Stripes!

The opening for the Stripes Show at bG Gallery in Santa Monica, Calfornia was this past Saturday.  I wasn't able to attend, either virtually or in person, but the gallery person was nice enough to send me these photos.  The show consisted of thin strips of artwork (no more than 4 inches wide but as long as you like) grouped together to create a striped effect.  Such a cool concept - I love being in this show!!!  

Below, you can see my Skinny Rope, right in the middle.  It was constructed from plastic bags.

 

Skinny Rope, Stripes Show, bG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

Stripes Show, bG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

The show continues through January 2021, so technically it represents my first show of the New Year.  Yay!  

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!!!!

Tomorrow!

 

California, Here I Come!

One of my recent new works was accepted into a show in Santa Monica, California!  The exhibit, located at bG Gallery, features ultra skinny works (no wider than 4 inches but no restriction on height) that will be grouped together in a multi-panel striped image.  How cool is that?! 

My entry, (judged as one of the best 100!), titled Rope, was made with upcycled New York Times plastic bags.

(Just in case you were wondering, no, I am NOT going to California.  My art will be going all by itself.)

The show is called Stripes 2: Slivers and runs in person from December 19 through January 5th, 2021.  The online exhibit will continue through February 20th.  Can't wait to see the entire work of art with all of the artists' entries!

The virtual open house is scheduled for later on this month.  I hope to report back on that soon!

New Knitting Session at Guilford Art Center

I'm jazzed to be teaching a class for new knitters at Guilford Art Center in 2021!  The class will focus on reviewing basic knit techniques - cast on, knit stitch, purl stitch, bind off - and provide friendly encouragement, especially to knitters who have not practiced their craft in a while.  The class will be held over 6 sessions and will be in person at the art center - which means all COVID safety protocols will be strictly followed.  

As I was looking through my photo archives for some knit inspiration, I came across a few projects I worked on some years ago.  Below is a snapshot of a pair of wrist warmers I made as a gift.  The pattern came from a book I absolutely adore, called Learn to Knit, Love to Knit by Anna Wilkinson.  This beautifully-photographed book comes with all sorts of colorful and interesting patterns to try.  Once my knitting class starts, I know I'll be inspired to try a few more patterns from the book.  For anyone looking to stretch their beginner skills, I highly recommend this book!

Wristwarmers from Learn to Knit, Love to Knit

The book!

Here is the link to my knitting class at Guilford Art Center - be sure to check it out.  Nice and Easy Knitting at Guilford Art Center

And as always - thanks for reading my blog entry today. 

USPS Art Project at ECOCA

Over the summer, I collaborated with my friend Janet Warner for the USPS Art Project, hosted by Ely Center of Contemporary Art (ECOCA) in New Haven, Connecticut.  This project was started by artist Christina Massey as a call to action to support the United States Postal Service (USPS) during the COVID-19 crisis.  

Here's how it worked - Each artist began an artwork for their collaboration partners to finish, sending them to each other by mail.  It was designed to help artists feel connected while practicing social distancing, while at the same time, helping to support the financially struggling USPS.  The project was free and open for all to participate.  

Janet and I created an 18" x 23" linen tapestry with hand-sewn and embroidered elements in earth-tone hues.  We named it Lateral Inhibitions.  

The show was huge - over 330 collaborative works from across the country.  And to pull off an on-site exhibit during this pandemic was truly amazing.  Thank you to all the organizers - including Margaret Roleke and Maxim Schmidt - who made this show happen! 

 

Exhibition View - Lateral Inhibitions

You can see the entire exhibition list here - USPS Art Project Exhibition List.  If you scroll down to pages 29 and 30 you can see the gallery room as well as connect (through a link) to a detail view of the piece on Instagram.  Totally worth it to take a few minutes to check out all of the great work in this show!  

You can also see a totally cool virtual tour here - USPS Art Project Virtual Tour.  

Follow UP : Virtual Sessions

Hello Dear Readers!

Wow -  Like, where did the month of October go?!  Seriously.  

September was a wonderful month filled with virtual sessions I developed exclusively for Guilford Free Library in Guilford, Connecticut.  

The sessions included Guatemalan Worry Dolls, Macrame Color-Block Necklaces, and Magical Mobiles (with bonus finger knitting lesson) - SO much fun and they generated great interest and enthusiasm among the local tween set.  Thank you, GFL, for inviting me to do these workshops for kids!

Magical Mobile Assembly

Finger Knitting Demonstration

Proud Workshop Participant!

Stay tuned for more!

 

September Craft Series for Kids!

 I'm excited to be hosting a series of three yarny craft sessions for Guilford Free Library in Guilford, Connecticut!  I designed these sessions for Tweens (kids ages 11 - 15) and so far they've been a big hit.

Here are some photos from the first (virtual) session, where we created Guatemalan Worry Dolls from scratch:

 

Peg-style Clothes Pin to Start

Yarn Wrapping

Wrapping the Arms

Gluing the Arms to the Body

Time for the Finishing Touches!

Great Job, Everyone!

Yesterday's session - Macrame Color-Block Necklaces - was a blast!  Great participants, super energy and awesome necklaces!!!

There is one session left and you can find out about it here:  Magical Mobile - Guilford Free Library

As always, thanks for reading my blog!

Modern Quilts 2020: A Downtown New Haven Windowed Worlds Installation

For me, this was an epic installation.  I received the commission in March, right around a week and a half before everything shut down due to COVID-19.  During the lockdown/self-quarantine that followed, this project kept me focused on making art during a very stressful time.  Fortunately, I was able to do 95% of this project from home, saving the last little bits for the actual installation. 

 

You can read about my inspiration for this project, materials used and more interesting facts at the link below.  Also check out many other Windowed Worlds installations by amazing New Haven artists.

Windowed Worlds Installation 2020

 

Thanks for reading!

Kehler Liddell Show - Photos and Press

Just a few photos and press from Kehler Liddell Gallery's 4th Annual Juried Show (New Haven, CT)  that wrapped at the end of last month.  It was a great show, especially meaningful during this weird time of coronavirus.  To pull off a show during normal times is challenging, but to do it during a pandemic is heroic.  Thank you, KLG!

Press - So excited to have these reviews of my work.  Thank you Lucy Gellman, Editor of The Arts Paper, and thank you Brian Slattery, Art and Culture Editor for New Haven Independent.

You can read the articles here:

At Kehler Liddell, Artists Take a Look at Themselves

KLG Exhibit Lets Artists Make Themselves

Thanks for reading!

I AM...Opening Today!

I'm thrilled to announce the opening of I AM, Kehler Liddell Gallery's 4th Annual Juried Show.  This show, originally scheduled for April - May 2020, was postponed due to COVID-19.  With the help of the dedicated gallery staff, the show is currently ON!  The gallery is currently open on a limited basis, with scaled-back hours and a strict COVID protocol - masks worn, social distancing and up to 4 people in the gallery at a time. 

This, in a press release from the gallery:

How do you see yourself? How do others see you? What makes you, you? From selfies to personal branding to the complexities of identity politics, our carefully crafted personas are routinely broadcast to the world via the internet. The modern world revels in the revelation of a semblance of self, allowing us to conceal as much as we reveal. In this age of unprecedented exposure, how can an artist offer some fresh statement of self?

These were some of the questions posed in this year’s call to artists for I Am…, the fourth annual juried show at Kehler Liddell Gallery. Curated by gallery artists, the collection contains work in a wide variety of media, from digital, new media, abstract expressions of self, to more traditional (and not so traditional) painted, drawn, photographed self portraits. As we all continue to navigate the world of social distancing, it feels ever more poignant to gather this collection of selves — of I AM — to create a powerful, revelatory voice of WE ARE.

You can read more about the show here including hours the gallery will be open -  Kehler Liddell Gallery Current Show.

My piece (not the one pictured above) is titled, My Tattoos.  Photos soon!  Can't wait to see it installed!  The show will run July 31 - August 30, 2020.