install day!

So today is the big day of install for from the tongue... it is going to be a total bear there is SO much work and is a huge and wonky space and...

a lot of artists either mounted or framed their work, which makes it larger, and I was not told that they were going to do that so it makes me have to figure out a little lay-out magic.
Note to all artists- when a piece is accepted into a show at one size DO NOT mount or frame without talking to the curator this may change their install plan so... But with that aside.

I am getting very excited about the show and think that the end result and the opening is going to rock. I hope to see may of your faces there.
Now I have to get ready to work.

the process of forever...

If you are anywhere near Oakland, California please stop in at my opening, the process of forever, at Basement Gallery. Sadly, I will not be there but look forward to seeing plenty of pictures.

Tonight from 7-10pm

Joetta Maue - The Process of Forever - A Solo Exhibition of fiber work relating to the complex emotional journey of marriage and partnering

Curated by Erica Sheets

Opening June 18th- July 1. 2010 from 7 - 10:00 pm

at the Basement Gallery Oakland, CA.

safety and stitch.

Through a few blogs I have seen the open satin stitching work of painter Cecile Jarsaillon and figured it was about time to feature her work here.


Her paintings themselves are incredibly impressive- Her blog is in french so I am just making my own conclusions of what is going on-
The paintings seem to reference the television and scenes being acted out- she has a gorgeous series of a boxing match and then a series that seems to recreate a hospital related family drama.


But of course, I prefer her embroidery which utilizes a somewhat long and open satin stitch laid over photographic images- I am not sure if that means they are small works or not? But the affect is quite interesting and unique in technique.


Apparently most of the images are from a safety manual- and include images of getting shots, car accidents, and daily falls that a child might experience. And though I find that concept quite interesting in theory- I am personally more drawn to editing it down and making my own narrative. Since I in general prefer moments that are of the more ordinary and everyday these are of course the images of hers that I am most in love with.
Especially the boy brushing his teeth.



I realize that I am just projecting what I want onto her work and perhaps erasing her intention. But this is the curse and blessing of seeing work online- it is much easier to mentally edit when you see work via the web.


The more "safety" focused of the images are compelling in their own way- by the juxtaposition of embroidery with somewhat startling and at times horrific images. Because of the nature of her hand and construction of the pieces their imagery can come to you as quite unexpected which works well conceptually. But at the same time the use of these images in this type of re- contextualisation seems a little too familiar. So I will let myself keep be drawn to the ones I prefer and leave the rest for others to appreciate.

See more of Cecile's work especially her paintings at her blog.

next, please???

So I finally have started to feel like I have caught up. I am pretty much done with this piece for from the tongue..., I finished this ordered commission- just need to wash and press, and this weekend and Monday install from the tongue...



All of these things being done means I finally can get started on a new work!!! yay. The above 2 pictures are the first ones to begin upon- I normally like to work from an image that shows more of the figure but I love how much both of these images utilize the linens of the bed- So I am just planning on working it. With the one of the 3 of us- I plan on having linens just hanging down from the piece in a very sculptural way & therefore implying the entire bed.
Of the one with just the arms out- I LOVE the way the piece will be all white and very abstract with that glimpse of the human form- I may start with that one.

So next week I need to get to my studio at night to I can project the images and then get started. I am so excited as for after next week I have a nice lull in my insanely busy schedule which means- studio time!!!!!

& I got my first submission for my next curatorial endeavor.

the healing stitch...

Read my interview with Caroline Walshe over at Mr. X Stitch.
Her work and words are quite lovely... you can also read a feature that I
did on her awhile back here.

I find it interesting that my titles for each post are so similar even though a number of months separate the posts- says something about the emotional space of her work

science, stitch, and a cup of tea.

I must be wanting a quilt to crawl under - but today I feature quilter Ruth Tabancay. Her quilts are gorgeous and very conceptual. The textures are beautiful and complicated. Both of the above works are made with used tea bags.

birthing bed and detail.

Ruth states:

The imagery in my work is based on time spent looking through a microscope. First as a bacteriology major and later in medical school, I spent many fascinating hours exploring the microscosmos of bacteria, fungi, and parasites, and of human tissues, such as squamous epithelium, striated muscle, collagen networks, and blood cells. Alone with my slides, I could leave the tangible world and enter, for me, an as yet unexplored space. Though it has been many years since that actual experience, these forms have never left my visual memory. Using the latest digital technology in software and computerized looms, I incorporate, both directly and indirectly, these microscopic images into my Jacquard weaving. With my study of textiles, it is natural that my attention would turn to the micro cosmos of fiber and fabric. With the use of the scanning electron microscope, I discover the dimensionality of individual fibers and the topography of woven cloth. My chosen media, Jacquard weaving and the materials used to create these works, are themselves the subject of the image.

And in another body of work, in a medium that can be considered the diametric opposite of “high tech,” I use recycled teabags to sew sculptural forms that have meaning for me on two levels. The hand-stitched surfaces recall visions of vast epithelial sheets and cell cultures. The teabags themselves represent the intimacy and ritual of sipping a cup of tea with family and friends and the finished sculpture, a gesture of warmth.

cells.

I personally love when the sciences merge with the hand made- they make such a fascinating and unexpected relationship.

his heirloom...

a little special something that I am working on for my sweet lil't. Everyone expected me to be knitting blankets, crocheting clothes, and embroidering special items- but truth be told I never enjoy making anything "useful" I just like to make my art and leave the usable items to others.
So I was very lucky that my grandma crocheted some hats and blankets, my aunt some booties, my friends mother a blanket, an online friend a quilt, my mom sewed a many things, and my sis made some very cool babers clothes.

But in order to add to his collection of gifts made from love I am making a small embroidery with a photograph from his first weeks and a little statement to the side. It is almost done and I am excited to get it washed and pressed and share it with all of you- so today we are walking down to the new park to watch the river, look at the Manhattan skyline, and embroider.

I want to join a quilting bee...

This artist feature fell into my lap, Luke Haynes sent me an email about his work and upcoming show- and I am delighted that he did. His quilts are technically proficient, truly contemporary, and absolutely gorgeous. He sometimes chooses to be quite traditional and sometimes going an unexpected route.

I personally enjoy his portraits the most, the way that he chooses to show the figures, the postures, the body language, vs. the way he deals with the negative space of the quilt works very well both aesthetically and conceptually.

I really enjoy the hidden faces of his friends series and the obvious reference to photography and the flash in his application of the cloth...

Luke states this about his work:

I am interested in the choices we make to express ourselves to our world. The most apparent form of this is our clothes. We create an environment around ourselves to inform others how we desire to be perceived. By quilting I am initiating a dialogue between the immediate environments we create for ourselves, and the environments we inhabit. Where cloth, what we know to respond to as clothes, becomes the language of my work. The cloth becomes the medium that I use to create images and scenes rather than conceal and contain.

I ask the viewer to reexamine quilts and cloth in my work. By viewing the pieces the viewer takes away a new understanding of craft and function, as well as art and materiality.

I am totally re-examining what I think about quilting every time I see what young quilting artists are doing. It is an exciting fiber medium to watch.
I love the color choices in the below work- This one would be the one hanging in my house if it could. I wish he told us the scale of his work as I am curious as to how big they all are- though from his website most do seem large scale- perfect for a bed.

See more of his work at his website and blog.

blushing and busy.

I am so crazy busy with things and attempting to get a semblance of a routine back in my life and to be honest- so failing at that. My life feels like a hectic mess, my house is a disaster, I have not got around to applying to a show in months, and I so, so want to get a little more time in the studio. But with all that I am so lucky because I still have so many great things going on...

of course just the wonderfulness of life with lil't

a totally make me blush feature at Mr. X Stitch here.

my Oakland, CA show opens this week.

You need to submit work to my upcoming exhibit at the AWESOME Textile Arts Center.

from the tongue... opens next week.

and I am working away on the commissioned work above- almost done.

blow out my candles.

Today is my birthday, So I am taking the day off from all things!
See you tomorrow.