Exhibition Struggles and Design Wall Weekend #6

This is being a tough month.  It's not like I didn't expect it... but here I am in the midst of it and I'm feeling a little in overwhelm.

First, as most of you know, I'm share the head of exhibitions for the Contemporary QuiltArt Association and we have our "Salsa!" exhibit opening Memorial day weekend.  Our jury met on April 28 at my home... you'd think that once the pieces were picked out, it should be smooth sailing, right?  Wrong.

One of the wonderful things about the venue we're going to be in, the Mighty Tieton Warehouse Gallery, is that they're going to print a catalog of the exhibit. So, as soon as I know the juror selections, I needed to get the photos of accepted pieces to their printer, which meant I had to download 114 photos (a full and detail shot of each piece) from the place where the artists had submitted them.  However, I soon found out that not every artist had sent high-resolution photos.  This meant I had to contact those artists who had sent low-res photos and help them get high resolution ones to me.  I even ended up taking photos for one artist!

Once the photos were sent over, I had to start working on compiling all the information for the catalog... artist's statements, sizes of artwork, materials and techniques used, photographer, price of piece, year completed, as well as artist and title of the piece.  We have 57 pieces in the show, so that's quite a bit of info to put together.

On Saturday, we pick up the pieces at our CQA meeting.  We're working on figuring out a way to best hang the works... the gallery has a wire hanging system.  At this point, we're planning on using a heavy-duty fishing line to attach the quilts and art cloth from the wire.  However, we will need to tie the fishing line onto all the hanging sticks and haven't fully worked out how we will adjust the length of the fishing line to make sure each piece is at the right level and even.  My husband and I have even gone to a couple hardware stores to try and see if there was some sort of hardware that we could put the line through and pull it and it would catch and not slip.  At this point, it looks like we're going to just be adjusting it by hand and tying it off.

On the 20th, we head over to Tieton (about a 2 and a half hour drive) to hang the show.  I'm not sure how long it will take considering the tying aspect.  Then our Opening will be on Saturday the 25th, so another long drive that day (I may stay overnight for that one since it goes from 12-5 and there is an artist celebratory dinner afterwards!)

Oh, did I forget to mention that my two-year long program at the Gail Harker Center for the Creative Arts starts this month too?  I will be going up to La Conner from May 14-19 for my first class. We'll be meeting approximately every three months and have a good deal of homework in between each session.  However, as you can see from the photos here, Gail's student's create some amazing fiber artwork!

All this said, I've decided to back off of my initial goal this year to create a 5 x 7 piece each week.  I'm a little disappointed, but I am working on my artwork daily, so I suppose that's the real goal.  Since I'll be staying up at our cabin on Whidbey Island next week while I go to classes in La Conner, I plan to bring my freemotion quilting sampler quilt that I'm working on for Leah Day's Craftsy class to work on in the evening.  Having six days away from my husband and kids to just work on my art will be a real vacation!

Speaking of Leah's Craftsy class, she has just released "Freemotion Fillers Volume 2."  In celebration, if you go to her blog, you can click a link to get 50% off any of her three Craftsy classes (click here to get the page with the 50% off)!

OK, let's get going with Design Wall Weekend:

Design Wall Weekend #6 -- What do You Have on Your Design Wall?

What kind of blogs should link up?

I think that it's best to have content that matches the content and interests served with the blog that's hosting the party, so please only link up if your blog post is about any of the following:

• Quilting and fabrics 
• Fiber art of any kind
• Hand & machine stitch or embroidery
• Mixed media art
• Book-making, art journals, and sketchbooks
• Tutorials for any quilting, fiber, mixed media, sketchbook and other arts
• These can be works in progress or finishes

Anna's hummingbird from my sketchbook - Acryllic paint, watercolor pencil, silver ink

Rules for the blog linking party

• Mention Fiber Artist Journey in your post, either with a link or button-use the direct link to the specific post - not just your main blog website (this helps with your search engine position.)   If you have buttons on your sidebar that works great, please just at least mention something in your post, for example "I'm linking to Fiber Artist Journey, see my sidebar for their button."  If you need help on how to add your link, read this.

• Please take the time to visit other links, everyone loves new visitors and comments!  Try to comment on at least two other blogs in the party.

If you would like to add a button to your blog you can copy the code which is below my buttons and add it as a gadget on the layout page of your blog. Here is a tutorial on how to do it.

Other Great Blogs to Link Up with and Check Out!

Nina Marie Sayre's Art Quilt Blog

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Balzar Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Richard and Tanya Quilts

Quilt Matters

Sew Many Ways

Outdoor Fiber Art & Call for Entry

Artist Hanny Couwenhoven

Back in the Jun/July 2012 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, a fiberart group named "Windkracht 10" was featured in an article by Lynn Krawczyk.  Based in the Netherlands, these Dutch fiber artists choose to display their work outdoors.  While creating work that will be exposed to the elements may be challenging, there are certain advantages, as well.  If the artist takes into consideration the colors of the surroundings when making their piece, the artwork can be remarkably striking.

As an example, this piece by Hanny Couwenhoven reflects the rainbow of colors as well as the sky.  The sheer fabrics allow the background to be seen, as well as creating more color variations as the transparencies of different fabrics are layered on each other.

Artist Kun Speelman

Another factor that needs to be considered is the size of the piece.  When you're exhibiting outdoors, size matters!  You need to consider the amount of space in which your piece will be displayed.  If it is a small enclosed garden space, the scale of the piece can be much smaller than a piece that is out on an open plain.

Of course, any type of fiber that is exposed to the elements needs to be constructed with the understanding that wind, storms, rain, and sun will all take their toll.  You need to check the weather patterns for the location you'll be exhibiting and make sure to construct your piece with materials and techniques that will stand up stronger to the environment.  For instance, seams may be sewn double and "fabrics" might include tyvek, canvas, or nautical materials.

Artist Dery Timmer

Another Northwest treasure in the Fiber Art world, Mandy Greer makes incredible installation pieces using crocheted and sewn fabric.  If you'd like to see one of her performance art/installations click here.

CALL FOR ENTRY

Artist  Hannelieke van de Beek

For any of you who are Washington State Artists, I have a new opportunity for you to break into outdoor exhibitions.  In conjunction with Washington State’s Contemporary QuiltArt Association’s exhibition “Salsa!” in the Mighty Tieton Warehouse Gallery, Tieton Arts and Humanities invite all Washington state artists to enter in a juried exhibition of outdoor fiber art.  Artwork may include (but is not limited to) yarn-bombing, banners, flags, and soft sculpture.

The exhibit "Salsa in the Sun" has an entry deadline of April 7 and will open on Saturday May 25.  The entry form and information is available online at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE5aR3dKaklLRGt3cWdVLVFOWmZsaVE6MQ

Artist Elsvan Baarle

Windkracht 10 Members Featured in this post:

Hanny Couwenhoven
Kun Speelman
Derry Timmer
Hannelieke van de Beek
Elsvan Baarle


You Might Also Be Interested In:

A Day of Art

BAM High Fiber Diet

Trees as Fiber Art

Fitting my Challenge with Showing

My first week's piece for
the 5 x 7 Challenge

For those of you just tuning in, I not only have the 5 x 7 Challenge going on this year, where I make one 5" x 7" artwork each week, but I also actively show my fiber art work.  As the Exhibitions Co-Chair (along with Carolyn Hitter) of the Contemporary QuiltArt Association, I do all the planning and production of setting up exhibitions for our 100+ member group.  Currently, we have 19 members with work that will be shown in the Patchwork and Design Festival in both Rio de Janiero and San Paulo, Brazil.  The quilts have arrived there safely and in plenty of time, so my work there is pretty well done until it's time for the quilts to come home.

Our next exhibition which I'm working on will be at Mighty Tieton, an artistic community in Eastern Washington.  Since the surrounding area is particularly known for their produce and fruit production (in fact the gallery is in an old fruit processing plant!) and the community has a large Hispanic population, they asked for our theme to reflect this if possible.  We've named the exhibit "Salsa!" and hope to get member entries that will reflect this theme in numerous ways.

I'm faced with the difficulty of  putting in lots of hours into setting up, doing logistics, getting entries, jurying the quilts and art cloth, etc. and wanting badly to also participate in showing my artwork.  But creating a piece takes time... a commodity that I'm a bit shy on these days!  So, here's my plan... I thought what I could do is a coordinating 5 x 7 piece each week for 9 weeks, then put these together into a quilt.  I'm planning to do a thread-painting of the following fruits and vegetables:

• tomato
• onion
• cilantro
• lime
• corn
• tomatillos
• peppers
• avocado
• chili peppers

Detail of quilt made from Guatemalan
fabric by artist Priscilla Bianchi

Then, each thread painting will be appliqued (probably with a bit of trapunto) to a quilted coordinating background.  I'm not sure about how they will all fit together yet, possibly with some of my hand-woven Guatemalan fabric, or even with machine-made lace.

What do you think?  I'd really love some comments on this idea... combining my 5 x 7 challenge with the Salsa exhibit seems to kill two birds with one stone, yet maintain the spirit of my challenge to create each week.

You might also be interested in:

Planning an Exhibition

Scope Creep

The Art of Organization

Artistic Goals 2013

Frozen bush from Dec 2008
No snow yet this year!

     I've been working on putting my artistic goals down on paper (or in electrons) for some time now:

•      I defined what's working and what's not in my post "Painfully honest - Where am I Stuck?"
•     I thought through "Questions to Ponder While Writing Your Goals"
•      I structured a challenge to do a weekly small composition in "52 Weeks of Art - A Personal Challenge"
•      And I originally started thinking about "Goals for the Upcoming Year" back in November.

So, the clock is ticking towards midnight (and 2013) and I'm ready to state my goals and intentions, as well as to ask you to respond back to me what you are going to commit to doing.

Goals 2013:

1.      Find and define my artistic voice or style. 

a.      The first way I will work on this is through my work with Gail Harker.  Seeing the work of other students of Gail’s, I am struck with how each student makes artwork that is unique to each of them.  I believe Gail has an incredible skill in teaching her students skills and processes, as well as how to make design decisions, without specifically teaching them to make artwork that is a particular style or that is similar to anything that she herself makes. 

b.      From my previous studies, one of the main things I’ve learned is that one’s artistic voice is found through practice, practice, practice.  To this end I will do the following:

Ø  Make a5” x 7” composition each week, working to enhance both my design and technical skills

Ø  Make a 10” x 16” composition every 2 month as part of the Fiber Funster’s challenge

Ø  Do all the coursework from Gail’s classes with a serious attitude toward excellence

c.       Document my progress in my blog at least weekly (preferably daily) as well as documenting all my work for Gail.

d.  Open the 5" x 7" challenge to anyone who is reading this blog to give others support, encouragement, and critiquing.  

2.      Ramp up my pictorial / representational quilts.

           

What does “ramp up” mean to me? 

a.                  Increase my technical skill/proficiency to a high degree

b.                  Increase my composition skill-how the composition is placed/cropped, color usage, understanding innately and using good design principles with my compositions (balance, unity, contrast, value, movement, focal point, relationship (color, size, value, shape, texture, style, theme), visual bridges/elegant choices, integration.

c.                  Make and execute a plan to develop an intentional body of work that is authentic and expresses meaning to me.   Meaning includes work that expresses my interests, my feelings, and my values.  I will work on exploring meaning through writing about my work on my blog.

Beautiful icicles

3.   Work at increasing my competency at working in a clean and organized studio space.

           

4.     Explore opening my own Etsy storefront to sell my work by July 30, 2013

5.      Work towards my goal of having a solo show by September 2015.

     Steps to have a solo show:

            a.  Minimum of 12 finished pieces reflecting my integrated artistic voice

            b.   Find venues that would consider my work

                  i.    Talk with other textile artists to find out where they've shown

                  ii.   Make a running list of galleries 

                  iii.   Visit galleries and talk with gallery owners

            c.  Increased technical competence

            d.  Continued showing at national and local levels

            e.  Professionally marketing myself as an artist

                  i.     Re-do my artist statement

                  ii.    Update my website

                  iii.   Write out a description of key phrases to describe my work

                  iv.    Write up descriptions & diagrams on how to display my work

                  v.     Write/send out press releases on my shows (build reputation)

                  vi.    Create an artist portfolio

                  vii.   Develop 10 ways to promote my art

             f.   Continue working as CQA Exhibitions co-chairperson through March 2014, to gain knowledge and experience on putting on exhibitions.

Hope you're warm and safe
for the holiday!

6.   Complete at least 1 art quilt or art cloth to enter in the Salsa! show at Mighty Tieton.

7.    Complete at least 1 other medium-large piece and enter it in 1+ shows.

8.     Complete at least 1 driftwood art sculpture to enter in the show in May.

Well, that's my year for you (and a little beyond.)  I'd love your support and comments, as well as hearing what you have planned for the upcoming year!

Hugs and Happiness in the New Year to all of you!

                  

                  

An Unexpected Journey

This weekend I took 6 teenagers to "The Hobbit- An Unexpected Journey."  Parenthood can certainly be described that way (and I'm not talking about unexpectedly becoming a parent.)  The stages and changes you and your children go through take one by surprise.  I love being a Mom and getting to watch my sons (and their friends) on their live's journeys.

I'm taking a bit of time to get ready for the holidays now, so my art and stitch are slowed down.  I've been practicing my hand embroidery stitches in the evening, as well as working on design ideas for the "Salsa!" exhibition at Mighty Tieton.  If I slow down in writing my blog over the next couple weeks, know I'll be back with my 52 week 5 x7 challenge at the start of the year!

Questions to Ponder for Writing Your Goals

OK, I'm going to be sitting down on Sunday with my Eastside SDA (Surface Design Associates) group, which was formed out of our Washington State SDA symposium which I helped plan last year.  This month, our topic is "The Business of Doing Art" and will include goal setting. 

So, I've prepared some questions for us to think about, as we write out our 2013 goals and objectives:

• What skills do you already possess?  What do you do well?
• What could you improve on?  What do you need to learn?
• What sources do you have to learn what I need (books, online, classes, magazine articles, friends, a mentor etc.)
• What are you passionate about? How can you bring some of that passion into your work?
• Are there specific projects that you want to complete?
• Is there a theme or series that you want to investigate in your artwork?
• What professional organizations do you belong to?  What do they do for you and your artistic career?  How can your participation enhance or further your career?  If you don't have any professional organizations that support you as an artist, how could you go about finding one (or more)?
• Do you want to show my work?  What sort of shows or venues?  Are there specific shows or venues you'd like to target?
• Are you organized to show?  What do you need to do to be prepared?  (Examples- how do you track your art, how do find opportunities, what do you need to ship and deliver pieces, do you have specific instructions for hanging and displaying your work?)
• Do you want to sell your work?  What is your plan for getting sales (how would get a gallery to represent you; what sort of person or institution would be interested in the kind of art you make?)
• What is the realistic projection of the number of pieces you will complete this year?
• What additional organization of your studio or workspace do you need to be more productive?
• Do you need additional tools or supplies to create what you want?  What are they?  do you have the funds to purchase them and if not, how will you raise the money?
• What will you do when it gets hard?  How will you regain inspiration or motivation to work in the face of rejection, disinterest, or conflicting priorities?

Tomorrow I'll be at the Viking Good Yule celebration from about noon until 10 pm.  For those who haven't read this before, my 17 year old son is fascinated with Viking culture and at this point is planning to study anthropology and archeology.  So we're going to a big Viking re-enactment celebration and feast.  I finished my "Viking Apron Dress" last night,  from a 10th century design.  It's amazing to me how different Viking culture was from what the stereotypical idea of Vikings is in our society (for instance, they didn't have horned helmets, although they do look pretty fun and impressive!)  I'm sure I'll have some interesting photos to post from that and I'll make sure to get one of my dress as well.  I'll make sure to also have my sketchbook in hand and work on my Salsa! designs for the Mighty Tieton show.  Make it a great day!