textile paintings
Virginia Greaves
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Home page: http://www.virginiagreaves.com
Posts by Virginia Greaves
Tweek!
011 years ago
There has been a lot going on this week — a lot of great articles for Creatives were written (or recently found) — all of which I shared on my Twitter feed — and I finished my latest piece Worry. Today, I bring you my weekly wrap-up of my Twitter feed.
Remember, if you want to catch my Tweets in real time, you can find me at @vsgreaves — or hit the Twitter icon above the menu in the upper right. Also, if you want to see what’s going on in the studio, check out my Facebook Page by clicking on the Facebook icon next to that Twitter icon.
According to the authors, and I would agree, “we live in a “permissions culture,” which values copyright permissions above all else” and that “permissions have become such an issue that they’re interfering with professionals’ work — the ability to educate, to undertake scholarly studies, to make art.” It’s a different point of view from the endless discussions regarding the protection of copyrights.
“Are Art Professionals Afraid of Fair Use?” http://feedly.com/e/848QPDRN
“Creativity & Listening” — “What we learn from the creative process is that giving up control … is a necessary path to success.” http://feedly.com/k/1n8VHLD
I live in Atlanta — I was shocked that it made #1 on this list:
Best cities for artists: http://tinyurl.com/p9zvstx
This article on the ethics of altering photographs digitally is sure to inspire a lot of debate:
“Nature Photography: Objectivity, Manipulation, and Ethics” http://tinyurl.com/lewysue
I was so struck by this life-like statue of a man sleep walking in his underwear across the Wellesley campus — and he’s garnered a lot of public discussion — which I appreciate in the same way Banksy brings the discussion of art to the masses:
Tighty whitey’s take a stroll — “Artist Responds to Wellesley College Students’ Concerns With Sculpture: http://tinyurl.com/m37zq5r
This was just a grand idea — to replace huge sign boards in Paris with classical works of art. It made me realize how cluttered our modern lives are with constant marketing of inane things.
“Parisian Advertisements Replaced with Classical Works of Art” http://tinyurl.com/nykgu3f @mymodernmet
Bringing to mind the discussion of altering photos, Annie Leibovitz’s photographs (and resulting digital alteration) create the most stunning photos. The fact that she finds inspiration in Disney characters makes the work all the more relatable:
“Annie Leibovitz’s Celebrity Disney Dream Portraits” http://tinyurl.com/k8yuasb @mymodernmet
I made the point the other day on someone’s Facebook wall that one of the discriminations made in the art world today is towards abstract versus illustrative work — and although I was soundly flamed for such a ridiculous statement, the wonderful Winkleman, an art dealer in NY, wrote a post fairly exactly supporting my argument just this week:
“Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Abstract Paintings so Different, so Lucrative?” Winkleman wise words http://feedly.com/e/GaB3bl95
I didn’t know the the Olympics once had art competitions — did you?
“Back When the Olympics Had Art Competitions” http://feedly.com/e/yz3-cw31
This is about the importance of visual language, which is not valued in our current education system, and its effect on our brains:
“Why Einstein, JFK, Edison, and Marie Curie All Doodled” http://feedly.com/e/HGcJkmE6
I loved this article because he talks about making marketable art and going through the thought process of figuring out what will sell:
RT @ArtsyShark: Success for artists is not complicated … http://buff.ly/1dsUIQY Thoughts from Jack White
I actually went looking for articles on marketing art — and found this helpful piece from July of last year.
Selling Art: Is your artwork marketable? http://tinyurl.com/lpp3odt
A friend of mine posted this article on Facebook and I found it fascinating. I had never heard the controversy over whether Van Gogh committed suicide or was murdered — and I didn’t know that he died two days after being shot:
Van Gogh: murder mystery or straightforward suicide?http://tinyurl.com/jwhg56d via @maggieinsc
Worry Completed
011 years ago
This week I was intent on finishing my latest piece Worry. I quilted the background and then applied the binding. The hand work is getting harder for me to do. I’m a fairly thin skinned person and piercing my fingers with an extremely sharp needle seem masochistic at best — and my eyes are beginning to struggle to see the tiny stitches. I have only machine applied one binding but I may revisit that on my next piece.
You may have noticed that I missed Wordless Wednesday. That’s because I didn’t think about it until Thursday — and at that point, I felt like it was just too late.
Yesterday I finished sewing on the sleeve and blocking it — and today it was dry enough for me to take pictures. I took some for the website — but I’ve about decided it’s time I buy a photographic background stand. I have two design walls made from creosote that have black flannel taped to them which I have used for both blocking and a photography background. I started using them for blocking after I moved here when I discovered that you can’t pin into looped carpet — but sadly, blocking it warps the creosote — which wreaks havoc on the photographs if you’re using the same surface as a back drop. I have learned all the tricks in Photoshop Elements to straighten a pic. Once I realized that water was warping it, I kept one for blocking and the other for photography. Sadly, the one I kept for photography has still warped.
So I intend to order a photography stand this week and re-photograph the pieces I’ve done this year. I probably won’t re-do the images on the website — but I’ll have the proper pics for exhibition entries and publication opportunities.
Tweek!
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Twitter
In case you’ve been living without benefit of modern communication, Atlanta, where I live, was walloped with snow this last week. This is a hilly region where we are not used to snow — the government is unprepared to spread chemicals on the roads — and road icing caused gridlock. I was very lucky and was able to have my kids home before noon and cooking chili. I didn’t even lose power — but even though I had a lot of company this week, I still managed to pull off my goal of 15 hours in the studio.
I also did a lot of reading — and tweeted a lot of interesting articles.
If you wish to follow me in real time — I am @vsgreaves — or click the Twitter icon in the upper right hand corner above the menu. I also have a Facebook Page where I post daily pics from my in process work — that icon is next to the Twitter icon.
When I was young, my mom took me to a lot of art exhibits and museums — but this article argues the sanity of doing that after a couple was seen allowing their toddler to climb on a multi million dollar statue. I was certainly never allowed to touch anything at an exhibit — much less climb on anything.
“You Must Be This Tall to Enter This Exhibition” http://feedly.com/e/nZmgeTiX
Elizabeth Barton is a fellow textile artist from Athens, GA. I loved this article she wrote on design and the use of color in composition:
“Some Thoughts on Color…” From Elizabeth Barton http://feedly.com/e/MVIwHAT9
Cool article about the origins of the picture that my current piece is inspired by: http://tinyurl.com/mljmnk5 — if you look at my Facebook Page, you’ll see more pics of my in process work — and if you scroll down, there are a few blog posts about it as well.
This is a wonderful article about how creatives need to learn through practice and failure to continue forward in the pursuit of perfecting their craft:
Why You’ll Never Stop Learning the Art of Your Art http://forthecreators.com/2014/01/why-youll-never-stop-learning-the-art-of-your-art/ via @ForTheCreators
This post is more about architecture, but it poses an interesting question: if art is on a religious building, does it itself need to be religious? Is non-religious expression acceptable in a religious setting?
People Are Kind Of Upset About This Historic Boston Church http://huff.to/1fwdsTG via @HuffPostRelig
“The simple truth about how ordinary people accomplish outrageous feats of success is that they do the hard things that smarter, wealthier, more qualified people don’t have the courage — or desperation — to do.” Great motivational post.
19 Hard Things You Need To Do To Be Successful http://tinyurl.com/kszct8p #character #dothehardthings
This video isn’t about art — but it’s about character and going the extra mile for someone other than yourself. We need more of this. It’s short, less than a minute, and worth your time.
Did You See This Moving Olympics Ad Before It Was Pulled From The Internet? http://www.ijreview.com/2014/01/112064-see-awesome-olympics-ad-pulled-internet/ via @ATLFlipFlops
Setting boundaries can be hard for creatives — especially if your studio is in your home — so this is a great list of reminders on what you should be considering:
Shore up your boundaries for creatives http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/boundaries-creatives/ … via @originalimpulse via @abstandfield
Life is not always about accolades. In fact, there is a lot of rejection out there — at least, there is if you’re putting yourself out there. If you’re not being rejected, you’re not trying hard enough. It can be hard for creatives to talk about it because it makes us vulnerable — but it’s something we all go through.
Conversation on #Artist Rejection http://buff.ly/1fGibkv via @ArtsyShark
Tweek!
011 years ago
It’s Sunday and time to review my interesting Tweets from this week.
If you want to follow me in real time, my Twitter account is @vsgreaves — or click the Twitter icon in the far right hand corner above the menu.
Also, if you want to follow some of my daily in process work, see my Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook icon up there next to the Twitter icon.
I read a lot of articles but not a lot of them that I felt like sharing. Someone got the memo that if you want to draw a lot of people to your blog post, put a number in it — I found so many senseless blog posts “9 ways to do <something>” or “30 sure-fire ways to . . . ” There are so many numbered blog posts out there that I think I’ve become immune. People are writing but unfortunately don’t have a lot to say.
This article describes me well today — not creatively motivated — but when it’s during the week and I have the time, I work in the studio whether I’m motivated or not. Sometimes you just have to push through, keep going, and find your way to the other side.
“How to Be Creative Even When You Least Feel Like It” http://feedly.com/e/9BqmwGaL
This was a quote that a friend of mine posted. I had a tough time getting Twitter to take it since I was limited to 140 number of characters. I took out spaces, used ampersands, & made it work. It expresses a lot of what I’ve felt recently.
Joy & sorrow are inseparable.Together they come & when one sits alone with you.Remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.Kahlil Gibran
This article is just a really good reminder that as artists, we have to protect ourselves. I have a friend who recently made a commissioned piece only to be told at the time of submission that the couple had purchased art from someone else. Don’t let this be you.
“Don’t Get Screwed: The Contract Provisions Every Creative Needs to Know” http://feedly.com/e/SfWvfKBg
This was written by Barbara Muir guest blogging for Alyson Stanfield on artbizblog.com. Although she’s specifically addressing creative blocks that happen as a result of grief, these are good reminders for any artist to use to get busy in the studio.
“11 Ways to Work Through Your Grief and Return to the Studio” http://feedly.com/e/zPIsD4VX
As a visual artist, your work is in your visual expression — something all to easily mishandled in this era of Pinterest. This is an interesting lawsuit about an artist that joined an online artists community — only to have his images used for publicity without his consent.
“Artist Feuds with London Art Startup Over ‘Unauthorized’ Prints” — the slippery slope http://feedly.com/e/5q-vzgbG
The difference between experience and knowledge in one image: pic.twitter.com/Kqr19M07lh via @ArtsyShark
OK — I did like this article — even if it does have a number in the title. I’ve noticed a big change in my Facebook Page exposure. If I post something directly to my Page, it is fairly widely distributed. If I post something to my blog that then publishes to my Facebook Page, it’s hardly seen in others news feeds at all.
9 Ways to Counteract Facebook’s Big Algorithm Change http://buff.ly/1g8pSVh via @buffer via @ArtsyShark
Quilting Gadgets
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Quilting
Having finally finished the appliqué for the family portrait I’ve been working on, I pinned the piece with batting and backing — and then began to prepare myself mentally to begin quilting.
This is always the hardest part for me. I will put it off and find a hundred excuses not to get started. I think that the fear stems from the dislike of UN-sewing — an inevitability of the quilting process. I have, however, discovered that a good way to move me through this stage and get back to the machine is to print off the value painting I made earlier and start drawing quilting ideas on it. If I don’t like the direction of a particular area, all I have to do is erase it. Then when I sit at my machine, the drawing sits beside me and tells me where I need to go.
(Forgive the print — it came out in a pinkish hue because I was running out of black ink.)
I did have a problem when I sat down at my machine though. I have a Viking Designer 1 — and the truth of the matter is that it has given me problems since year 4 (it’s about 13 years old now). I had taken it in to the dealer for a cleaning — and she kept it for MONTHS (did I mention I didn’t have a backup machine?) — and when I FINALLY got it back, the touch screen menu didn’t always do what it was supposed to do. I could always reset it by turning it off and on — and I certainly didn’t want THAT dealer to touch it again (and Viking wouldn’t let me use anyone else) — so I had to wait until sometime after year 5 after she had gone out of business before I let someone look at it again (I still have trust issues with someone having my machine for any length of time).
I thought when I bought it that it was warranted for 20 years — and I considered it a good 20 year investment piece. However, I learned the hard way that the electronics were only covered for 5 years. And did I mention that the cost of replacing the motherboard is about $1,200?
Anyway, I’ve just lived with it — but when I sat down on Thursday to start quilting, it just wouldn’t behave. However, I have another Designer 1 that a friend gave me years ago (after hearing me complain about mine — she thought hers would be kinder to me) — so I took everything and set it up on that machine. I turned it on — and learned that it had grown unhappy over the last few months — watching me sew away on my other machine. That machine’s screen doesn’t work — at all. Not even a little.
I went back to my original machine and finally got it back in business. (And since then, it’s been working really well. It must know that I’ve been looking at other machines on the internet.)
And why all of this drama? Well — I have to come clean here. The truth is that I’ve been quilting with my feed dogs up for years. I KNOW! Crazy as it sounds, when I was first starting out, I was having problems and someone suggested just leaving them up — so I did and it helped and it’s been that way ever since.
Except when I was quilting my last piece, Golden Moment, it was sooooo heavy and it was hard to move around — so I was persuaded to try Leah Day‘s Ultimate Quilting Kit — a Supreme Slider, Machinger gloves, and Little Genie teflon bobbin washers.
By the time the set came, I had just finished quilting — but I knew the day would come that I’d really enjoy using them — and that day was Thursday.
Except — in order to use the Supreme Slider, the feed dogs have to be down. You don’t want it to accidentally slide out of position (which the feed dogs might do) and start being quilted to the underside of your piece. That would be REALLY bad.
Hence the sewing machine problems. I had lowered the feed dogs to set up the machine only to realize I had a couple of appliqué fixes to make — so I had to raise the feed dogs — which they didn’t want to do.
The sewing machine argument aside — I enjoyed the gadgets. The teflon washer that you drop in the bobbin case really does cut down on the out of control speed spinning that the bobbin can sometimes do when you’re quilting fast. The Machinger gloves help me hold onto the quilt — but they’re going to take some getting used to. (It’s awkward when I have to start a new line and pull the bottom thread to the top with the gloves on — I end up with a lot more thread pulled than I’m used to.) The Slider also helps move the quilt around easily — although I’ll be able to evaluate the drag on the needle better when I get to the edges of the quilt. (I started quilting in the middle which keeps most of the quilt on the table so there’s not much drag at this point.)
Quilting with the feed dogs down does feel a lot different — I can tell that I have a higher chance of messing up the intentionality of the line if I’m not extra careful. I might try decreasing the presser foot tension the next time I sit at the machine.
There’s a learning curve in everything new — but I think that these are good things to learn.
Today, I managed to finish quilting the mom in my piece — except for her hair and clothes.
I am worried about my sewing machine. I don’t know that I’ll ever want to buy another Viking given the customer service problems I’ve had with them — but nor do I relish the thought of learning an entirely new machine.
My friend Rebecca has a Janome 5500 that I may borrow for a while — so I can try another something new.
Tweek!
011 years ago
Another week has gone by — January is disappearing fast. I am hoping to finish my current piece by the end of the month — but I have a lot of personal roadblocks in the coming week — so that may just not be possible. I have finished all of the appliqué and I’m getting ready to start quilting it. Wish me luck.
I shared a lot of fun articles this week — and this is my weekly summary. Remember if you want to follow my posts directly on Twitter — I am @vsgreaves — or click the Twitter icon in the upper right above the menu. You’ll also notice the Facebook icon there next to it — that will take you to my Facebook Page.
This is Kathleen Loomis’s review of the book Thinking Through Craft by Glenn Adamson — sobering view of the art world — but I’ve definitely put this book on my reading list:
“Clawing your way out — or in” of the “art world” http://artwithaneedle.blogspot.com/2014/01/clawing-your-way-out-or-in.html
I’ve become a big believer in tracking your progress — even if you’re a studio artist and you’re only accountable to yourself:
““The Ostrich Problem” and The Danger of Not Tracking Your Progress” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/The99Percent/~3/hy5rJbiMTIE/the-ostrich-problem-and-the-danger-of-not-tracking-your-progress
I’m always interested in marketing my work and finding new information that will help:
How Artists Can Make Art That Will Sell – Artpromotivate http://buff.ly/1i8N5DV via @ArtProMotivate
Lisa Call is textile artist that I started following a couple of years ago because she’s so successful at making a lot of work and selling it — so when she talks, I listen:
“To make it happen, I write it down” @lisacall http://tinyurl.com/nssckaj
Since I photograph my own work, I’m always interested in fine tuning my textile photography skills:
How to photograph textile art http://tinyurl.com/kdrjw6n
I liked this article — it talked about getting your brain into the flow and why critiquing can be harmful to that:
“Work First, Critique Second” getting into the creative flow http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/The99Percent/~3/FK_gfyT5D7I/work-first-critique-second
I share all of my in process work on my blog — which is ironic because I’m highly protective of sharing the work out of my studio. When someone comes to the house, I typically cover it up so it won’t be seen — because, as the previous article mentioned, criticism can be harmful to flow. There are only a couple of people that I’ll discuss in process work with — but I suppose my blog hasn’t contradicted that rule because I don’t typically receive a lot of comments. This article argues that sharing work with the masses can be harmful to the creative cycle and that special support groups are what is needed.
“In Praise of the Creative Support Group” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/The99Percent/~3/CjJUNjy1SHk/in-praise-of-the-creative-support-group
This article is written from the perspective of a photographer but still has an important lesson — if you’re given lemons, make lemonade:
“Use Optimism to Avoid “Work Paralysis”” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/The99Percent/~3/L1X6FzTnjao/use-optimism-to-avoid-work-paralysis
I found this discussion of ivory an interesting one. Ivory is typically used as a carving medium for sculpture — but its harvesting also typically results in the death of elephants and the subsequent elimination of free roaming elephants. The question becomes — does a piece of sculpture that is made of ivory constitute art — or is it only a sign of the slaughter of wild elephants — and should we grind down all ivory whether it is carved or not to dissuade poachers from continuing to slaughter elephants?
“To Stop the Illegal Ivory Trade, You Have to Stop the Art” http://hyperallergic.com/103288/to-stop-the-illegal-ivory-trade-you-have-to-stop-the-art/
