not fiber, but so lovely.

Today I am featuring the photographer, Paul Octavious. Simply because his recent series moves me. The series, Same hill different day, is a documentation of the same hill in a Chicago park over the last 2 years. The resulting images document the incredible seasonal journey of our earth, and the ever changing life of the humans that inhabit it.


In other worlds the images are simply beautiful.


I have always loved projects that document the same place or moment over time, tracking the passage of our lives.


He also has a number of other truly lovely series, see more of his work here.

breaking out.

this is not my belly but sometimes it feels like this little babe is trying to break out from my stomach. Less kick and more pushing out. I am so impatient to meet "it" and be able to stop calling it an "it."

Yesterday, I took it nice and easy. And today I am off to the studio for a few hours to hopefully get the 2 loose ends for my solo show tied up. I am ready to have nothing to worry or think about but this babe but-
I have to get a dvd burned, which is proving a pain, and finish the pre-install of one last piece. So hopefully this afternoon will be constructive.

textured canvas...

I am quite attracted to the layered and collaged work of artist Colleen McCubbin Stepanic. She mostly works with acrylics and canvas. Her older work is quite traditional painting, it then evolved to much more expressionistic imagery, and now she is creating some very lovely textural wall installations.


The works often reads like a complex quilt with her use of textural quality and playful colors.


Her use of color is gorgeous, I love how her palette is quite bright and cheerful but her application has a dripping quality that evokes a darker emotion.


I would love to see some detail images of her work to get a better understanding of the texture and quality of construction and....


of course would like to see it in person.


Colleen also makes some powerful text work, perfect for my curatorial call in Tribeca.

See more of her work here.

Drawing in thread.

This exhibit opens today and the reception is next Saturday, April 8, from 5-7 pm with an artists talk at 6:30 pm. I am so bummed that I cannot make it as the group of artists is a stellar collection of people. I have a very strong feeling that it is going to be a great show. For those of you near Boston please do stop by and let me know what you think.
I am hoping to make it up to see the exhibit before it comes down.

Drawing In Thread : Contemporary Embroidery

Drawing in Thread: Contemporary Embroidery
3.30 – 5.2.2010
Reception 4.8 Th 5 – 7:30pm
Galley Talk at 6:30pm on 4.8

Traditionally, embroidery is a decorative embellishment made with a needle and thread on textiles. This exciting exhibition includes the work of 19 contemporary artists who push the boundaries of the traditional meaning of embroidery. Traditional and non traditional techniques of embroidery are used to explore historical, political, personal and humorous iconographies. Works include a bounty of color and line as found in drawn landscapes, Miro like paintings and wall and floor installations held together in space by thread. These artists offer an exciting new vision of embroidery. Curated by John Tricomi and Kathleen Driscoll.

The artists include:Annie Aaube, Bren Ahearn, Deborah Slabeck Baker, Emily Barletta, Corrine Bayraktaroglu, Adrea Dezso, Katy Helman, Takashi Iwasaki, Anna Keck, Joetta Maue, Michael Aaron McAllister, Elaine McBride, Chris Niver, Mariyln Pappas, Marjorie Puryear, Shannon Rankin, Richard Saja, Jodi Stevens, John Tricom

hair raising.

Wow, do I so want to see this seemingly awesome exhibit, Hair Tactics, at the Jersey City Musuem.

The press release states:

Hair Tactics explores hair as subject matter and medium. Increasingly, artists have begun to use both real and synthetic human hair to create works of art. Some use synthetic hair because it is widely and inexpensively available in urban neighborhoods, others because it is laden with social and political meaning, and still others because they are exploring the human obsession with hair. Texts written in hair, fancy hair motifs used to decorate a love letter, extravagant and multi-colored wigs, drawings featuring hair-covered bodies, and ladies with elaborate up-dos are all featured in Hair Tactics

I have always found hair to be a fascinating and at times truly beautiful medium to work with. I can only imagine that this exhibit will inspire, gross out, and amaze my artist self. I hope that I can make it out to the exhibit.


In addition the museum has an installation done in hair by artists Hermanas Iglesias that looks very cool and very "galactical."

The show is up until August 22.

caput!

random picture from here.

Sadly, there will be no new pictures for awhile here at the bird. While attempting to take some sweet late pregnancy pictures my camera fell on its lens and went caput! So I dropped it off to get fixed and it will be 2 weeks. I am so frustrated, since the babers will be arriving any minute, not to have my camera but I will be borrowing one from a friend. So at least we will have pictures of the little ones arrival.

Anyway, I am in the fun filled process of getting all the details together for my solo show coming up and looking forward to the fact that I have work in 3 other shows that are opening within the next few weeks. I doubt I will be able to make it to any of the openings which is a total bummer, but I am delighted and honored to be a part of all the exhibits and will make sure to share the opening dates with all of you.

Starting to get some submissions coming in for from the tongue, the exhibit I am curating in Tribeca. So exciting.

And a thanks to here, here, and here for some sweet mentions and inclusions.

in bed...

Kind of wish I was in bed...but

so I made a lot of progress this week on my newest piece, which I am happy about since I have been having the hardest time staying focused.
Now I am on the stage of folding and laying the applique pieces of "sheet" and that tends to go quite fast so we will see where it is at next week...

so far I am very happy with the piece.

Back to work.

narrative quilts.

the gorgeous narrative quilts of Kim Eichler-Messmer have me totally inspired. I have often wanted to get a little bit more into quilting and seeing these highly detailed and uber gorgeous illustrative quilts I am pumped to get my mind thinking. It makes me so excited to see such detailed and textured work with quilting.


I love her use of hand dyed & silk screened textures in the background it adds so much depth and originality to her work.


She states:

My current work revolves around the themes of family, history and nature. I believe that the past has never really passed and that we are the products of those who came before us. Families are shaped by the experiences, decisions, victories and defeats of the preceding generations, even generations lost from conscious memory. My work attempts to explore my own family’s past and how it has shaped my actions and beliefs. I also explore in the work how my feelings about families in general relate to my thoughts on nature. Both can be comforting and peaceful while also containing the potential for great danger, sadness or disappointment.

I work intuitively, allowing memories, emotions, and associations to flow through me as I construct each piece. Repeated imagery, frayed edges, translucent overlays and hand stitching are standard elements in my work. I use a wide variety of surface design techniques, such as dyeing, screen-printing, direct application of dye and pigment, embroidery, appliqué, discharge, and piecing to construct large and small-scale quilts for the wall. I am interested in the mystery, haziness and uncertainty of life and nature. These ideas come through in my work.


Her words are just as lovely as her work. To see more check her website out. She also has a great blog that covers her process.

show prep...

a mock up of a small interior install of this work.

Today, I have been trying to gather together the work for my solo show in brooklyn, home sweet home, that opens on my due date.
Crazy indeed.
But since it is so close to my due date, I will not be able to install the work, so I am gathering and preparing everything, making install instructions, ordering prints, and trying to get a dvd together in vain.
But today I got all the physical work gathered and ironed. Wooh!
Now my main thing is to figure out how to get my dvd done. I have not worked with my video camera in a few years and essentially have completely forgotten how to do everything. But I will figure it out hopefully. Who knows maybe I will get inspired to make video work again?

Yesterday, I was busy at home sanding and painting our wall that partitions the babe's room. It looks great!

Lou screams...

Check out my interview with Lou Trigg at Mr X Stitch.
She is awesome!!!

an illustrated world...

The highly detailed and illustrative style of Camille Canales is fun and colorful and makes me think of all the joys of spring. Camille uses traditional techniques of beading, silkscreen, embroidery, and applique to create some very fun and whimsical work.



The detail shots of her work really bring their beauty home for the viewer. Check out these french knots!!! ( a detail from the work above.)


Camille's whimsical ways and characters remind me of on of my favorite artists, whom I realize I have never featured so I will have to do that this week. But in thinking of his work I wonder how wonderful it might be if Camille's work took on a much larger scale inviting us literally into her world.


Camille discusses how her process allows her to cope with the fast paced digital world that we live in:

The characters and landscapes I create are an escape for me. Using traditional craft methods like embroidery and beadwork, I slowly build up the surfaces in my drawings and paintings...

I feel disconnected from our society’s rapid advancement in technology and our subsequent loss of non-digital leisure. I long for a time when things were made for craftsmanship rather than obsolescence. Obsessively stitching bio-mechanical figures is my way of grappling with these issues. The repetitive motions in sewing allow my mind to wander around environments of my sole creation, leaving me to figure out reasons for their existence. I find satisfaction in my artistic control of these places that at times feel more tangible and manageable than the world I live in.

See more of Camille's work here. Camille also was a recent artist for the Lillstreet Textiles Roof in Chicago. They have a call for proposals for this project, deadline is very soon. The details are:

The deadline for Summer/Fall 10 proposals is April15th.

Lillstreet Rooftop Flags

The flags are made at the cost of the artist, but Lillstreet provides rooftop space for an opening reception. Flags are up for one month.

Flags fly above a community arts center, so should not contain incendiary images or text. Flags are installed on the roof of a three story building, so big images work best. Small details/text will not be visible from the street. Materials should be water/wind proof. Past flags have been made of heavy cotton/ nylon. Flags can be square/rectangular/triangular, but should not be longer than 3' in any direction. Two 1" grommets must be installed on the flat edge for attachment to the flag poles.

Proposal should contain: Drawing of all four flags, detailed list of materials used, current resume, and an artists' statement.

Please direct all inquiries/proposals to rebeccaringquist (at) gmail com

Now accepting proposals for Summer/Fall 2010.

weaving a portrait, fading in and out.

Hand woven photographs by artist Ilene Godofsky. Ilene creates beautiful hand woven works that she then prints alternative process portraits on. The merging of the image with the texture and patterns of the woven work is beautiful and creates a complex portrait.
Ilene states this about her work:

My work is about exploring the connection between the human experience and craft. I am fascinated by the precise nature of craftsmanship, and the sense of exact decisiveness in every step of the process. I draw inspiration from studying craft throughout history, and attempt to work intuitively in my own pieces, while keeping cultural and historical references in mind. My weavings attempt to evoke a quiet moment for the viewer, where subtle shifts are picked up in the details, and the beauty of things that are created over time is recognized... By combining alternative photography with hand weaving, I attempt to create works that speaks to the innate human aesthetic and necessity to create, which has universally revealed itself in every culture.

I was an alternative photo junky for years and love seeing it used in this way... I feel like her work will continue to develop into even more exciting things. One to watch for sure.
See more of Ilene's work at her minimal website here.

busy but beautiful weekend.

here is a sneak peek at my newest work. It has come along quite a bit more today- going down into the hands. C really likes how stylized the hair is- so I might push that in a few other elements of the piece. We will see.

My weekend was great and busy, I had a group of students into my studio Saturday morning and it was very fun. They were a warm and engaging group and it was fun to talk to them about my process and career. Plus it was an incredibly gorgeous day with the sun pouring in and the breeze blowing about. Then C and I finished building the wall in our bedroom to partition of the baby's space. So fun... please notice the sarcasm.
Sunday evening, another gorgeous day was capped of by what I feel like was a very successful intro meeting to collective thread. I am super excited about getting this collective rolling and was very happy with the fact that we had 12 + people show up to brainstorm about what the collective could be. We shared a lot of helpful info and I really think it could be a great way to build a great community. Next meeting we will have crits of 2 of the artists and share community again. If any one is interested in getting details about the meetings just let me know.

Now I have to get caught up on all my emails that I have been ignoring all weekend.

falling down the rabbit hole...

Back channels

I am loving the installation work of Alisha Wessler. Her use of texture, space, and layering creates enticing, inviting spaces that evoke a little bit of falling into the rabbit hole.


You want to fall in together...

I love her use of light...

See more of her work including her lovely drawings and paintings here.

mind space and spring air.

I went and heard Kiki Smith do a gallery talk at the Brooklyn Museum and though it was super crowded, a little hard to hear, and little 9 month preggers me had to stand the entire time. It was not surprisingly worth it.

I have been lucky enough to hear Kiki speak a few times both formally and informally and I always get a lot from it. She is a very honest artist that is incredibly comfortable with whom she is as an artist which is simply put awesome and a little rare.


The exhibit Sojourn is well worth the visit made mostly up of some new large scale ink drawings...dealing with the life cycle of birth, life, and death- as always her imperfect hand, crinkly paper, and thoughtful use of glitter made for some super lovely work.
AND ... the additional works in the Brooklyn Museum's period rooms are especially nice and unexpected and it gets you to walk through the period rooms which are one of the museums best kept secrets.

So I did not actually get work done in my studio very much but the great weather and Kiki's talk reminded me sometimes the best thing for your studio practice is to just give your brain time to think, mind space... so that it what the rest of my day looks like.

and tomorrow I have a small group of undergrads in for a studio visit- my nice freshly cleaned studio.
Have a lovely weekend, I hope your weather is as lovely as ours

topographical stitches...

Read my post on artist Amy Honchell over at Hello Craft.

exhausted.

ergh, I forgot my camera again. I was all ready to show you the face of my newest piece.
I got started on it Friday and have made quite a bit of headway and...
it perfectly exemplifies my general state of body and mind as of late:

exhausted.

But I guess the photo will have to wait until tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow I am excited to attend this talk with Kiki Smith in the afternoon.
and very happy to see that my call for work is getting out to the masses:)

white rabbits.

I have seen Zoe Williams work somewhere before and it is wacky, a little scary, and totally awesome. Zoe submitted her images to me awhile back and with this spring-like weather why not feature her bizarre rabbits in celebration of the wonderful coming of spring.


Zoe creates beautifully sculpted needle felted sculptures, that often exist as wall mounted pieces.


Her most favorite subject seems to be the strange and creepy albino rabbit.

Her website states:
The subjects of her work are symbolic and frequently personal. Inspiration for her Rabbits cycle came in a dream; other pieces explore inspiration itself, locked up inside or pouring out in candy-colored glory. The pairing of opposites is also ubiquitous; subjects are simultaneously beautiful and horrible, cute and creepy. The process by which the work is created is itself juxtaposition: sharp steel violently stabbing the soft, white wool.


I cannot help but think about animal testing and cruelty with the strange contortions and overly emaciated figures of her "Rabbits."


See more of her work here.
And I have to say it is super weird because the rabbits faces look so much like my cat Blue's face structure.