tired feet and little to see.

Beth Cavener Stitcher.

So Chelsea was a super disappointment. The shows in general were SO boring and sterile. I am just not into sterile art- I like either some emotion, story, or texture and most of the work to be found was non existent to the needs.

Janine Antoni.

The Janine Antoni show was also a let down, it was pretty sparse with just a few works to be seen. But I did not feel like the pieces were on par with most of her larger oeuvre of work. They all were complimented by her statements and an interview available to read. Which is the norm for her work. She tends to be very conceptual and knowing about her work usually increases your appreciation toward it. But these works did not seem to hold up as visual pieces too well. I mean they looked good but I am not sure I was very interested.

Todd Hido

The best work in general was photography. Both artists as Silverstein Gallery had interesting bodies of work. Todd Hido created some truly beautiful and moody surreal photos of the barren landscape of the Midwest.


Nicolai Holwatt's car crash studies seemed like straight forward abstract studies but were actually documentation of cars demolished by accidents.



Nancy Margolis had an exhibit of some very lovely drawings by Maysey Craddock who uses sewn together, worn paper bags boxes as her canvas. The press release states:

Craddock finds inspiration in places which once held treasured memories, buildings with forgotten legacies and lone trees that stood witness to unspoken events. In time, landscapes as well as memories are reclaimed by nature and layered with emotion and rich history.

And Claire Oliver had a new show of the fascinating work of artist Beth Cavener Stitcher. Who always creates very provocative images of animals, often represented in a very personified and even sexual way. Her work reminds me of another artist they represent Kate Clark.

I was very disappointed but there were a few shows that made me smile, though no major inspiration was found. Plus my feet hurt from having to gallivant all around NY to find a store that had mark be gone markers in stock. I SO miss my Joanne's and Micheal's, seriously NYC get with the crafter's program.

mother and child...

I have to go into the city today to pick up some supplies for a class that I teach and some supplies for myself too... And since I will be in Manhattan I am going to Chelsea to stop by and see the new Janine Antoni show at Luhring Augustine.
I have long been a fan of Antoni's work and am excited to see this new work as it focuses on her new role as mother and the relationship that exists between mother and child.

Hopefully there will be some other cool shows to share with you too.

astounding.

I am nothing short of awed by the work of Todd Knopke. He makes insanely beautiful, textural, narrative, gigantic quilts. Seriously I am just dumbstruck by the work he balances craft and beauty with a touch of messy and imperfection to make incredible pieces.

mimic.

The details in each and every quilt are astounding and add so much to the overall quality of the story.

Lifted.

And to make him even more enviable he is crazy prolific. He makes around 10-20 of these large hand worked and sewn pieces a year. And they are each just as good as the other.

model.

As a result his website is huge and I have not had the time to look at each and every piece but I will. I want to see everything his hands have touched.

ghost.

I am so inspired how he breaks the 2dimensional field and works his quilts out into the 3 dimension. But just a touch, just enough to make them even more perfect. And his titles are pretty awesome and heavy.

I have actually been feeling in a total creative rut and his work spurs me to wake up and get moving in a way I have really needed. See more here.

show opened!

I have a piece in the Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts Emerging Artists exhibition which opened this weekend. Unfortunately, I did not get to stop in for the opening because we had some friends in town. But I am hoping to stop by sometime before it closes.
Many of the artists showing have some really nice work so I would be curious to see the install.
If you are in New Jersey please stop by.

This weekend we weathered the rain and drear to enjoy a very nice visit from some old friends, brunches, dinners, and SoHo shopping...
It is so nice to see people who have known you through the long haul.

Now... I have a busy week ahead and a studio in a total mess! They are installing heating so I had to dismantle half of my studio. Agh! I have 3 days like this and can already hardly wait until my space gets back to normal.
Luckily, I am planning a day in the city tomorrow to get some supplies and see some shows in Chelsea.

ranibow socks.

Erika of Tsillie Hill was sweet enough as another October bride to send me an image of her very cool anniversary present for her man, above.
Erika has been a reader of my little blog here for awhile and I was glad she led me to see her fun and humorous embroidery pool on Flickr.


and I REALLY love her rainbow sock drawing. Wouldn't life be better?

Too bad the images are a little dark. And I want more, more, more. Her sense of humor is great and I want to keel smiling with it.
See more here.

trapped.

I was in an exhibit in February at Gallery Hannahou with some work of Katherine Shaughnessy and never really looked her up. But today her hand made "traps" and fantasy like installations are making me intrigued.


I wonder what the traps are all about, they remind me in ways of domestic tools and objects. But also have a very Eva Hesse feel.

Her fantasy like installation reminds me of one of my all time favorite young artists Kimberley Hart.



What is your fantasy today?
See more here.
She also has embroidery kits and patterns available here.

wish my granny could help me with the granny stitch.

why is the Internet giving me a head ache? My studio building has very thick old cement walls and sometimes the wonder of the Internet just cannot stand up to history and cement. Agh.

Anyway, this week I have been working away at teaching myself and practicing the granny stitch. It has been a frustrating ride as crochet is so hard to learn from images and no helpful friend. Last year I spent many, many hours trying to figure it out and then one hour with my grandma over Christmas and the light bulb went off.
I have a sweet little project in mind for the granny squares- but really I think I just want an excuse to do a repetitive action with yarn.
I am much more of a knitter but I really think crochet lends itself more to my work so I am taking lots of deep breaths and trying to find my patience. And hoping a good one day workshop comes up.

Also started a new "test" embroidery yesterday of a still life object. A new direction that I am thinking of going. If I like how it turns out I have 2 large or maybe 3 still lives in mind.
And some other stuff in the works- I think I will wait until next week to share that news and resulting project.

Keep warm. It is dreary and wet here in NYC.

ribbons, apples, wishes, and more

As I said I am short on words today so mostly just images to explore and celebrate the work of young British artist Karen Logan. The above work is exploring making work that unsettled assumptions about a 'cosy' domestic space

Wishing ribbons, hang a ribbon, make a color coded wish. So pretty. I love ribbon.

White: a wish for a loved one no longer near you (many miles apart or who has passed away)
Yellow: a wish for change, to make a fresh start.
Orange: a wish for success in a new venture or direction.
Red: a wish for love.
Green: a wish for health for yourself or a loved one.
Blue: a wish for financial stability, increased wealth.


Exploring the myths surrounding apples and the apple tree in a community garden art project.


Using embroidered handkerchiefs as a commemorative device.



and hand cut wall paper as an exploration in memory and making the familiar unfamiliar.


See more images here.

quiet head.

not much to say today. Life keeps rolling on. Linens keep piling up. Needles keep getting threaded.

Thanks to a sweet mention here.
and
coveting some actually good tea from here.

amazing baubles indeed.

Maria Nuuten is 1/3 of the very cool and weird jewelry collaboration team of Amazing Animal. Their website states:

Amazing Animal is a combination of different things. One important element is the human body...the one and only animal that decorates its body intentionally. The human body is a playground for the jewelry artist and the last and ultimate element that truly belongs to us.

Maria often uses photographs in her pins, pendants, and rings, in a way that recalls artist Christian Boltanksi.

and often reminds one of the catholic church with her imagery, materials, and color choices.

One thing that makes Amazing Animal truly unique is that they approach shows and displays as an artist installation. Check out install images here.

Her collaborators also makes some truly crazy and cool pieces as well. Mervi Kurvinen:and Kati Nulpponen.



I love how they all three incorporate and reinvent everyday and often domestic materials.
See more work here.