a sigh.

I finally feel like I can catch my breathe today. The curation is finally done. But wow as usual it was a doozy. But in the end I think it will be a very fun, FUN, show and i conjunction with the exhibit there will also be a day of workshops, a weekly workshop, and an artist's talk. So good, good stuff.


But now I can get back to making some work myself. Though in actuality I have stayed pretty prodcutive as my "love letters" series has been progressing as it is the prefect project o work on while riding the train or watching some American Idol. But I also have made some progress on my first Red Thread piece and hopefully next week will really get that project moving forward.

letters.

Speaking of love letters. I love this series of work by Catherine Rosselle. Her website is in French so I pretty much know nothing but a word here or there but....

gorgeous work.


I love her figures as they have such an incredible sort of broken posture.


See more of her work here.

Thread Reviews- Application Etiquette

Please go over and read my article on advice towards applying for shows. Check it out here.

stop and smell the tomato's

from here.

I last minute rushed to a yoga class yesterday before teaching my 3-D Embroidery Class at the Textile Arts Center. This is a luxury that I do not give myself often enough. But there always seems to be something "more important" to do. However- during a crisis of emotional wreckness yesterday afternoon. I left a very fussy baby with C, rushed out of the house, decided I could go to yoga, rushed back, got my clothes, and rushed to class.
I arrived and one of my students was signing people in and she asked me about a sutra that I had used as the intention for my classes last week. So we were talking about it and...in that moment I was reminded of the very own lesson I had been teaching all week:

STHIRA SUKHAM ASANAM

The connection to the earth should be steady and joyful.

YOGA SUTRA II.46

And I realized that there has been nothing steady or joyful about me in the last few days.

Then I sit on my mat get settled in and the instructor hands on chant sheets. I think, yes this is good. Chanting is a form of pranayama and that is exactly what I needed to do BREATHE. So we get to singing and we break into one of my all time favorite Krishna Das Chants. Joy rushes in I read the words in English as I chant in Sanskrit and they scream out to me:

I don't know who I am, so I bow to you...my own true Self...
I have nothing. I have everything.

Wow, that is so me in this moment. I don't know who I am. But then when I look deep enough I do and I can bow to that self and be humble at her feet.

Ok, you think I am winding up to my point but not yet. And yes eventually this does get back to my art but...

Then the teacher goes on to tell a little story. Before class she was at the grocery co-op and had purchased some tomoatos, which were beautiful, fresh, earthy, juicy ones and then she runs into some friends gets chatting and realizes she will be late to class if she does not leave. So she leaves, rushes home, unpacks her groceries, puts the tomatoes in a bowl, and thinks "I wish I could just take a minute to stop and smell the tomatoes." And then it hits her. She CAN. Taking that brief moment to stop and savor something she loves - that reminds her of the coming spring, her childhood on a farm, and all the goodness in the world this will only serve her not make her late.
So she does.

And in that moment I feel like I have been every so lovingly hit in the head with a tomato.

I sit there and realize I am SO stressed out, angry, sad, exhausted, etc. and really all I needed to do was stop and smell the tomato's. Maybe not literally but I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect, not that I would every have used that word before as my version of perfect is different then most- but living up to all the expectations others have of me, responding to all my emails in one day, never being late, tardy, unprofessional in any way, making better and better work, being the best at everything I can be. This is a wonderful aspect and a torturous aspect of my hardworking Midwest childhood. But....

I realize
the world will not fall apart if I do not respond to the 15 artist's that are emailing me about the show. And they will still respect me as an artist and curator if I email them Friday instead.

the world will not fall apart if the images I should have emailed Sunday get emailed tomorrow instead of today.

the world will not fall apart if my works takes longer to make then I planned.

the world, and for that matter neither will I, fall apart if I admit that I am not perfect and sometimes I just need to stop and let it all go.

That is a long, rambling story, but I feel good about telling it. So amongst all of your busy, hectic, overfilled day try to stop and smell the tomatoes.

Burial Party

One of the artists that I am so excited to be working with for Play is the incredibly unique and interesting Vadis Turner. I have known and enjoyed Vadis' work for quite awhile now and her exhibit a few years back brought my attention to her gallery where she has a solo show opening in Chelsea this week so check it out:

Vadis Turner
Burial Party
April 7th - May 7th, 2011
Artist Reception: Thursday, April 7th, 6-8pm

From her Press Release:

...Ms. Turner's work is an intersection where color theory, abstraction, assemblage and feminism meet head on. The artist's innate color sensibilities and energy pay homage to the New York School of Abstract Expressionist and Action painters like Joan Mitchell and Willem De Kooning, by employing broad strokes of color. Through Ms. Turner's exquisite and unique use of materials such as ribbon, clothing, antique quilts, lace and yarn, the artist continues to explore and exploit traditional "feminine" materials and creates a contemporary dialogue as found in the works of artists such as Petah Coyne and Shinique Smith.

Turner states, "During the creation of my marital Dowry and Reception (Permanent Collection, Brooklyn Museum of Art), I became interested in the aesthetic bridges between diverse rites of passage. Elaborate ceremonies honor, idealize and purify the subject as they transition from one life chapter to the next. The subject simultaneously embodies a climax and demise. A new identity is conceived. An old identity dies. In this body of work, elements of ceremonial adornment are partnered with various processes of decay. Satin ribbons and flowers are fixed in a stilled state of destruction and removal ed by fire or mold. Through consumption and repurposing, each process re-imagines the beauty and energy of change and loss."

Vadis is represented by the very cool gallery Lyons Weir, also Cayce Zavaglia's gallery. It is a gallery with an impeccable selection of artists and a lovely new space. I would love to be amongst such a group someday.

ouch!

a detail of the work by Daniaelle Simonsen- see the rest at the Play opening in May.

Ergh, sometimes playing is so hard!!! No really I am sending all the letters out for play and it is always so hard deciding on the final list of artists. There are a few pieces that I seriously LOVE but that just do not end up fitting into the show and those are the hardest to turn away. Most of these are more subtle or abstract and I feel like they would be overwhelmed by the colorful kind of "wild" nature of the exhibit. But mmm, they are so lovely. Next show?

And then there are the hard rejections of folks I know, as my role in the Fiber Community grows and the more shows I curate I meet more and more wonderful people but then that means I inevitably have to say no to people that I know and genuinely like. And more then likely if I know them personally I also like their work. But when I curate it becomes all about a conversation and vision that is not only about how I feel about the individual work but also the overall show. So this is totally the hard part.

And then I am sensitive to the "rejection" letter as I myself am an artist and get them all the time, in fact I just got one in the mail today. So that adds another layer.

But...the show is going to be GREAT and I cannot wait to see it all come together as we have 2 site specific pieces, a piece being made for the exhibit, 2 pieces hung together almost as a collaborative (I hope), and much, much more. The install will be crazy but the result fabulous.

more quilting....

a comment on one of the articles led me here, to images of the above exhibit, and I agree that they visually have an incredible connection.

So just because the exhibit was so incredible and the installation so essential I wanted to share 2 articles of the recent quilt show in NYC- thanks Julia for forwarding them to me.


an interview with the curator and the head of the design team.

a nifty and a thanks...

A little peek at what has been happening in my hoops.

Some late Thank you's to folks who are celebrating my work- here and here. As always I very much appreciate the love.

Also wanted to make sure to mention the very cool call for work that the fabulous Jennifer Hunold has out. For her show Nifty she wants:

fiber-based works which communicate ideas and issues not previously thought to be within the purview of the technique’s historical lineage. Non-traditional uses of fiber techniques are especially encouraged. We are interested in works which comment on or challenge the history of textile mediums while also addressing more dominant concerns at interest to the artist.

Sounds like a great opportunity and the space looks quite nice and spacious as well. So get your submissions in. See the full call here.

Me I am working away on Play, I am hoping to get all the acceptance letters out today. We will see. But wow-o-wow it is going to be a great show!

more is seen.

After hearing my plea of wanting to see her work up close Rachel Brummer was kind enough to send some higher res close ups of some of her work.




Enjoy. And read the recent post on her solo show here.

Future Heirlooms-

Check out my interview with Marilyn Pappas over at the Mr. and read this post I wrote about her work.