yes, outdoor festivals are a hit or miss kind of thing. I can't say that it's been a highly successful adventure yet, but it's been on my list of things to try and I want to do a few more before I make a final judgement on their feasibility as part of my studio business. I don't like the unpredictability of the weather...


After all, gallery exhibits are climate controlled! I've had two openings in recent weeks...

"Courage"               
This is a traveling exhibit curated by my friend Kathy Brusnighan (seen left). A gift to the community, these inspiring and encouraging pieces debuted at Circa Gallery in Asheboro, NC on Sept. 15 and will be exhibited in hospitals and galleries throughout central NC through the end of 2012 where the exhibit will conclude at the Center for Creative Leadership. For more information on the exhibit and a schedule of locations visit Art With Purpose.

We all had a great time at the reception! Thanks Circa Gallery for hosting us!

 

(my piece is in the lower right..."Consider the Lillies (Even When the Sky is Falling)" hand dyed fabric collaged to canvas with dimensional flowers)







"Faces"

 
 Another fun reception! This show is at Sawtooth in the Davis Gallery and will run through November 17.





My pieces from L to R:
"Rest" and "Relaxation" (stacked)
"Sam"  (daughter of a longtime friend)
"Faith", "Kay Oss", and "Clara T." (whimsical)
"How Do You See Me?"  (interactive, changeable piece)
 

I've been hard at work on a memorial commission piece...but I can't show it yet...


The boys and I enjoyed an evening at the Dixie Classic Fair. My favorite part...the fancy chickens!

And of course, there have been lots of soccer games...

And baseball games, including a FUN! trip to Myrtle Beach for a tournament at The Ripken Experience!



Well, that's it in a nutshell!
(Did I mention I love coffee?)

:)

Let the Festivities Begin!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...and with it comes a blizzard of activity! Since my last post I have had LOTS going on...

First, an exhibit opening with the Cosmic Cow Society at the Gallery of the Arts Underground Theatre in downtown Winston-Salem. What a great evening it was! Not your typical art opening...we had a band - West Trinity - play music sets (not just background music), had a "Small Talks" session where each participating artist had 28 seconds to discuss projected images of each of their featured works, and we had door prizes too. It was a fun event! This exhibit runs through the end of December...stop by and enjoy some wine or coffee and of course, the ART!

Then came a rush to finish up and deliver items for Sawtooth's annual Deck the Halls gallery showcase. I had to laugh..the lady checking in my inventory asked me if my sewing machine ever catches on fire! I'm a little surprised it didn't....I had over seven pages of inventory! The sale runs through the end of December and there is something there for everyone....pottery, fiber, jewelry, paintings, ornaments, you name it. All made by local artists and very affordable!

Here are just a few of my things...



5 x 5 Minis

Wool geode, fabric and glass beads

 necklace

   

              16 x 20   "Rest" and "Relaxation"

                               

(details)

These pieces are painted and distressed Tyvek, paper clay faces, glass beads, and hand stitched silk mounted to painted canvases. The overall pictures are the best color...my camera evidently wasn't in the mood for detail color!

Then of course there was the yumminess of Thanksgiving to celebrate...I roasted a turkey, made sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole and my mom's famous rye biscuits, along with chocolate ribbon pie and pumpkin pie (OK, I bought that one ready made)...DH made his famous boiled custard, which for you non-Southerners is like eggnog without the spices and bourbon, very vanilla-y and sweet ...a family favorite. And, despite having set a beautiful fall table at my house, we hauled all of this yumminess to the in-laws to feast! They made all kinds of things to add to the bounty. It was a great celebration...one that earned me a trip to Quiltville to have a sew day with Bonnie and Lisa on Saturday! Woohoo! I got lots done and had a blast!

Then the kids got sick and so did I...ugh! But we won't dwell on that. Everyone is on the mend. :)

Meanwhile,  Lisa and I made it to Sawtooth's Deck the Halls preview night and it was AMAZING! I did take my camera, but was so busy drooling over all of the wonderful offerings and filling up my basket with Christmas presents that I never got it out! I will share one of my purchases though:

Gorgeous blue and white pottery...and I'm sorry, I don't know the artist. If someone will email me I'll add it to the post. These are for me...the rest of my purchases are gifts for other people, so no peeking!! :)

And so December begins...with lots more to do! There are halls here to be decked (almost done), cookies to bake, parties to attend, presents to finish (stay tuned for some future postings on this...once the recipients have unwrapped!), and the list goes on...

I love December!!

:)

Of Heart and Hands

Once again I headed out to a wonderful event sans camera, so for your viewing pleasure may I direct you to Mrs. Goodneedle's blog to see the beautiful quilts on display at the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center. These quilts are the works of our bee, Miss Bee Haven and the exhibit is quite beautiful! Thanks Nane and Lisa for all your work putting this together!

News of the Day

I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself here today!

Beecassos

The Beecassos are having their second exhibition of unique art quilts at Chelsee's, on Trade Street in the Arts District, from now through July 1. First Friday is tomorrow night so come on out and see what we've done!

That's my work on the cover of Community Arts Cafe (insert squealing, clapping and cartwheels here!!) Click on the link to read more about the Beecassos, and to learn more about arts in the Triad.

Hangin' Around

'Tis the season to be exhibiting...thought you might want to see where I'm hanging around, so to speak:

Just about to come down is the PAQA South Member's show ArtQuilts:reflections which has been at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center in Cary, NC. Have a look here at the virtual exhibit put together by member Janine LeBlanc...I'm in Gallery 3 with two pieces. (Be sure and look at all of the show...they are all amazing pieces!)

Opening soon is The Piedmont Arts Association's invitational Art of the Quilt exhibit curated by Linda Fiedler and Tina Sell, where I have two pieces. This show will run from Nov 7 - Dec 27 in Martinsville, VA.

I also am included in three upcoming art exhibits...first is Fall for Art, a one night event of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem where I am a juried member. This event will be held at the Winston-Salem BMW showroom on Nov 2 from 6-9PM. I have one wall piece in this event and also have a solo booth with my vessels, journals, purses, and other small works. It will be a fun evening! I am hoping for good sales...but anything not sold will be available in the AAWS Gallery downtown after this event.

Next is an exhibit at Salem College in Winston-Salem by women artists, Reflections: Politics and Religion in Art which will hang in the Salem Fine Arts Center from Nov. 3 - Jan 30.

And the last one I will mention today also comes with the news that I've been accepted as a member into The Cosmic Cow Society , an art group based in Greensboro, NC. They had posted a call for applications and I just couldn't resist...the sense of humor in the name got my attention! I have this thing for cows...goes back to my childhood farm days...but I digress. Anyway, we will have our first show as the new group... Natural Bliss: Instinct and Inspiration will hang from Dec 4 until Jan 5 at Maya Gallery in Greensboro.

I continue to be amazed by the doors that keep opening for me...I am having the time of my life and I am truly blessed!