Great Info

So...I'm stuck home, recovering from some dreadfully nasty virus (flu? plague? IDK) instead of being in Black Mountain on the annual fall quilting retreat. Bummer!! I'm going to miss that time with my quilting buddies!! I have so much to do but it will have to wait, and that's OK. Meanwhile I did make it downstairs to my desk today (yay!) and found a GREAT email post from Alyson B. Stanfield's Art Biz Blog in my inbox. Her guest Fiona Purdy writes about how to handle requests from charities for donations of your art. It is quite brilliant!

You can read about it here.

It really made my day. I get a lot  of requests. I have a big heart. I want to help everyone that I can. And I've made a lot of art donations. But I don't want to go broke. I don't want my work to be devalued by a low bid. And the fact of the matter is that no matter how you've priced that piece of art or what other pieces of your work have sold for in the past, the only thing you can write off on your donation is the cost of materials. Not your stated price for the completed work. Not the value of your time to create it. Not even the price it brings at the charity fundraiser. Most people probably don't know that...including the ones requesting your donation.

Fiona has a wonderful way to make it a win-win situation. Really...go read her post! What a great idea!

And if you aren't already a subscriber to Alyson's blog, you should be! She's great at helping you find your way through the twists and turns of being in the business of making art!

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?)

:)

Color Me Proud...Uh Huh!

It didn't take long for the youngest to have his sketchbook assignment chosen for the teacher's blog, seen here . This one was illustrating song lyrics of their choice. I think the Zac Brown Band would approve.

The youngest is really getting into colored pencil drawing, which fascinates me. See, in my earliest creative days I was totally into crayons and color, but once I started formal art lessons I was all about pencil drawings. The regular kind - black and white. And ink. Stippling was my most favorite there. Well, until I started painting I guess, and then my love for color kicked back in where it's been happily ever since. :)

Anyway, I'm really enjoying seeing all of the posts on Art Over Time! I love seeing what the kids are doing in middle school art. I hope you will pop over there and have a look through for yourself.

Meanwhile, here's another assignment by the youngest  for your viewing pleasure:

Yep. Mama is proud of her boys!!

You're Invited

FACES
An exhibition of Portraiture
September 22-November 17, 2011
Davis Gallery at Sawtooth School for Visual Art

Featuring work by;
Jeffrey Cates
Steve Childs
Karen Fridy
Betti Pettinati-Longinotti
Tom Ogburn
Mark Spangenberg
Mary Bailey Thomas

Artists’ Reception; Friday, October 7 from 5-7pm.
Gallery Hours: Mon - Fri 10-7, Sat 10-2
336-723-7395 http://www.sawtooth.org/

Like Mother Like Son

I'm so excited that both of my boys are taking art class in school this year! It was a given in elementary school, but in middle school they have to choose it as an elective. They both did this year and they both got it. They both got the same teacher, but in different class periods. I'm impressed with the fact that there are two art teachers at their school!

The eldest's first sketchbook assignment can be seen here on his teacher's blog. Yes, a big grin came to my face when he told me she chose his work to post.

Squeeee!! :)

Cue the William Tell Overture

Haven't had time to post in a while...classes, vacation, more classes, field trips to IKEA in Charlotte(fun!!), art fair. Oh, and back to school stuff!! Seriously, August should have at least one more week added to it. I don't know how I managed to cram it all in! :)

And...I've been working on this:

She got her hair today. I'm just giddy over making progress on this one! It's done with my hand dyes and will be in the "Faces" exhibit at Sawtooth Gallery in Winston-Salem. Opening reception is September 22. I'll have other pieces in the show too. Some yet to be made. I have three weeks.

Meanwhile, I have another piece in the works for the "Courage" show which opens on September 15 at Circa Gallery in Asheboro. I have two weeks to finish it.

And I'm working on a commission piece too.

<: O
(It may be a while before I post again...Wish me luck!! And please send chocolate!)

* Footnote: the piece for "Courage" is finished and delivered! Yay!

Meanwhile...

I have a bad habit of going for long periods between posts... but I have good excuses! Really  :)

I've been busy this summer teaching Kids and Teen Camps at Sew Original and it's been lots of fun! There were two "I Can Sew!" camps for kids, one teen camp and today wrapped up the kids "I Can Quilt!" camp. I'm utterly exhausted...in the best way possible. It's been great sharing the love of all things fabric with these kids!

I managed to get some photos of Quilt Camp...enjoy!

Prior to camp the girls picked out their fabrics, which I pre-cut for them so we wouldn't have to deal with rotary cutters and the accompanying potential hazards thereof ...  :)

They learned the joys of chain piecing...

Row piecing...

Borders...

The joys of pin basting...just look at these happy campers!

Then it was on to the quilting. These girls were FEARLESS!!

Sew girls, sew!!

And look! TA DAAAAA!!!!!

All that's left to do is flip and stitch the binding to the backside and sew on the labels. I should have taken pictures of the labels...they were so cute!! They each designed their own.

I'm so proud of these girls. They worked hard and had fun!