stained lace

 

A new drawing of stained lace that I am loving so much.  I am in to a new one this week. I am really excited about it as a series that connects all my work.

happening, growing, working on....

Fiber Sculpture at the ICA

Giving up some studio hours to go to this show  at the ICA but I am getting the feeling that if I do not go today I will miss it which would be a travesty so...

I am looking forward to seeing and creating my own opinion around it as everyone has shared there opinion with me.  So you will get my opinion too. I am getting excited just thinking about it.

typed musings.

I saw one of these lovely pieces in a book while browsing (aka taking a mini escape from my family) in our local bookstore and I loved them. I am not someone who knows all that much about Joan Mitchell's work- though her paintings are amazing they are not my style. BUT these tprewriter works are lovely and unexpected.

The organic drawing style, aggressive to subtle use of color and poetic musings. Just my style.  I did a series of typewriter drawings, that I have always loved, a long time ago and it makes me want to pull out my funky old thing out again.

This quote from Joan Didion is also awesome...

studio....

 

In my studio for a few hours Friday and made some good progress and on this VERY chilly day I am headed there again and hoping to make some great progress today.  Here is to stitching, drawing and thinking in my white room.

showtime...

 

Here is my work in the Personal is Political. I was very happy with the show in general The space looked great and a lot of the work was interesting. I was a little freaked that the curator used ack nails in my work!!! But it seemed like she was careful so hopefully they come back fine. But ack!

 

One of my favorite works was by Kim Lockwood, lovely photos inspired by the remnants found in her grandparents home that echoed the changes in the mining town they lived.

 

Katrina Majkut had an interesting series of cross stitches of contraceptives.

 

Beverly Semmes had a work in their permanent collection on view from her house dress series which was very cool.

I speak at the Vessels show on Thursday so I will have pics of that show later this week.

Vessels: Opening and Chat.

ooh, yeah another opening...


So the truth is I am trying to put my eye a little more locally with exhibits. Not exclusively of course but I really have hardly shown at all in Boston and I do live here so. I am delighted to have work in 2 shows this month and the 2nd one opens this week. I have 2 works in it one old and one newer.

Vessels: An Exhibition of Fiber Art

Image above: Seeded Sprout, Sue Hale

What does a vessel or container mean to you? Is it a functional object, or something spiritual or emotional? Is it a “useful pot to put things in”? A place to put things for safekeeping or a way to display its contents? Do you want to contain yourself or something else?

CURATED BY:

Amy Pett and Ellen Solari

OPENING RECEPTION:
Sunday, December 7, 2014; 4:00 pm-6:00 pm

EXHIBITION DATES:
December 3 – 21, 2014

LOCATION:
Nave Gallery Annex, 53 Chester St, Somerville, MA

ARTISTS:
Jo Atherton, Donna Beck, Louise Berliner, Emily Brodrick, Emily Dvorin, Eileen Doughty, Susan Gaylord, Mary Geisser, Carol Greenwood, Sue Hale, Deborah Kruger, Ingrid Lincoln, Joetta Maue, Ashley Occhino, Allison Rabin, Ellen Ramsey, Amanda Yamashita

Nave Annex

Visit Us 

There is also an informal artist talk featuring me on December 11th from 6-8pm. come say hi!!!

The Personal is Political Reception

This show has been up for a bit but I am really looking forward to seeing the work at the Reception this Thursday from 5:30-7:30.


November 1 – December 12, 2014
The Personal is Political is Personal
Curated by Sara Allred

In this exhibition, artists illustrate how personal truths are played out in political/public contexts, and how laws and policy affect their personal lives and the lives of others. Through this work, the artists hope to draw attention to issues they are passionate about by engaging the viewer in a visual exploration of social justice issues.

Details here. Located at the Tufts Campus.

drawings.

Working in the studio today. Spent a lot of time just organizing my brain but eventually got to some flower stitching on the ballerinas and some more drawing.

 

I am not sure if this drawing is done but I am sure that I am loving it. 

It has been unbelievable to work this way after so many years of not drawing at all.  It also is conceptually making a lot of sense to me too. Taking these torn, stained and worn-out clothes and fabrics and abstracting them with scale into these drawings feels good and meaningful to me.  They make a lot of sense with my text based works right now and I feel like some of the images I am printing also. So we will see but I am looking forward to working on these and seeing where they go.

your list?

I finally made my etsy alive again. I need to add some newer stuff but if you have an itchin for a Maue work as part of your christmas list. Scratch here.

drawig..

This week with the holiday is weird and full and hectic but I did fit in a nice studio day yesterday and am so looking forward to 2 full studio days next week.
I have really been digging the drawing I am working on and am definitely going to turn it into a small series.
What do you all think? It has been so nice to spend hours on a medium other then the stitch.

string paintings

Loving these new works by Nike Schroeder.

reminds me of an early work of mine but so much better.

cool

I love these visual poems by Steve Mcaffrey.

more from the gradma's house series....

Rough, unedited or clean versions. Straight scans.  Feeling really great about these negatives.

knit, paint, drip

I would be interested in seeing this show at Heller Gallery.
Liz Collins---   The work they show as an example makes me think of Vadis Turner's ribbon paintings had a baby with Sheila Hick's materials.

pencils out

I spent yesterday morning in the studio. I went in with the intention of stitching but just kind of did not feel like it. I have been playing with the idea of doing a series of drawings of slightly torn or damaged areas of fabric. I had done a quick experimental drawing a week or 2 ago....

Well I had happened to bring a piece of large-ish paper from my house that day so thought lets try it for real.

So I spent 2 hours starting a drawing of the above image of the above object that is in my studio. I will post pics of the drawing itself later. But I am sooo excited. It was so nice to get lost in the drawing. It was also great to have this medium that was slower and more hand evident then my photos but way faster then embroidery. I am thinking about an actual real serious series of the drawings.

Image of it soon. 

Don't forget to visit mamahood on occasion. But of course the actual act of mamahood is always delaying my ability to post to the project mamahood.

work.

 It feels like I have been working on the above work forever, like fooorrrrevvvvah. I am sure I have talked about the actual piece. Repetition of daily acts and motherhood...

Wash face, wash, dry, repeat. Kiss boo-boo, wash, dry, repeat. Buy band-aids, wash, dry, repeat. Tuck-in, wash, dry, repeat. Do dishes, wash, dry, repeat. Make dinner, wash, dry, repeat. Read bed-time story, wash, dry, repeat. Say I love you, wash, dry, repeat. etc, etc.

I really wanted it to be about repetition.  But also the love built into that.
And it is taking forever. But I see the end. I am not there yet but I see it. And I am excited.

miminalism, love and collaboration

I am into this.  She weaves it. He paints it.

Annoyingly he often gets the credit.
Good stuff.

See more.
See now.
Read about.

old negatives, new work.

I unearthed some old negatives that I never did anything with and they are genuinely making me so excited. I shot these photos after I got out of graduate school but then sort of just left them as I did not have access to a c-printer.
With my new found desire to just accept and move forward with attempting the digital wave I have scanned them and am thinking of printing them up as a series. These are just a few and are not cleaned up at all from the scans but to give you a sneak peek. 

They are all shot at my grandmothers house.

 

I have about 3 rolls. What do you all think?

talking, speaking, words

I spoke to a wonderful group of folks last Friday as part of an event at the Atwood House Museum in Massachusetts. It was a wonderful day and event. There were 3 speakers one who spoke of an obsessive and incredible recreation of a historical embroidery piece. It was nutty but totally awesome to hear about the dedication of all these people to accurately recreate the piece. Me talking about me and all the awesome art being made with a needle. And finally a conservator talking about how to properly store, display and hang textiles. As an artist I will not be displaying as she suggested but I did learn a lot of good stuff about how to best store my work and learned I was not doing a terrible job.

But to my talk, I felt really good abut mine and generally I do really love public speaking.  The audience was just a delight. They were so warm and appreciative after the talk. One even gave me a hug of appreciation. Quite a few talked about how inspiring it was to see how artists were using embroidery and found textiles.

Then as I was leaving and walking out to my car a women at her car spoke out to me and said she so enjoyed my talk. She then told me that she had an "aha" moment.

Of course I inquired as to what it was. She proceeded to tell me how she had a moment as I was talking about the act of catharcism and how one often makes work as a cathartic act and how confessional and autobiographical art often has this element. She then explained that her daughter had made art about something that had happened to her and she never understood why and now she did. I was so grateful that she shared this with me and so grateful that I could open the eyes of a mother to her daughter's healing practice- it really made my day!  As an artist that has often made her mother uncomfortable  with my art but who has also always had a mom that supported this- it was a really wonderful experience.

I was so happy to be a part of this event and the nice long walk on the beautiful cape cod beach I took afterwards was not to  bad either. 

holy moly I love this work...

made by artist Allyson Strafella with a typewriter. The textures patterns and holes are created by her using the mechanics of back space and return over and over.  Love. Gorgeous.

See more.