Joetta Maue

sick of sick!

2012-01-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

I am SO over being sick. I have been sick for over a week now and though it is definitely a "walking" sickness I really want to feel myself again. I have barely gotten anything done as well as just feel like lazy lump of person. It makes one appreciate how amazing a healthy body is.

I head to the city for the weekend tomorrow and weirdly am almost looking forward to the drive. Having a chunk of time all by myself in the car, listening to music, and NPR, and having some space to get lost in my thoughts. I just hope traffic does not turn my drive into a bitter experience.

image from here.

transparent cloth...

2012-01-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

I heard about this piece of Claudia Casarino in a review of the Venice Biennale and was super intrigued by the description of the 3 three dresses, one inside of the other. The title is Pynandi
(not a whore, neither a goddess nor a queen.) It photographs beautifully.

She has done a number of series and projects that involve clothing, usually made out of some type of transparent material, hung in multiples.

The project below is called uniforms and seems a powerful statement towards the mass.

One writer said this about her work: Using external surfaces such as doors, masks, walls, and clothing, she refers to a perpetually inaccessible and often intangible interiority. They are works of distraction, a continual deflection from the location of the 'real' body, putting fantasies, memories, and fabrication in its place.

I would love to read a statement from the artists own words about her work but there is not one on her website and her blog is in another language. I find her work to be an interesting exploration of femininity and the expectations within that.

This is an earlier work where she documents the process of herself getting ready. See more of her work here.

asylum...

2012-01-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

This week I went to check out the awesome and unique space of Artisan's Asylum were I will be teaching a workshop next month. So all you Boston based folks come on and sign up, learn to stitch, be introduced to a VERY cool space, and have fun:

Introduction to Embroidery

Saturday, February 18, 10AM-2PM

In this 4 hour workshop you will learn basic stitches that will allow you to create either a traditional sampler following the guidelines provided by history or to create a completely unique piece. With the skills learned you will be able to continue making beautiful pieces of art or simply embellish items of your own. In this class you will begin a piece that you take home to finish. You are encouraged to bring quotes and text that inspires you and to work with found linens.

Sign up here.
Get more information about the Artisans Asylum
617-863-7634.
Located at 10 Tyler St., Somerville, Massachusetts

Or SEE me in in NY this weekend.

Thread Reviews

2012-01-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

Read my article on the drawings of Victoria Gitman over here, that is right drawings.

conceptual threads..

2012-01-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

A recent comment led me to the incredible work of Canadian artist Germaine Koh. I am shocked and saddened that I have never heard of her. She is a highly conceptual artist that makes fascinating and often powerful work.

The piece that I was led to by a comment of a recent post was her project Knitwork a project she has been working on since 1992.

This is what she says about the work:

Knitwork is a life-long piece made by my unraveling used garments and re-knitting the yarn into a single continuously growing object. As it records the ongoing passage of time and effort, the work becomes a monument to the artifacts that comprise it, to mundane activity, and to everyday labour. As a visual record of the passage of time, the details of the piece incidentally register variations in my process, and through these one can retrace a history of decisions. Although the slow accumulation of layers of obsolete goods might recall geological processes, the limits of the piece are actually human; the work will be finished when I cease (to be). It is both sublime and resolutely absurd, both excessive and banal, both rigorous and formless; in other words, it is a practical test of the imagination.

She also has an ongoing piece titled Fete, which takes swags of the artists hair and attaches it to a celebratory garland. She attaches each swag in chronological order so one can see the changes in health and color of her hair as she ages and goes through the ups and downs of life.

A few other pieces that caught my eye are an installation made from ball bearings dropping intermittently from the ceiling to fall and arrange themselves on the floor.

And I love the piece Fallow in which she installs the literal land from a specific area into the gallery, the land itself changes with each installation. She describes the piece as instead of displaying a crop of new work, for one exhibition period the space lies fallow.

Or a la Sophie Calle & Tracey Emin she takes her personal journal entries and posts them in the classifieds or on billboards.

She has a huge amount of equally fascinating projects over at her website. I love how thoughtful and yet in the end simple and stripped down her work is. She utilizes only what she needs to express her thoughts and concerns. Even if all that is required is fog.

slow mo...

2012-01-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

I have been making progress on the work above and am starting to get ready for my very busy trip to the city this weekend. I am still feeling a little under the weather so feel as if I am moving in slow mo.

But today I have a few hours sans T. I am trying out a baby trade so we will see how it goes but simply sitting here and writing this by myself feels like a luxury. When you have a child you are so rarely alone. I am going to treasure these brief hours, though a plumber is coming today so I guess the alone part will be over soon.
I am also excited to say that I will be curating 2 upcoming shows. More on that later.

chewed...

2012-01-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

How amazing are these pictures Arne Svenson in the new book Chewed? A gorgeous documentation of the love a pet gives to its toys.

I love the simple direct nature of the imagery.

The makers of the book say this:

Our eyes have been opened. Now when a slobbery mass of yarn and stuffing comes our way, we recognize what the true gift is – the chance to witness the bond between a love thing and its maker.

Read about the project here.

collect...

2012-01-23T05:50:00.000-08:00

Here is an image of one of my embroideries in Courtney Love's NY townhome. (read the comments, insane.) She bought about 10 pieces from me a number of years ago and I always wondered what happened to them so it was cool to see one in the recent feature on her house. (Behind the yellow pillow)

I love seeing my work in other people's homes though I rarely get to. It is so nice when people email me images after they have bought one. Here are a few others....

back to the studio.

2012-01-20T06:38:00.000-08:00

I was in the sick bed all day yesterday, literally did not move most of the day. But today I feel MUCH better and look forward to getting started on the piece above. I have had it drawn out for a week or 2 but was focused on finishing the 2 text pieces in the works. They are now done and this can get started. I am looking forward to the diversity of stitches in contrast to the constant satin stitches of the text work. Sometimes the repetition is comforting and then other times it is mind boggling boring- the best reason to have opposite ways of working in my studio.
Though I still have SO much work to do for my solo show I do feel good about how much progress I have made the past month and do feel like things are steadily moving along.

Fingers crossed they stay that way. Next week I start a new babysitting trade which means extended time in the studio by myself too. Need I say YAY! I need it.

knitting nation

2012-01-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I just missed knowing about these recent performances at the ICA and therefore can only enjoy them from the gorgeous photographs and incredible videos. The sounds of the machines working is incredible. Artist Liz Collins has been working with her performances Knitting Nation since 2005. But the most recent interpretations done at the ICA seem much more choreographed and feel more like a ballet of knitters or a ballet of knitting soldiers than a community event as some of her earlier works did.

images from earlier performances.

She states this about the project:

KNITTING NATION (KN) , which utilizes a team of uniformed machine knitters to build site-specific, large-scale fabric installations. My experience with apparel and textile manufacturing, and a strong desire to perform my craft, has inspired this choreographed response to these vast and complicated industries, in which knitting machines are the tools with which to interrogate gender, sexuality, fashion, hand-crafting and industrial production in the era of globalization. This project lays bare the process of machine knitting in order to demonstrate the complex and fascinating nature of this medium, which is one representation of many human-dependent and physically demanding textile and garment making processes and traditions.

from the ICA performance KNITTING NATION PHASE 8: UNDER CONSTRUCTION

In the recent interpretations of this the performers seem almost robotic and the lighting and layout of the space very dramatic. They remind me a bit of Ann Hamilton's performances- in her way of laying out the space and focus on labor and repetition. However Liz's work always has multiple player while Ann's are always solitary.

images from earlier performance.

See tons of photos from the work and some videos where you can here the amazing sound of the machines at her site here.

play ball...

2012-01-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

Very cool project by Massachusetts based, Tennessee born artist Maria Molteni. Maria describes herself as a parochial-school misfit in the bible belt, where Protestants and Catholics settle their differences on the field or court. Aware of her mother’s childhood dismissal from tryouts on account of being “too skinny”, Maria felt fortunate to spend ten years swallowed by team jerseys bearing Air Jordan’s lucky number 23. When asked of future plans, she swore to become an “Art and Basketball Star”.

Here is a description of her very cool "gift giving" form of art:

Over a year ago New Craft Artists in Action team captain launched MOLTENi Net Works in Boston. Bringing together makers and players in collaborative exchange, the project aims to create functional, hand-crafted basketball nets for neglected public hoops.

Dr. James Naismith created the game of basketball in Springfield, MA in 1891. He posed a recycled peach basket as the first hoop. Now nets help break a ball’s fall, give players a sense of depth for good aim, and allow refs to see that a basket was made...This project is inspired by a mapping process and DIY form of slow production, utilizing abandoned space as a venue. The process aims to build a pro-active relationships between artists, athletes, and neighbors.

And she is asking you to make your very own net as part of the project. Get the details here.
See her website for the project here.
Since she is local maybe I will meet her in person...

tissues, blankets, and tea...

2012-01-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

I finished my most recent text piece, above washed and ready to iron, but then my day yesterday went down hill and I officially have a terrible cold. I feel a lot like a pile...

But alas hopefully I will have energy to do something and if not me, my blanket, and bad daytime tv will be friends. Or maybe a little bit of both.

learn with me...

2012-01-17T07:53:00.000-08:00

Textile Arts Center- Brooklyn Location

'Til death do us part- Embroidery Workshop
Sat 11AM - 5PM, January 28, 2012

Celebrate, investigate, or pine about the experience of marriage and romantic partnership. Work with fiber artist Joetta Maue -who's work is inspired by the most intimate relationships we have in life- to create a one of a kind piece of embroidery art. Come with an idea to make a work about marriage, love, love loss, desire for love- wherever your heart is. Discuss how one can make a hand made ketubah, the Jewish wedding contract, an image of the bridal bed or couple, or a creation inspired by wedding vows and how these make a meaningful heirloom or treasured gift. In conjunction we will talk about the role of dowry and embroidered wedding gifts in history.

Just in time to make it for Valentines day. No experience required, basic stitches and techniques will be taught.

For more info or to sign up contact the center at info@textileartscenter or (718) 369- 0222.

complicated femininity...

2012-01-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I saw the work of Julie Moon on a blog that I occasionally visit. Her work popped off the page with skill, color, and intrigue. Her ceramics are incredibly unique explorations of the body, femininity, color, culture, and texture.

She paints, glazes, collages fabric and decals, and attaches elements to these strange and beautiful creations.

Her use of the decorative is powerful allowing it to be beautiful but also strange, almost alien on her forms.

The femininity in her work is overt but feels very heavy with complication as well.

In a recent press release of a solo show her work was described as :

Moon combines skilled craftsmanship and traditional Korean motifs in a highly contemporary, conceptual approach. Interested in ideas and expectations of beauty, identity and gender, Moon’s most recent work explores form, pattern, growth, and multiplicity. Delicate, surprising and engaging, Moon’s innovative work pushes her medium in provocative new directions.

one recent series:

focuses on abstract representations of the body, which Moon project personalities onto. while no piece is a literal body part, rolls of fat, breasts, bellies and bottoms become quietly apparent.

She says this about her work:

I consider the forms I’ve been building over the past few years as figurative... more an expression of the body…and perhaps an expression of culture and consumption and indulgence. I try to work intuitively but I definitely believe that the traditions and properties of my materials influence my work most.
Making for me is play and throughout the process I have a tendency to anthropomorphize the objects I build, including my materials. Clay itself is fleshy and sensual, moist, malleable, dependent on gravity, slowed down by its size and weight, these are things that I try to channel in my work. However, once it’s fired in the kiln, when all chemical water is driven off, the work becomes lifeless and brittle. Working the surface by adding glaze and decoration, helps me to give the objects I make identity and meaning.

You can see A LOT of her work on her website here and read an interview here.

step by step

2012-01-17T06:37:00.001-08:00

Sorry ya'll I just did not have the energy to write yesterday. I have been trying to listen to myself a little more and take a bit of the pressure off. I have a lot of great opportunities going on around me which is wonderful but with that I can easily allow myself to get totally stressed out and turn the pressure cooker on. And that never helps, it just makes things worse.

I know that part of my stress is residual from the move. I was talking to a friend in Brooklyn yesterday and through that conversation I had to face all the fear I still have attached to leaving. I have great opportunities now but as an artist you are also always looking for the great things in the future and there is a huge part of me that fears that opportunities might dry up now that I am no longer in the city. Intellectually I argue that, I know that this is not the case, especially since I will continue to go back to do things regularly and be aware of the scene, and know so many amazing and successful folks not anywhere near the city. But the gnawing thought still sits there as a little layer of fear that I have yet to shed.

But alas I do feel good progress coming in my work, thought not necessarily quick enough for my deadlines. But I am SO close to finishing my most recent larger text piece, took a new photo this weekend for a narrative portrait that will be gorgeous, got a rough, rough draft for my article written, and am really excited to get back to working on my image based works (though the break from them was SO nice.) So step by step we all move forward.

hand/eye

2012-01-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a recent feature over at Hand/Eye. They ask artists to write from there own point of view and so I thought I might approach it a little differently since I kind of do that all the time here. I almost wrote mine like a story I guess.

Anyway hop over and read it, let me know what you think.

to those that were lost.

2012-01-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

Another highlight for me at the MOMA was the works of Doris Salcedo on view. I have known about her work for a long time now but had never had the opportunity to see her work in person. The museum had one of her cement filled furniture works and her shoes.

Her works are often almost like memorials- delving in to the issues of the violence in her native columbia and makeing works that honor and recognie the vitims of this violence.

The Moma says this about these works:

Salcedo spent weeks with the families and loved ones of the deceased, infusing herself with the details of their lives. Based on these experiences, she created sculptures from domestic furniture and clothing once touched by the warmth of daily use. Complete with legs, backs, feet, and handles, the dresser and chairs in this untitled work may be seen as stand-ins for the missing body of a victim and the fractured lives of his or her family.

The soft, warm grain of the wooden furniture contrasts with the gray mass of cold, hard concrete and rebar that fills the interior spaces and violates the structure of these objects. The furniture, bulky and mute, has been rendered useless by the sheer weight and volume of its concrete interment. The objects now mark time and space, bearing witness to an act of violence and functioning as memento mori. They are public reckonings of private loss and personal grief within a desperate, charged political environment. "My work deals with the fact that the beloved—the object of violence—always leaves his or her trace imprinted on us," Salcedo has said.

From her series of working with clothing of these victims on view are some of the shoes. The shoes are in the wall, viewable from both sides, hidden behind a layer of stretch animal skin sewn to the wall. The works are powerful homages to the lost.

Salcedo's work is work worth knowing about and understanding and was lovely to see in person. See her work here.

solo scenes...

2012-01-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to write about my most recent trip to the MOMA but with all the going on in my life it just has not happened but I am finally starting to want to revisit that trip. Often I struggle with the MOMA it rarely moves me. But it seems that they recently did some re -working of a lot of the permanent collection especially in the most contemporary galleries. I will be re-visiting many of the works I saw while there as I was super pumped the entire visit.

But one piece that moved me A LOT was unexpected. I walked towards the end of the contemporary galleries to face a crude scaffolding wall holding 131 video monitors. Easy to walk by and think of as boring, anti-aesthetic, video art. That is exactly what I did. Then I read the nameplate and saw that is was the last work of Dieter Roth. An artist that I have always been perplexed by but drawn too. His work seems lost in questions of identity and self and has been work that has moved me. So I thought--- Ok I am missing something here.
I went back, sat down on the floor, and watched.

In essence it is boring footage of Roth living his daily life for 6 months, you see him in his small, crowded, minimal live-work space, sleeping, eating, drawing, writing, making work, packaging work, organizing, reading, speaking on the phone. Beyond banal. But when you let your eyes open to see. You see a poignant portrait of the artist alone in his studio, alone in his mind, never escaping the artist's mind that is his. To me it ended up being a raw and honest portrait of the artist- stripping the romanticism, the fame, the prestige away and seeing all that was left. An artist that must make.

I wanted to write about the piece because I already know some people who have been to the MOMA while it was up and did not give it any attention and I just wanted to give my thoughts. That way if you visit while it is up you can stop and take a minute. Or 10. To me it is time worth spent.

Of course some people will not appreciate it in this way but to me it was a truly moving, beautiful portrait of a man.

Neighborhood Beat.

2012-01-12T05:56:00.000-08:00

This was filmed almost 2 months ago, feels like forever ago, but just now has been published. It is a studio visit with me at my Red Hook studio. I am very happy with how it was produced.
But not so happy about the BLAGH color of my shirt and the horrible hair situation. But atleast my work looks good and I sound half way good.

Let me know what you think.

2012-01-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

Read my article on Susan Lenz's project I do/I don't over here. Read a previously published post about her work here.

hopeful...

2012-01-11T05:48:00.000-08:00

I finished this over the weekend, it happened very suddenly. I was working slowly, quietly, and then all of a sudden I looked down and I was done. It still needs washed, ironed, and properly photographed but it is done.
I am happy with it.
As I said before I started this quite a while ago maybe in the spring... then I got distracted by my solo show this summer, then I felt ambiguous about some color choices and the work in general...but with my upcoming solo show it felt like it would really fit in and so done.

The thing about the upcoming show is that I want it to be about the moment in a relationship where you feel disconnected - like 2 ships passing or maybe even 2 ships violently crashing- but I also want it to allude to how you get through it, that you can get through it, that reconnection can occur. So along with some of the heavier emotional pieces I also want pieces that have hope and love in them. This piece felt like it could be one of those?

2012-01-10T07:11:00.001-08:00

I have decided to no longer sell my larger works on etsy. I just feel that at this point in my career it is no longer an appropriate venue for that work. I have come to this decision grudgingly as I have sold a few larger works this way which is awesome for me as an artist and the state of my checking account. But I know this is the best decision for my career.
So if you have had your eye on one, I will leave the works up until the end of the week. You can get 15 % off if you message me.

I will continue to sell the small text based works this way and you can always contact me about purchasing other works.

woven, dangling piles

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

The artwork of Canadian artist Libby Hague. She considers her work print installations. I consider it lovely.

She has no one statment on her website but you can explore each installation if you choose. Her website is frustrating to navigate and I so wish you could expand the images to see them better. But it gives you a taste of her extending installations made of mostly paper.

I like the tension between whimsical and happy to decaying and fragile.

See more here.

permission to sit.

2012-01-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

I did not actually get that much stitching done yesterday but I did get reminded that sometimes it is ok to just sit and do nothing.
I fiddled in my studio for an hour or so and then I just sat there. I remember when I was in graduate school and before T doing a lot of that, just sitting. Actually a moment of just sitting led me to make my first image based embroidery. With the luxury of being in my studio full time I had plenty of time to just sit and look, peruse my books, flip through old notebooks, or just gaze out the window. Now because each day the hours in my studio are so precious I feel like I always must be working, stitching, active at my work. But sometimes exactly what you need is to NOT be active to just be with your work, in your space. Sit.

The above are my newest piece to get started. The images are smaller than life size, maybe the male is 3.5-4 ft in height here. Both figures are on the same linen but with significant negative space between them. They will be stitched in black and grays. Not sure if a pop of color or something will be added. I LOVE his feet and legs, maybe because it is such a regular posture of my always reading husband. But in some ways I want to do a large piece of just that. Hopefully I will start stitching on it soon.

recharge

2012-01-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

I think I need a day of simply stitching. With so many projects and all the effort I have been putting towards meeting people and creating community here, and the fact that I had my nose in my book all weekend and got nothing done. I feel an itch to just stitch NOTHING else.

Let go of my brain, the various pressures of things, the list of applications and research, applications to teach, the questions floating around... Instead jump into my work.

I have so much more to say, but not the energy. So instead I will re charge with a hoop in my lap.

2012-01-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this Friday so if you missed it read my interview with Rebecca Ringquist here over at the Mr.

lay your head...

2012-01-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

fiber?
Nope it is the amazing work of stone carver Sebastian Martorana-hand carved marble.
I saw this pillow and was just struck. There has always been something about the soft becoming hard that moves me in my soul. This object looks so pliable and yet is rigid and weighs so much. so banal yet is made of something so permanent and in way archaic. The everyday raised up.

The pillow itself is a powerful object one of comfort and safety but also can be a weapon and represent a sense of suffocation.

Sebastian's work is beautifully done and has me completely intrigued. To me one of the most interesting and unexpected marble works I have seen. Taking such a glorified and historical medium and choosing to make such banal everyday objects, yet then raising these everyday objects to the level of glorified.

A press release from NYU announcing his work in a recent exhibition described it as:

un-commissioned memorials to the artist’s experiences, loves, and phobias, and celebrates the vagaries of daily existence.

They also described his work as pop art, which I disagree with. To me he is not using images from popular culture but from his own daily life and to me pop art always had some sort of irony or statement against high art that was completely removed from the personal. To me his work is very personal and therefore moving.
See more here.

hair pull.

2012-01-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

oh my I am at a moment of wanting to pull my hair out.

I have taken on 2 projects that are totally out of my comfort zone and I am sort of freaking. I, of course, as an artist, designer, writer always want to be pushing myself in new directions and challenges. But with so many new things at the same time and the need to make my own work for my exhibits I am also a little freakin.'

With new things it is always a matter of will I do a good job? Will the way I think about and approach things be what the person who asked me to do it want? Will this work represent me as an artist in the best light? Am I covering myself business wise? So many unknown questions which is part of why it is wonderful and part of why my hands keep creeping up by my hair (just joking.)

Anyway, positive vibes, positive vibes.

crossing but not meeting

2012-01-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

My paths crossed but did not overlap with artist Lisa Foti but it did bring my eye to her work. Lisa was recently in Boston but is now in NYC, the reverse of me.

She taught at one of the locations that I am working with so I trickled to her website in my research.

Her embroideries are simple and good. I tend to like work like this a more direct drawing with thread instead of fancy stitches and layered ground.

Her portraits have a sense of joy to their style that I enjoy.

But I also LOVE the white on white "body" works. Of course I like white on white period.

Her work still feels a little young but her technique and eye skilled, so I have a feeling that NY will be good for her and will be a place where her work grows. She also makes really gorgeous textiles.

Another one to watch. See more here.

2012-01-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

See my post in Missouri based artist Jacque Davis here

threads, cut and stitched again

2012-01-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

After deciding the above green was the wrong color for this piece I started to cut out my satin stitch and fell in love with the messy, fuzzy texture of the cut stitch. I ended up ripping them out for this piece but feel like it would be a lovely technique for something else.

and then I got back to work with the right color. I started this piece a long time ago but kind of put it aside. Not sure where is belonged and questioning some color choices. But in visualizing my solo show the walls crumbling in it seemed like a perfect fit so now it is finally getting finished.

Also finally got to the store for some more black thread so I can get back to work on this one. I am very excited about it as the statement and the linen and the pale colored thread with the black create a great contrast. This is from the back, I love the flowers.

What is happening in your studio?

jealous?

2012-01-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

What has been inspiring you lately? This is my new awesome floor covering. I needed something for my studio as my husband claimed his rug back for his office. So when I saw this hand cross stitched awesomeness at the antique store I was blown away. It is so weird, quirky and wonderful. Unlike anything I have ever seen. Luckily my visiting Dad treated me to it. SUCH a perfect one of a kind christmas gift.

The indian motifs and super bright colors are inspiring me. I love the neon pink lotus flower.

and the super perfect craftmanship of the cross stitch is pretty awesome. Do you have something in your home or studio that absolutely inspires you?

minimal- domestic -space

2012-01-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

The work of Tom Burr.

Incorporating references to minimalism, design, and social space, Burr infuses the manufactured aesthetic and sleek lines of 60s sculpture with an ultra-modern sensibility, incorporating narrative associations. Through his sparse presentation and refined media, Burr’s arrangement compels with almost fetishistic elegance; its domestic size and ‘naughty’ details create an evocative subtext to the austerity of his composition. from here.

Watch interview here.
A glimpse into his studio here, very cool tacked blankets in the slide show.

ripping things apart.

2012-01-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

I have been playing with tearing, ripping, and cutting into my linens for a few months now. This piece was the first time where I worked right were I stitched.

It was a bit of an experiment and I learned while doing while also being pretty happy with the result. Conceptually it will make the piece much stronger and more interesting.

It is always so scary going in to permanently change something after I have worked on it. But generally worth it.

read....

2012-01-03T06:21:00.001-08:00

Spending too much of my time reading articles linked from facebook this morning but today was a good one. That is my favorite use for facebook to be led to interesting things that I would maybe not have known about otherwise. These images are from an AWESOME and wonderfully simple project by artist Yayoi Kusama. Read about the project here and see more pictures.

Also a very interesting review on the current exhibit at PS1. Though it rambles a bit I think it is an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful response to the work and the curatorial viewpoint.

And for all you new years resolution-ers there is a fascinating and beautiful art about the Joy of Quiet in the Sunday NY times.

Read.

2012-01-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

I am feeling a little collapsed, tired, maybe even dark today. Also feeling quiet, contemplative, and open.

So the work of Rodney McMillan is speaking to me.

For some reason or another more minimal and sculptural work has been drawing me in. It seems a little bit like I can get lost in it.

Since my own work is so much about my story maybe sometime I need to not hear another artists story but instead just hear with my eyes?

From his 2008 Whitney Biennial profile:

Reflecting his diverse interest in the boundaries demarcating class, economic status, culture, and their relationship to the physicality of the human body, Rodney McMillian’s mixed-genre practice both incorporates and challenges the notion of art as social and historical critique. Aesthetically, McMillian pits light against dark, while his materials— a palette of primarily black, dark blue, and gray paint on raw, unprimed canvas—eloquently symbolize the often opposing cultural forces underlying the delineations he studies. The battered and discarded mattresses, filing cabinets, wood paneling, chairs, bookshelves, and other post consumer objects that his installations present elicit comparisons of domesticity, education, and race. Recently his sculptures have begun to formally mimic his un-stretched paintings, which drape loosely in gallery corners, trail sewn appendages, or unravel onto the floor to highlight their textile nature. The three dimensional quality of McMillian’s paintings recalls Eva Hesse’s work, though their quick, linear brushstrokes evoke the subliminal emotive release inherent to Abstract Expressionism. Read in its entirety here.

Any way see more of Rodney's work here.

new day...

2012-01-02T06:30:00.001-08:00

Very mellow New Years for us this year. We had family in town to hang with and a little tot to get to bed early. So quiet it almost passed without noticing.
With the move our "new" year has already begun.

Mine is already filled with wonderful opportunities, new challenges, risks and adventures in my work, and hopefully a continued abundance of community, friendship, and art.

Today I look forward to getting back to my work, after a few days off... and start working out how to write 2 articles I need to focus on. I have never had to write "formal" articles before so it is a new challenge and an exciting new role to play.

Pushing the limits- call for work.

2012-01-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

The fabulous artist Heidi Field-Alvarez is putting together a great fiber show, along with Mary Buchanan. So below are some details and the link to the prospectus and such. Just thought I would pass the information on to all of you.

Heidi Field-Alvarez

PushingtheLimits@artspace
Exhibition Dates: July 27, 2012 - September 23, 2012

PushingtheLimits is a biennial exhibition held at artspace gallery in Richmond, VA. The show aims to expand the definition of fiber work within contemporary art while providing a venue for established and emerging artists to exhibit. Multi-media, video and installation work will be considered.

Mary Buchanan.

Get all the details here.

happy....

2011-12-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

from here.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and lots of fun this holiday weekend...

fireworks here.

Full of colors, and sparkles, and sounds....

drink here.

Perhaps you will have some booze, have a toast with me...

from the amazing her.

but not too much or you might end up like her, ack.

party here.

Instead be the life of the party.

here.

Ringing in the new year with warmth and joy.

here.

Hopefully spending a little extra time in bed on New years day.

here.

But hoping us all the gift of being in a happy place for 2012.

here.

Wishing you the best!!!

so good.

2011-12-29T05:44:00.000-08:00

I know I have talked about her before but sometimes you just need to do it again and again and again. I seriously LOVE the panels pieces of Elana Herzog. Somehow I ended up on her website again and the drool started to drip out of my mouth. To me they are that lovely "drool worthy."

I am particulary into her white ones as I myself am doing a lot of white on white stuff.

Seriously something about how she abstracts the rugs and blankets into these gorgeous patterns and color fields while walking the line of keeping them as recognizable domestic objects just gets me everytime. She ends up mixing every thing I love about modern painting and textiles together into this AWESOME soup of GORGEOUS. But gorgeous in this wonderful way of falling apart.

I must say I do prefer her older works over her most recent but I would imagine as an artist she is at a place of pushing and changing her practice to figure out were it goes next. You can only do the same thing so much.

I hope she has some exhibits soon as I would love to see some more work in person. Go drool here.

re-connect to the self....

2011-12-29T05:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have Elizabeth of Squam Workshops over for tea. First of all how happy am I that I now have an apartment that is large and comfortable enough to have people over for tea! But I digress Elizabeth was an incredibly warm woman who is passionate about the mission of Squam workshops. If you do not know of Squam you should.

I am not sure how I found out about them but when I saw that
a. they were at Squam in New Hampshire a truly magical place
b. The talented and fabulous Rebecca Ringquist and Cal Patch were amongst there esteemed teachers
c. they were all about inspiring creativity in everyone and building community to boot!

So sounds like my kind of place.

Now Elizabeth and her team have expanded into holding workshops in multiple locations and manage a whole team of incredible creatives from artists, to writers, to chefs, to yogis.

There mission states this:

We teach, inspire and heal. Our community receives encouragement, training, inspiration and experience that expands their creative spirit. We help dissolve restrictions and limitations on the definition of what it means to be an artist. We celebrate joy, fun, pleasure, beauty and the natural world.

Now that is a mission that I can get behind. I have loved that most in my own teaching- that I can help to open a student up to their untapped potential as a creative being and the fact that these special workshops do just that is wonderful.

Looking at the images and talking to Elizabeth makes me think it is kind of like a Kripalu of creativity. Kripalu is an amazing yoga retreat center that I use to go to every year (when I had the $$.) I would go to refresh and become re-inspired about my practice and my inner self. The wholesome food, gorgeous environment, and people I met would leave me feeling totally new. Squam seems to me like a place to refresh and renew all your creative juices, even if you didn't know you had them....

Go see their beautiful newly vamped website, and maybe even sign up for a workshop.

in the studio...

2011-12-29T05:11:00.000-08:00

Lives They Lived

2011-12-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

Anyone that reads this here blog knows that I am a public radio addict. My favorite show being this one.

So I was intrigued to see that Ira Glass of This American Life was a guest editor for the NY Times Magazine's annual ‘‘Lives They Lived" issue.

His section just like his radio show will warm your heart, make you cry, and make you remember that life is filled with ups and downs but with the right mindset they all have their own kind of beauty.
The issue is on newstands now but you can also see it in its entirety here. Worth a look when you have a little chunk of reading time and a good cup of tea.

Thread Reviews-Anna Torma

2011-12-28T05:28:00.000-08:00

Read my article on Hungarian born artist Anna Torma over here at Thread Reviews....

a sneak peak is a quote from a recent article on her work:

"The art, the art history and my life itself are not disconnected. My work is a tapestry and a mosaic of my life ... The story is my life and how it manifests on different pieces of fabric or in a drawing. The continuity of the process makes you happy. It really makes you happy to get up in the morning with a clear head, you can think what needs to be done because it's a meaningful activity for the day. That's exciting... You try to live your life richly - not get into trends or get caught up in the art world that can be restrictive at times - and the art comes from that life."

today...

2011-12-28T05:27:00.000-08:00

full of love.

2011-12-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

I hope your weekend and holiday, if you celebrate, was full of love and warmth. Ours was very mellow since we opted not to travel and be with family. But it was very nice and gave us all time to settle in even more into our new place and for me to get work done. I ended up applying for a few residencies as I would love to do one either this winter or spring, It is nice to get out of my own space at least once a year, and now with my studio in my house I think it will be even more beneficial. With the kiddo in tow there are not many to apply to but at the same time more then you would think. Small residencies are pretty accommodating and/or ones with private living quarters. I have been meaning to make a list of them for all you readers to use as a resource.

I also had a meeting and scheduled my first workshops here. They will happen in the Spring. I am looking forward to teaching to the new community here and getting involved with other teachers. But I am also very much looking forward to teaching my workshop in Brooklyn at the end of January.

Otherwise I worked, worked, worked. I got a ton of stitching done but now have run out of black thread so am on hold. I think I will need to make a thread run later today.

Until then I am working on a 2nd piece. There is always something to do.

letters, maps, and wreaths, oh my!

2011-12-27T06:22:00.000-08:00

I recently came to the work of artist Gina Dawson. She works with both paper and the stitch often being a little tongue and cheek but simultaneously creating a form of portrait.

Her work is quite conceptual and I always love conceptual with traditional medium. Disappointingly her website is a very simple blog that does not have very much info, enough pictures, or big enough pictures. Her work is really all about the details so it is frustrating to me as a online viewer to not really get any of the details. Medium is also generally not mentioned.

The first work I saw was her Hollywood map a highly detailed cross stitch map of Hollywood recording the spots where celebrities reside or have resided.

I found it to be clever and hilarious that she also stitched the receipts from Blockbuster that represent the movies she watched while working on the piece. It made me think of the awesome work by my friend Amanda Tiller.

She also did an art universe map, I would love to read all the names of the people at the center of the universe.

Her most recent work in stitch are the recreations of her "rejection letters" I always find it interesting when artists glean from these for their work. Orly Cogan did a series of pillows that dealt with rejection and Kate Kretz did a series on "Art World Truths" that has a similar resonance.

Orly Cogan

Kate Kretz

Gina inspired by the language of the rejection letters then went on to make her "Wreaths."

funeral wreaths with text pulled from my personal rejection letters. I created these pieces after stitching some of my rejection letters and becoming fascinated with the language used to let someone down. Both the funeral wreath and the rejection letter are objects of consolation that can't possibly make up for the loss. This work is still in progress.

I think the wreaths are made from paper and they look like they are pretty incredible in their detail and I would love to see detail shots of the wreaths and the selection of words on them. I was surprised to see how small they were, as I thought they were life size on first impression. I would be interested to see them in person and experience them on a small scale.

I like Gina's way of thinking a lot and would be curious as to what she is focused on now. Since she is Brooklyn based maybe I will have the chance to see her work in an exhibit someday. See more of her work here.

mystery, magic, and then loss.

2011-12-23T06:16:00.000-08:00

I had my first "I love having my studio in my house" moment last night. One of the many changes we made when we moved to our new house was get rid of cable- so we essentially have the basic, basic, basic channels. This was mainly done to curb my addiction to terrible Bravo reality shows and the desire and drool that occurs from watching HGTV. So anyway... I was in the mood for some tv and there was nothing on and I saw a show called The Woodmans, I thought hmm what could that be a documentary on "woods men?" So I switched to the channel and to my delight it was a documentary on the family and the life of the incredibly magical photographer Francesca Woodman.

If you do not know Francesca's work she made incredibly beautiful, surreal, and evocative images, mostly self portraits. I always felt that they were investigations of identity. But in truth it is somewhat unknown. She was working in the early 80's but her work still looks completely fresh and contemporary today.

If you look at much of today's fashion photographers or many photo majors work you can see that her work has permeated the photographic mind. Sadly she took her own life and all we are left with is her images.

This was written about her work:

These are psychological portraits: not the visual records of daily existence but episodes in which the expressive capability of the artist's imagination is intertwined with the richness and intimacy of her own life. Yes, we know, it takes a great effort to become an angel, and yet her pictures are still fluttering somewhere around our minds.

But in watching this documentary I of course started to think about my own work and when I turned the t.v off. I sat in my studio, looked around, touched things, rifled through some old drawings, some current photographs, wrote myself a note, and went to bed way too late. But I felt so lucky that after seeing the work of this amazing and unusual artist I got to walk right into my own studio and reflect.

Sorry to have written about 2 photographer in a row but obviously this is what my mind is open to this week and for all of us sometimes it is good to look at something different and out of our pattern. See more of Francesca's haunting and moving work here. You can see her work in person at the SFMOMA.

the magic of words...

2011-12-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

My sister sent me this link to the amazing account of mysterious paper sculptures being left in esteemed places that collect and preserve the art of writing. 10 sculptures slowly and mysteriously appeared as "gifts" to the institutions- all with magical little notes.

This ones note read:
For @scotstorycenter – A gift in support of libraries, books, works, ideas….. Once upon a time there was a book and in the book was a nest and in the nest was an egg and in the egg was a dragon and in the dragon was a story…..

Go here to read the article and see all the works of art and share in the magic. I promise it will make you smile.

strike!

2011-12-22T05:53:00.000-08:00

I am computered out!!! With all the me sending emails and questions to other folks for my research and me sending images and answers to them for their research, to applying for teaching positions, to corresponding about said teaching positions, to posting on this here blog, to normal email insanity. I am so sick of my computer, though I love it. SO I think for today this is it. I am going on a strike. OFF LINE.

Ok realistically this will last like one hour. But the above work by Jean Shin titled TEXTile and done in collaboration with the Fabric Workshop & Museum is awesome. Read about it here.

hey baby, can I be your guardian?

2011-12-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

I recently got reminded of the work by NYC artist Elana Adler. She was in an exhibit that I curated last year. The work I had known at the time was mostly from her You Are My Duchess series.

She describes the series:

This series of thirty-two samplers is intended to be provocative and evoke emotion. It is a contemporary feminist interpretation of women’s work and an objectification of my personal experience. Each captures a moment, giving these words a visual presence, a power, and a state of concreteness. These words were hurled casually and heard quickly but required hours of time-consuming, careful stitching.

The physically delicate, traditionally feminine, form of the piece engages the viewer and confronts him/ her with a sweetness that may mask its crassness and vulgarity.

You read one sampler. Perhaps you are amused, but as you continue reading and consider the body as an entire collection, the response changes. The inherent filth emerges. It is a beautification of an assault. Perhaps in the moment these statements are meant to compliment, but most don’t find vulgar, highly sexualized statements whispered or screamed at them by random strangers complimentary. Rather, they are an invasion of personal space.

The body of samplers is a contemporary and unexpected response to
unsolicited and unwanted attention. They reduce the complex emotional experience of being heckled by catcalls to a simple piece of women’s work.

As a woman who has lived in NYC for 5 years. I felt the work immediately- walking down 4th avenue in Brooklyn feels like you are walking a catwalk where the entire audience is crude and rude men. Elana's tender stitches and mass collection of "calls" puts the experience into a thoughtful context.

I am especially drawn to some recent pieces on her website where she combines fiber materials with hard materials.

In stuck a form is both attached and exuding from a traditional chair. Stuck in this space. An entire series of works in this vain of metaphor would be awesome.

In guardian she takes a hand knitted animal (perhaps a sheep) form and attaches it to a cast iron form resulting in an interesting sculpture of very different surfaces. Kind of like mixing your favorite childhood stuffed animal in with a knight in armor. (2 guardians)

Elana is a young artist and is still finding consistency in her work and voice but from remembering her personality and being reminded of her intelligent take on things I look forward to seeing what she does next.

so not fiber...

2011-12-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

So my previous post mentioned the influence of the work of Sally Mann on me as an artist- so I thought why not feature that work today? As most of you know my career as an artist started as a photographer so many of my personal references and inspirations come from this world. Right on top of this list is Sally Mann. As an artist who has always been inspired by the human form and a person who has always been comfortable with my own body an others her work was a perfect influence at an early artistic age.

In the 90's Mann came out with her book and body of work Immediate Family documenting and staging moments of her 3 children. The work includes a powerful and beautiful image of a nosebleed, her child's legs coated with Popsicle drips, her daughter hanging from a hayhook, smoking a candy cigarette, and so many more evocative and beyond beautiful images. Growing up and living in rural Virginia, Mann herself and her children roamed around in their idyllic environment naked and free. Sally turned her lens to show the tension of a child at moments of change, freedom, sexuality, danger, and uncertainty in a way no other artist has done.

Because of her incredible skill with the Zone system and a large format camera technically the images are perfect.

Some people found her work very offensive, even pornographic. I found it breathtakingly powerful and honest. Sally admits that some images are staged but for me this does not take away at all from the overall energy of the work and what she reveals about life and the moment of childhood through her children.

During the controversy of this work she never backed down and defended her work with incredible eloquence and grace. As a young artist this was incredibly influential to see an artist take such risks in her work and also walk through the fire of public attention so gracefully. She remains to be an incredible powerful and evocative photographer.

See more work here. OR see her feature on Art 21 here.

q and a.

2011-12-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

Just finishing answering some questions for someone researching me and thought I would share a little. They are the ones that I thought may say something a little different then previous interviews.

- Why is your subject important to you? I work autobiographically and my relationships are my everyday, they are what sustain me, inspire me, challenge me, build me up, and break me down. I also want to make work about something that everyone can relate to and everyone has relationships or desires towards one.

- What are the inspirations behind your work? my daily life, the beauty of everyday life, the beauty found in imperfection

- What artists have influenced you? Sally Mann, the photographer, was very influential to me early on as an artist. She made very powerful work about her children, Immediate Family, and it was very personal and raw. She received a lot of criticism about the work and the sexuality expressed by her children but she stood up for the honesty in her work and acknowledged the reality of childrens behaviors and how they mimic us. I was always inspired by the risk that she took and her courage in standing up for it.
Tracy Emin for how personal her work is - to take such incredible personal content but make it affect and relate to us all is amazing.
Lousie Bourgeois for so many reasons I cannot count.

- How do you develop your ideas? I am kind of always thinking about what is next but generally an idea comes to me and I spend a lot of time thinking about it, writing about it, visualizing it, and if it stays around long enough it gets made. I generally think of my work either in series or for a specific exhibit or space so this informs the process a lot. The work take so long to make that while I am making one body of work I am thinking about what is next?

- How do you display finished pieces? it varies but generally pinned on the wall. I do not like showing my work stretched or behind glass. By stretching the fabric is loses its sense of flow and gravity it stops "being" fabric. And as soon as you put a piece like mine behind glass it feels like an artifact. My work is very much about the present moment and not about memory so keeping it away from the box and glass helps the viewer to come at it this way. Often their is an aspect of installation as well...I like to have something that places the object in the home more then the white box of the gallery- like a lamp, or chair, or table. I like to take the viewer a little out of "Gallery" viewing mode and enter the work more personally.

OKAY!!!! BACK TO stiching.

process taking over....

2011-12-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

In research for something else I came to the work of NYC artist Elisa D'Arrigo and am super intrigued. She makes gorgeous, often large, sewn structures. In one moment they are a drawing and in another a structural space, and in the next a 3 dimensional map.

Her work deals with ideas of memory, layering, but most importantly process. According to her she starts with some type of memory but the process of making takes over and guides her work towards whatever it becomes. One piece may take months or years to complete.

She selected these quotes from solo shows of hers to talk about her work.

The most important reading finds the artist's desire for extendability- the sense that any given work could continue the gesture of its making, that the composition could extend indefinitely into space, that the light might continue and spread.

-By Stephen Westfall, excerpted from a brochure essay accompanying 2007 exhibition at Elizabeth Harris Gallery.

In her need to find a voice for the silent workings of nature, its slow movement across time, the artist has authored a process rather than a completion of form. Her ever-growing configuration begins small but ends up by being large, in all the meanings of the adjective.

-By Jonathan Goodman, excerpted from a catalogue essay accompanying a 2003 exhibition at the Elizabeth Harris Gallery.

I would love to see her work in person and am hoping that I will get that opportunity in my research. Much of her work is large scale so that can never be properly experience on line.
See more of her work here.

canceled distinctions

2011-12-20T06:38:00.000-08:00

I feel like there is just so many amazing and exciting things being done in "fiber" I just cannot keep up. This varies from fiber artists doing more and more exciting and unexpected things to more traditional "fine artists" choosing to make works or series with fiber materials. To the point that even making those distinctions are needing to be canceled more and more. In an article that I am working on I will discuss this further which makes me excited as it gives me an excuse to research it further, talk about it further, and think about it more.

A great example of this is a recent article on Joanna Mattera's blog. Joanna writes very thoughtful and academic posts on being an artist. She always thoroughly covers the art fairs that she attends. She is currently writing on Miami. Her most recent post was on a trend of "black" objects that she saw. But as I scrolled down the post I was astounded, inspired, and excited by how many of these pieces are incorporating fiber from embroidery to weaving to stretched vinyl (actually kind of a lot of vinyl.) Most of these artists are approaching fiber in a VERY contemporary way but to me it is all exciting.

Have you seen this trend of fiber in mainstream galleries? Do you love seeing your work hanging next to paintings and drawings or prefer it not?

Both images above from Joanna's blog.

in house...

2011-12-19T06:09:00.000-08:00

I am loving having my studio in the house already. I actually got work done over the weekend!! Whenever I was sitting and resting I would pull my frame over to work. (FYI about 30 minutes to and hour per letter what am I thinking???)
But really with a kiddo this is so much better as when T takes forever to eat lunch or take a bath or whatever, I can just go get my work and stitch while we hang out.
I am delighted by this as I really need to up my productivity to get all the work I need to get done.

As we settle in here I am excited about all the possibilities for teaching and fingers crossed some of them will turn out well for me. Also looking forward to a few coffee dates with local artists. Slowly this place will feel more and more like home.

Woven Stories....

2011-12-19T05:43:00.000-08:00

Go Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh, NY!! You may remember that I had some work in a recent exhibit here and the reason that I had some work was another stitching friend of mine had exhibited there before and recommended me and now they have an entire exhibit of woven works.

I am not sure if it is simply that they are on my radar now or if they have opened more to exhibiting all the fab fiber work out there but either way this is something I like to see. Galleries that recognize the exciting and relevant work being made by artists working in textiles. I prefer shows that are more conceptually curated or that combine textile works with more traditionally accepted fine art mediums and Ann Street has done both. So for all of us textile loving and working artist this is one gallery to keep on the radar.

Their current show Woven Stories: Contemporary Tapestries, features hand-woven works.

The artistry of tapestry weaving in a long and continuous one, ancient tapestry specimens can be found in the works of ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Peruvians, early European, and Native Americans. Even in our age of a twenty first century world dominated by technology, this ancient art form is thriving and just as relevant today as in past millenniums.

In Woven Stories, contemporary artist-weavers approaches to the medium are highlighted, and we see a broad range of works, each rich in imagery. Viewers will see weavings that convey challenging messages, explorations of space and form, painterly abstractions, landscapes, and portraits. These diverse tapestries also range in size, from large scale hangings to smaller sized works, three dimensional and mixed media pieces. As a group, the work is thought-provoking with each artist using their own unique visual language to address modern day issues such as gender, politics, and the environment. While the exhibition Woven Stories is only a snapshot view of current tapestry weavings, our aim in showcasing these works is to promote public awareness of the art of tapestry. We hope this exhibition encourages further interest in the medium, while raising the profile of tapestry as a mainstream art form.

Artist featured in the exhibition are: Kate Anderson, Janet Austin. George-Ann Bowers, Barbara Burns, Betty Ferguson, Louise Halsey, Susan Iverson, Tari Kerss, Mary Kester, Lialia KuchmaSusan McGehee, Margo MacDonald, Pavlos Mayakis, John Paul Morabito, Sue Pretty, Erin M. Riley, Sarah Salin, Cameron Taylor-Brown, Betty Vera, Linda Wallace, Sherri Woodard Coffey, and Marzena Ziejka.

The exhibition is on view through Saturday, January 28, 2012. The exhibition was curated by Virginia Walsh, Director of the Ann Street Gallery.

I was delighted to see so many names that I know and love and have chosen to exhibit as a curator myself. Sadly the website made the images of the works difficult to identify to I cannot confidently credit the works to the individual artists. See more of the show here.

The needleworking community loses a legend.

2011-12-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

Read the New York Times obituary of Erica Wilson the "Julia Child's" of needlework. She brought needlepoint and cross stitch back to the masses in the 50's. Where would we be now if she had not? Who knows.

beautiful light.

2011-12-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

Taking shots of the beautiful light instead of getting to work. Feeling a little tired and under motivated today. Really wanting a long bath and a little nap. (holiday party last night.) So I am trying to get inspired- especially since, like a manic person, I took on a 3rd solo show for 2012 yesterday.
What am I thinking?

Oh well. The thing as an artist is that you kind of feel like you need to take opportunities as they come because you never know where they will lead and what might come of them. So as long as it is a GOOD opportunity I have a hard time saying no. Really I just want to get my work out there and share it with my audience and hopefully get some of it to live in collectors homes. So one more reason my fingers need to be stitching....like I needed another.

kicking myself...

2011-12-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

I wish that I had known about the current show at Jenkins Johnson Gallery when I was in Chelsea a few weeks ago. Full Fathom Five seems like a very well edited and curated exhibit of abstract works that appear to all be unplanned works. It seems to me that all of the artist work in ways were their medium or their minds pull the work towards whatever end it becomes. Meaning they do not start with an overly specific plan or vision. This is especially of interest to me as I am working on an article about embroiderers that work this way.

The exhibit showcases artists working in many mediums including the gorgeous embroideries of Takashi Iwasaki. You might recognize the works of Takashi as he has been exhibited and published a lot lately which is no surprise as his work is a colorful, fantastic world of organic shapes and constructions. I exhibited with him a few years ago myself.

His work is actually in concept very similar to a painter friend of mine. Recording his daily life with symbols and shapes. To us the result is an abstract work but to him a very personal journal.

His recent statement says:

Most of my recent works (after 2009) are either visual recording of my daily life or visualization of my imaginary worlds or landscapes that no one would see unless otherwise depicted; whereas my earlier works have been mostly focused on their formal qualities.

Those recent works may appear to be abstract on the surface, however, most shapes and colors have meanings and origins that are very significant to me in the way I feel them, therefore they are very representational and are reflection of my state of mind.

Things that I feel are never the same in the next moment because I keep changing. Capturing moments and sharing my visions with others have been my recent obsession and pleasure.

I am kicking myself that I missed the opportunity to see the work in person. But if you are in the city you have until the 23rd.

I also think the work of Nina Bovasso seems quite interesting...

and the work of Mairin Hartt quite beautiful.

Unfortunately the link to the press release is not working as I would love to have learned more about the curators vision for the show. But you can see all the work images and installation shots here.

stitches and thread in Chelsea...

2011-12-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

this image found here.

You only have until Saturday to see the current exhibit at Lyons Wier which features the thread drawings of Laura Ortiz Vega and the embroideries of Cayce Zavaglia. I of course went to see Cayce's work as it is always worth the trip to Chelsea but I totally was happy to have seen the colorful work of Laura.

Cayce's work was intimately tucked into their small back gallery while Laura's work was in the front space. Laura's work pops off the walls with its color and attention to detail.

Her press release states:

“Cosmograffiti”, Laura Ortiz Vega’s first solo exhibition with Lyons Wier Gallery, fuses traditional Mexican artisanal techniques with contemporary graffiti imagery, creating bold, rich landscapes that entice the eye. Vega appropriates the threading techniques of the Huichol Indians, “painting” her surfaces with colorful threads glued with natural bees wax called cera de Campeche. Laura Ortiz Vega’s process begins with her photographic studies of different graffiti she encounters on her native city streets of Mexico City.

However, Vega does not simply present a reproduction of the original graffiti. Through her own aesthetic filter, she has developed a visual mechanism of inversion, whereby the environmental content of the original source material is recontextualized, giving the viewer a more intimate experience, transforming their encounter from an aggressive, bodily and masculine experience into a more delicate, manual and feminine one. Its immediacy has been suspended, its simplicity transformed into the elaborate, releasing the original message into a new, more obscure and abstract one.

Scale and technique also plays a fundamental role in Vega’s work, providing a discourse related with the marginal, with a culture that may not be considered mainstream or high art, but that possesses formal and conceptual values that are well defined and identifiable.

The work is very beautiful and pulls you in, much like Cayce's does, and invites you to stay there lost in the colors and technique. Then you pull away and experience the content. So worth the trip if you can make it.

Some more awesome stitching inspired by graffiti.

reminder

2011-12-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to all of you wonderful Boston area readers that have reached out to me. I would LOVE to have tea or studio visits with folks as I want to meet like minded creative folk but I cannot do that if I cannot get in touch with you so please leave your contact info in the contacts or email me directly at joettamaue (at) gmail com.

BTW the wonderful work above is stitched fabric by Frances Trombly.

life as an artist?

2011-12-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

So I finally got to work, like really work in my studio yesterday. Life is settled enough that I can ignore most of what I need to do in my house and such until the weekend so that I can dive into work each day a little bit. I have mostly been working on this piece as it is small and portable so in the past few weeks was about the only thing I could manage.

But yesterday I started on 2 new text pieces for my TAC solo show and this weekend will be taking some images to get the 2 larger pieces drawn out soon. I am really excited about this turn for the work and am looking forward to mostly working with black and white something I have never done in my stitching. That color palette really works for the energy of the exhibit so hopefully I like it. (no worries also working on Sleepers but this show is a little further away so less my focus.)

It was interesting one of my long time readers mentioned that she lived in the area and said I'm a mama to THREE and I still make art! If people ask me what I do - first thing - I'm an artist. this immediately made me think of the moment last week when I signed up for a local moms group thing so that I could maybe meet mama's in the area and they asked for a little bio so I wrote:
I am a full time artist and mama to my son. I make.....
and then after reading through a few of the other mothers bio's I realized that they all introduced themselves in relationship to their child first. I thought it was funny as when I saw bio I introduced myself as what I am, separate from T.
and
this weekend I had coffee in Manhattan with the amazing artist Jane, who was visiting the city for the week, and we talked about how we never are not artists, we never can turn our brain off, we never have a day without thinking about our practice, we will never retire, and we will always be an artist first. So really that ramble was just to say that it is such an intersting and weird ride in life to be an artist but such a wonderful one.

time to be lost.

2011-12-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

I took these shots of my Brooklyn studio this weekend when I emptied out the last bit of contents. Even looking at them makes my heart go a little pitter pat. Ahhhh. Bittersweet. I really wish I was getting to work in my new studio, it looks great and is all set up but all the little things of moving and getting settled has been taking most of my time.
I am stitching a little each day but not enough considering all the exhibits that I have coming up in the next year.

But driving home from NYC listening to a great jazz station was a little mind blowing for me this Sunday. I so rarely get such a long time lost in my thoughts anymore, it is easy to forget how essential this is to an artist. Anyway I have been trying to work out my solo show at the TAC this spring...I knew I wanted to make work about the home, but then C and I were going through so much difficulty it felt more like our "home" was falling apart, so then I thought maybe that is what I should make work about, those moments when everything is falling down around you, and I kept visualizing it but never felt totally compelled and then... I had 4 hours in the car alone with myself. I feel like I might almost have it so I want to get started as there will be 2 larger pieces that will take quite awhile and then a number of other pieces. Ack ... but I think it could be a powerful grouping, we will see....

2011-12-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

work of current resident Kate Minford.

Check out my article and review on the most recent group of Textile Arts Center Artists in residence. I visited them as a visiting mentor 2 weeks ago. Read more here.

a warm cozy winter....

2011-12-14T06:06:00.000-08:00

Just to celebrate all things fiber go over to Magda's blog of Knitta Please to see the awesome work she did for gap. GO fiber folks!!!

home sweet home?

2011-12-13T06:20:00.001-08:00

by Connie G

The fabulous and talented Ellen Schinderman of Schindermania is curating an exhibit out on the west coast of all things fabulous, fiber and "homey:"

Home – a place of safety or danger?

A haven, a place full of shame, where you want to be, a room full of old routines and identities… anywhere you hang your hat? How does the word Home resonate for you?

Home is Where the Needle Marks, at the Pop tART Gallery in Los Angeles, will explore the concept of home and all that the word connotes, highlighting the contrast of contemporary artists using stitch vs. the preconceived notion of “home sweet home.”

We ask artists to submit works that deal with the idea of home. Feel free to interpret this theme widely. All types of stitched work are welcome for submission: knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlepoint, cross-stitch, quilting, appliqué… if it’s stitched, please feel free to submit.

Please note we are looking for contemporary interpretations of theme and medium.

Exhibition dates:

June 2 –July 14, 2012

Get all the details here.

Future of the City

2011-12-13T06:02:00.001-08:00

Future of the city is a competition where Mario Lombardo asked 8 textile designers/artists around the world: “What should the surface of a city look like?”

From Sheila Pepe's proposal.

Our cities are still defined by urban structures established many centuries ago, sometimes dating back to Roman times, more often shaped in the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. However, our world is changing rapidly. Surfaces are always the result of the underlying principles. Are the solutions of the past still viable today, especially in face of technological advances of post-modern societies such as the internet?

Nathan says this: I love the idea of walking and driving around on the streets of New York, with an entire world beneath us. Manhole covers always seem like a portal to the underworld of New York- something hidden, something mysterious, the connection between the past and the present.

Amongst these artists are big name folks like Sheila Pepe and my personal friends Crystal Gregory and Nathan Vincent.

Crystal says this: Each design lives in visual harmony while questioning differences and social associations with material and place.

I can truly say that my 2 favorite ideas are Crystal and Nathan's. Mainly because they are unique and fresh interpretation of fibers in our environment. They offer something different and even more minimal and I would love to see them be the 2 that make it to the end. SO go look, read through the answers and vote. Voting ends this Friday. I cast mine.

Fiber Futures in the city.

2011-12-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was back in NYC to teach a workshop at the Japan Society, Nature's Inspiration: Embroidery Workshop, as part of the events supporting their current exhibit Fiber Futures.
It was a great workshop with a great group of ladies. We used nature as our inspiration to come up with interesting and cool works of embroidery. I will be teaching again in late January at the Textile Arts Center.

If you have not seen Fiber Futures you should. It is a lovely exhibit to walk through and see the vast array of mediums and techniques.

You were not allowed to take images in the gallery so these images are all pulled from their website but gives you a sense of the style of work- mostly more minimalist.

The press release states:

Fiber Futures: Japan's Textile Pioneers showcases the dynamic field of Japanese fiber art. Organized as a juried show jointly presented by Japan Society and International Textile Network Japan in collaboration with Tama University Art Museum, the works on display range from ethereal silk and hemp to paper pulp and synthetic fiber using methods that are sometimes deeply traditional, but sometimes employ the latest weaving and dyeing technology along with an environmentally conscious "green" ethos. Moving far beyond traditional utility, Japan's textile pioneers fuse past and present to create innovative, beautiful and sometimes challenging works of art.

I was a little disappointed with the installation as I had built my idea of the work up based on the images online and since the gallery has lower ceilings and is a series of small rooms I felt a number of the work felt like they needed more physical space to really be experienced to their best.
I also noticed some strange installation things, lack of attention to detail. This may have been due to the artist or the gallery but with such minimal and beautifully hand worked pieces of art every detail really needed to be perfect.

The show is only up until the end of the week and is very worth seeing. They also have a beautiful catalogue available.

studio? check!

2011-12-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

One commenter on my post yesterday asked and hoped about my studio situation. Indeed I have a studio and I spent all day yesterday getting it mostly settled. The different thing is that it is in my home. I have had a studio outside of the house for over 8 years now and generally that is how I like it. I can look at my studio time as my job- go 10-6 and work.

But with the change in my life that motherhood has brought, the reality is that I am no longer totally in charge of my schedule and sometimes I can get more done in the morning while my son is watching Sesame Street or in the evening when he is with daddy or asleep. I have been managing to get to my studio ok, but as T gets older he also gets more specific needs for entertainment, toys, nap, etc....

I had played with the idea of moving my studio while still in Brooklyn but we simply did not have the space or lay out that was conducive to this. So when all the change that came along with moving occurred I decided that I wanted to try it. So we specifically looked for a space that could support me having a room for a studio and we scored. The space is perfect for me to work in and have a lovely studio. It is a huge change and we will see how well it works out. But the space itself is great and I am looking forward to getting to stitching today, as soon as t goes to nap.

The other reason that I did not want to rush into a studio space is that I did do that when I moved to NYC and I ended up in a studio situation that was very hostile and did not fit my needs as an artist at all. So I actually ended up moving my studio 3 times in one year. ACH! So this way I can really get to know the art scene here, find the buildings with serious artists and good spaces, and if I decide I do want one get it. So we well see, though I am hoping having it in my house for a little, while T is young, works. Miriam Shapiro moved her studio into her dining room while her children were young. If Miriam can do it so can I.

I am sad to leave my studio in Brooklyn behind as any of you that read this blog knows I loved my studio, it was a gem. I never imagined having such a beautiful space and community in NY as I did. (actually my studio mate is looking for someone to replace me if any one is interested.) But I am equally excited about this new space. Fingers crossed.

Where is your studio? What do you prefer working at home or elsewhere.

Note there is one more area to my studio that is the working walls. This will be were I hang and photograph my work, but it still needs some work.

Future Heirlooms-Jennifer Boe

2011-12-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

Read my interview with the wonderfully dry and funny Jennifer Boe. I love how her writing and her sense of humor us much like her work. Smart but as she say "tongue and cheek. I feel like we would get on just fine in person.

drum roll...

2011-12-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

Finally I am ready to say it-----

I have moved from the Big Apple...

to bean town.

Recently one reader said "did you say where you were moving?" and I had not. Partially as I may not have wanted to admit what was happening, partially because it happened so fast that I had yet had time to process it myself, and mainly because I do not want it to affect how people look at me as an artist.
All "kind of" valid reasons.

*not wanting to admit what was happening- I have loved living in Brooklyn and since I have been married it is the longest place we have lived. I built an incredible community of friends and artists in Brooklyn to support and inspire me and am SO sad to leave them.
But maybe the hardest thing to admit to myself was that I am just not a "new yorker." I may love it and I may be SO grateful to have lived there for the 5 years that I did but I also love nature, swimming in lakes, having a porch, having space to be away from my husband in my own house, not having things fall down on me in my apt, not having a 5 minute drive become the most stressful event of my day, the lists goes on.
The truth is that NYC is an AMAZING place to live but it is also a hard place to live, you have everything at your fingertips, but at the same you don't. The stress and energy of the city was very hard on my marriage and very hard on our finances and very hard on me having balance as a human being. So though as an artist I really wanted to be there- I needed to remember that I am not only an artist but I am also a person, a wife, a mama, a yogi, and a Midwestern girl.
*it happened so fast that I had no time to process it myself- My husband pointed out that from the day he got called for his interview and the day we moved it had only been 5 weeks. WOW. We went from having a life that was very settled to a sudden whirlwind of change. For me this was hard for multiple reasons; one being that I had a number of classes, workshops, and commitments lined up so I had to figure out how to either detract myself from them or push the dates so that I could do them or decide that I would come back to the city to fulfill the commitment. I also had a very settled life, routine, and community that I all of a sudden was leaving.

Funnily the first time we moved to Boston (10 years ago) was the same. We had a totally settled happy life and within less than 6 weeks we were no longer in Ohio but Boston. And though that first time we moved it was a VERY hard adjustment from the safe familiar womb of the Midwest to the totally different world of the North East by the time we left the area, for me to attend Graduate School, it truly felt like home. And there has always been a part of me that knew we would end up back here.

*I do not want it to affect how people look at me as an artist.- the big one. I told a friend of mine that if I was not an artist there would be NO reservations attached to this move. But I am an artist so there is. I had it pounded in my head, as so many artists do, that you HAVE to be in NYC to have a career that matters and I bought into it. But I am not sure that I do anymore. I do think it is GREATLY beneficial to have lived in NYC at some point, to have connections in NYC, and to visit often so that you can know what is going on and happening. BUT in the day and age of the Internet your really do not have to live there. You can see most of the shows online, you can do all your communication with galleries, studios, and media on line or phone, and none of my favorite artists (except ms. LB lived their lives there.)
So... I started to see that most of the artists that truly inspire me live elsewhere and maybe that is because of the type of art that I make and love. I love personal work, about the everyday and that is not specific to any place. So maybe this will affect my career, and maybe that will even be in a good way. I am hoping that....
-teaching opportunities on a college level will be more accessible to me. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to do some adjunct teaching.
-Grants will be more accessible as I am not competing against all the artists of the biggest city in the country.
-I will still be teaching in NYC regularly and participating in the Fiber Collective that I began.
-And mostly my time will be less strained and stressed and maybe I can find a bit more focus and balance.

S00000, all in all this has been a crazy last 6 weeks. I am still reeling from it all but I know in my heart that this is better for us. My blood pressure is lower, my space is calmer, and my husband is much happier. So send good vibes my way please and please oh please if any of you readers out there are in the Boston area get in touch I need some cool people in my life, mama and/or artists especially

All I know is awesome.

2011-12-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

yawn.

2011-12-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

I am exhausted. But our new home has most of the rooms painted, the pain in the butt but awesome bookshelves hung, the lights cleaned, the kitchen and bathroom mostly scrubbed, and 75% of the boxes unpacked.
I feel like soon I can breathe again. But once I do I have all the crazy of what has been neglected to get caught up with like... an 8 page feature to write, a one page feature to write, 2 shows to make work for, one show to ship a huge work to, 2 neglected interviews to answer, 2 workshops to plan, and a new venture into embroidered skirts to think about, and so much more. ACK. So fingers crossed that tomorrow I can focus on the studio and get it all set so that some of these things can start to happen.

Until then bare with me I swear my fingers will get stitching soon.

more inspiration

2011-12-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

The very cool work of Anna Torma. See more here.

"embroidered secrets"

2011-12-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

Loved seeing this article on the amazing work of the Italian born artist, Maurizio Anzeri.

I like his work on vintage photographs much more then the contemporary- for me he responds to them in a much more emotional and therefore powerful way. Read the article here and be inspired.

normalcy?

2011-12-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

I feel like the woman in the front and would like to feel like the lady in back.
Why did no one remind me how much a PAIN it is to move? We have gotten so much done but have SO much still to do. I just want to get settled so I can get back to work.

The reality is I have 2 solo shows and very little work for them done. EEK.
So the mission this week is to get as settled as possible so that the studio can be UP and running next week.

So most likely this week will mostly be links to awesome things instead of my own take on awesome things. But hey either way you get to see awesome things right?
Fingers and toes crossed a sense of normalcy will return next week....

do you bump?

2011-11-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

I am not normally one to post on this type of work but I will admit I love me some pop culture and good old fashioned "bad" tv--- and since we have decided to only get basic, basic, basic cable at our new place I am in mourning of all my terribly tv shows.

So the embroideries of Katie Beary are hitting the spot see more here.

What Box?

2011-11-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

Delighted to have a work accepted into...

Outside/Inside the Box
Part of Fiber Philadelphia

"Outside/Inside the Box showcases innovative fiber/textile art that transcends disciplines and combines historic concepts with contemporary perspectives. This juried exhibition represents 68 artists working in media with fiber/textile reference. 516 artists from 15 countries applied with 1,316 pieces of work. Countries represented are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Sweden,Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States."

See all the details and a full list of accepted artists here.

chaos, boxes, and piles.

2011-11-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

Just a little note...this is just a little sample of my current state. We are in the process of moving.
Out house is a mess, my studio is chaos, my hair has not been brushed, and it was just Thanksgiving.
Needless to say - I am not in the blog mind this week but please send positive vibes to the insanity of moving with a toddler, 2 cats, and a husband that gets REALLY grumpy when we move.

I cannot wait to show you how my new studio takes form, my work once I get back to it, hopefully by the end of next week, and reviews of ALL the shows I saw last week on my whirlwind day of art seeing. Until then....

thankful.

2011-11-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

“Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it’s important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. We need to literally 'count our blessings,' give thanks for them, allow ourselves to enjoy them, and relish the experience of prosperity we already have.”
― Shakti Gawain

Thank you for being part of this little community. My heart is filled with abundance and gratitude.
Happy Thanksgiving.

lights, camera, action

2011-11-22T05:43:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Kecia Coles from Bric Arts Media came into my studio to interview me for a feature on Neighborhood Beat. It was so much fun her and her grew were very nice, totally professional, and gracious.

They were in my studio for about 3 hours and took a ton of b-roll. Which from my previous tv interviews I always love. Film of my stuff and my hands at work. She will be editing it to show in January. I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I will be sure to share the link with you of course.

This week I have family in town so am busy watching my son get spoiled with love. Good Stuff.

beads and patterns oh my!

2011-11-22T05:27:00.000-08:00

Recently while I was perusing the website of Lyons Wier Gallery I came across the work of Jan Hulig and though her work does not utilize fabric in a direct way- you can see through her patterning and use of color that she looks at it as an inspiration regularly.

Her works are 3 dimensional mixed media works using glass beads to cover and "decorate" the objects with patterns and colors that reference her world travels and the play and fantasy of childhood.

They are gorgeous, meticulously crafted, and oh so joyful.

Her recent press release stated:

Neither sketched nor planned, Huling's three-dimensional works draw
inspiration from her travels to India and Mexico, as well as imagined, playful
scenes reminiscent of childhood fairy tales and fantasies. Huling's work is
approachable yet evocative, incorporating spiritual iconography alongside
humorous artifacts of contemporary popular culture. The armatures for
Huling's sculptures are an unpredictable mix of forms ranging from Kewpie
and Munny dolls to birds and tiny life-sized insects. This exploration of
shape and scale adds to the whimsical charm of her work.

In addition to seed beads, Huling's colorful sculptures incorporate a variety
of found objects, such as buttons, coins, tokens and costume jewelry.
Huling's slow and meticulous beading process, the intricacy of her swirling,
hypnotic patterns, and the spontaneous manner with which Huling
approaches each new project results in sculpture that is both delicate
and alluring to touch.

Blythe.
Little pony

See more here.

wanting to get inspired...

2011-11-17T06:23:00.000-08:00

Scott Andresen

Lots of fiber fabulous exhibits in Chelsea this week. I have yet to see them as they just opened this week and with the holidays am keeping my fingers crossed that I will make it at all but...

At Kathryn Markel Gallery
Uncommon Threads:A Survey of Contemporary Quilts

November 17 - December 17, 2011

Eliza Fernand

Did you know that there is a gallery in Chelsea that specifically focuses on quilts? Who knew?
The Art Quilt Gallery at 133 West 25th Street has:

Daphne Taylor
Paula Nadelstern
Material Witnesses: New Work from the Manhattan Quilters Guild

November 15 – January 7

Ludmila Aristova, Teresa Barkley, Benedicte Caneill, Beth Carney, Randy Frost, Iris Gowen, Luke Haynes, Tatiana Ivina, Katherine Knauer, Emiko Toda Loeb, Ruth Marchese, Paula Nadelstern. Elizabeth Poole, Jeri Riggs, Diana Goulston Robinson, Robin Schwalb, Arlé Sklar-Weinstein, Daphne Taylor. Melanie Testa, Ludmila Uspenskaya, Erin Wilson, Adrienne Yorinks

Get yourself some embroidery at Lyons Wier with the amazing work of Cayce Zavaglia:

Multiple Stitches

Exhibition Dates: Nov 17 - Dec 17, 2011

If you are in Brooklyn stop by the A.I.R Gallery in Dumbo to see some work by embroiderer Jan Johnson:

I did not provide the cup

November 2 - November 26, 2011

and if you want to head uptown DO NOT MISS Fiber Futures at the Japan Society:

Fiber Futures: Japan's Textile Pioneers

Friday, September 16 — Sunday, December 18

You can see a video of the exhibit here.

Wow that is a whirlwind of work to see. I hope I get to see it all....

"Redefintiion"

2011-11-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

How have I never seen the work of Matthew Cox, perhaps because he just started to work with the stitch? But I know I like what I see. (thanks to the reader that emailed me his link.)

Matthew's current work is combining stitching with x rays.

Sometime he goes for the obvious but I prefer the more conceptually thought out and pushed works. But since this is a new direction for him I am sure it will end up developing very interestingly.

He says this about his work:

Redefinition motivates me to create my embroidered x-rays. The stark clash of two such divergent materials, cloth and plastic, is the simple catalyst. One tactile and labor intensive, the other technical, and quickly a finished product. There’s a wide historical context, one ancient, decorative, and artisanal, the other contemporary and devoid of aesthetic intention. By simply placing one of these materials on top of the other the understood purpose of each is redefined.
For me, stitching has a nurturing aspect and acts as care giving or healing to the injured, a socially feminine sort of action, while the x-ray itself can be considered masculine and unemotional. Finally, my own recognition of what is beautiful [these separately became appealing to me at about the same time]. As an artist who takes on tedious, labor-intensive projects, I am also reacting to the ever-increasing presence of photography in contemporary art – by introducing the process of labor over the quick, slickness of film.

And no one can say he is not prolific as for only doing this particular process for the past year he has a ton of work to show for it. See more here.

Ok WHY is my blogger page blue while posting? IT sucks and I can barely read it as my eyes are being blinded.

the human form.

2011-11-16T06:13:00.000-08:00

I finally got to see the images of my work at the exhibit Human Form installed at the Ann Street Gallery. They were a wonderful gallery to work with and it appears they put on a lovely show with a great turn out for their opening.

This is the best detail of the hair I have seen yet.

I love seeing my work with more traditional mediums such as drawing and painting and wish that would happen more often. I also love the detail shots they took.

waking with you... was installed in a way that I was surprised by. I expected it to be raised up and was surprised to see it on the floor and am not so sure my feelings about that. But I love how the bed is a little unmade at the top.

How does it look to you? See the entire exhibit here and some more details of my work.

ack, crazy, stress, studio, and tv...

2011-11-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

I swear I have not fallen off the face of the earth I am just insane with stuff. It has been a change filled, stress filled, busy schedule filled, last month or so and I feel frustrated as many things in my life are getting neglected: my house, my body, my nutrition, my work, and this here little blog. But I am hopeful that life will come back into a rhythm soon.
Until then please be patient with this little blog here and me and my lack of attention to it.

I did get lucky enough to spend a few hours in the studio yesterday and actually work, I am looking forward to teaching at the textile arts center tomorrow, we will be embroidering "alternative materials," and Thursday morning I will be filmed and interviewed for a feature on the Bric Arts television show Neighborhood Beat. I look forward to seeing how it turns out and will end up with a link to share with all of you. So even amongst the crazy there is much good.

The top image is of my most recent work for the Sleepers series. I am trying to decide what I think about the bright red sheet... I am wondering if it should be a darker color?

I will eventually update you on all the crazyness of life at some point just not yet.

friend me!

2011-11-11T09:11:00.001-08:00

I wish I could see this show in Chicago at Packer-Schopf Gallery. I love Kathy Halper's work and was delighted to have exhibited her as part of the exhibit Play here in Brooklyn.

The press release states this :

Halper's series of embroidered drawings explore teenagers in their private world. The world now available to all online. The images in this series began as Facebook photos of teens engaged in typical yet sometimes disturbing explorations of sex, alcohol, drugs and celebration. She then randomly paired them with comments found on various networking sites. It is this duality of the past and present, innocence and loss of innocence, privacy and the demise of privacy that fascinates and drives Halper to continue exploring this subject.

You can see all the work here.
And their will be a 2nd reception this Sunday:

	November 20 · 2:00pm - 5:00pm

teach, trudge, stitch.

2011-11-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

So the last post was actually meant to go up yesterday but I forgot to actually post it. So I have already taught and taken the train to Boston. The class I am teaching is so much fun it is the Push inspired class at the Textile Arts Center and it is an awesome group of students and since we do a different technique every week it has been super fun for me. 2 more weeks so I am excited to see what they come up with next. Next week we will work with alternative materials...fun.

I am working on the applique of this piece in the studio and was able to fit in a few hours this week before I headed out of town. Trudging along.
And I brought my house plant piece to work on. I got all the "stems" done and have moved on to the leaves now. I am really enjoying doing the piece and in the end think the collection of houseplant images will turn out beautiful.

lacey and lovely

2011-11-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is a fast post as I am off to teach in a few minutes and then catch a train to Boston. So....
This is the work of Canadian artist Lizz Aston. I love her combination of materials, especially porcelain with fibers...

She makes sculptural work with or that reference fiber materials and I love it all.

It has a simplicity that I appreciate.

She also has a rarely posted on but great blog that features shows and artists.
See more work here.

live stream me.

2011-11-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Watch live streaming video from etsy at livestream.com

Watch the live stream demo of me yesterday at etsy. The filming is not the most ideal as they really needed a macro lens to get close enough to my hands for anyone to see what I was doing well. And they do it all in one take so I had no idea what the camera guy was doing and he had no idea what I was going to do. But it gives you a few of my tips and a basic intro to the 2 stitches that I taught.

crafty night.

2011-11-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

my demo table and the awesome supplies table which was totally depleted by the end.

Yesterday was so much fun. I led the Etsy Craft Night. Though craft "night" is a bit of misnomer I was there from 2:45-8 pm! We did a live filming of the demo and then I did a demo for the arriving crafters every hour on the hour for the next 4 hours... Whew, I am exhausted just being reminded.

some photos of me and students at the demo table over the course of the night.

But it was so much fun to teach SO many people and have their energy and excitement for the project shared. Their were LOTS of people though I am not sure how many still but it varied from novices, first time craft night folks, regular stitchers, a baby, and even a few men stitchers, yay. It was a wonderful reminder of why I love to teach and share the creative process.

We made "gratitude samplers" and people really brought their "gratitude" filled hearts to the table.

I love the first one of us all looking down working.

The craft night space also has an awesome photo booth where I played with Julie the craft night planner extraordinaire and Claire one of etsy's awesome interns (formally one of the Textile Arts Center's awesome interns.)

and then I played around with Luke Haynes who was at the event to share and sell the push book, notice his gorgeous quilt in the background of many of the photos.

some other crafters sharing there finished work.

All in all fun. But I still need nap.
We had a few ladies that were full of...

and much like me, someone else was thankful for home...

and of course of few folks that were there to make us all thankful for the fun....

and as always...

to be able to teach and share my love for stitching with all of you.

updates and hectic.

2011-11-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

I am crazy busy today in the studio for a few hours and then teaching at etsy all day. So come visit me at etsy or watch the live stream of my demo.

I also update my etsy shop with some newer works.

and updated the images of my love letters on my website to you can see details of the work.

Make Thankful Stitches at Etsy Labs with me !!!!

2011-11-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

For this week’s Craft Night, we will be celebrating PUSH Stitchery, a new book that profiles the cutting-edge creative work of 30 top stitching artists from around the world. Joetta Maue, an Etsy artist featured in the book, will be leading a special embroidery sampler centered around the theme of gratitude.

Tonight’s guest teacher, Joetta Maue is a full-time artist, curator, and arts writer. Her most recent body of work is a series of embroideries and images exploring the conflicts and contradictions that exist within intimacy. Joetta’s work has been shown throughout galleries and museums across the country. She authors the textile arts blog Little Yellowbird. More of her work can be found in her Etsy shop and on her website.

Craft Night: “Let’s Be Thankful” Gratitude Sampler

Make your very own hand-stitched sampler expressing gratitude and thanks just in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. Each participant will decide on one word or a short statement that expresses gratitude in one way or another. With your own hand you will build this statement out of stitches into a wonderful piece of art. Two basic stitches, the satin stitch and split stitch, will be demonstrated. This is a great project to capture the rewarding meditative quality of embroidery and to make a unique object for your home or as a gift to give away.

I love working on found and vintage linens and encourage participants to please bring a found or inherited handkerchief, tea towel, or small linen doily to work on.

Work from other artists from the book PUSH Stitchery will also be on view during Craft Night, and copies of the book will be available.

Where: 55 Washington Street, Suite 712 (7th floor) Brooklyn, New York, 11201
When: Monday, November 7 . Demos will be held at 4:15, 5:15, 6:15, and 7:15 p.m. At each demo Joetta will walk us through the process. Then you’ll have time to hang out and work on your own project.
RSVP here.
Webcast: If you can’t make it in person, we will be hosting a live Online Lab at 3:30 p.m. ET.

A photo from the last Craft Night.

the Brookyln Love Project

2011-11-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday night I walked a short walk from my house to attend the opening of Iviva Olenick's Brooklyn Love Project at Muriel Guepin Gallery. If you follow embroidery on the web you kind of would have to be blind to not know Iviva's work.

Her well known blog Were I so besotted follows her work, her daily jogs, and her dating life all in stitch.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Iviva for a number of years now but this was really the first time I saw her work in such mass and installed in a space. It was so nice. Her work definitely feeds off each other and I prefer seeing them as a group rather then individually.

Each work stands on its own as a piece but when the works hang together they tell such a bigger story about life and Iviva. Which makes sense since it seems like she does indeed make her work as series.

The opening was a huge success she had a great crowd and a number of red stickers. Go stitchers.

Her project was all about collecting the unique love stories of Brooklyn. The individual pieces are individual love stories. She also made a map of Brooklyn and included one story for each neighborhood. Me an Chad are her cobble hill story...but I "dragged" my husband up onto the roof not "drug" him- where is my proper English.

She also exhibited some of her collaborative works with Jon Baker, Fiber Graf, which combines his tags with her amazing and beautiful french knots.

You can read more about the project and see the works over at her blog here or her art archive here. And you have until the end of next week to see it.