textile paintings
Virginia Greaves
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Home page: http://www.virginiagreaves.com
Posts by Virginia Greaves
Tweek!
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Twitter
It’s time again for my weekly Twitter roundup. Remember if you want to follow me on Twitter, my handle is @vsgreaves — or hit the Twitter icon in the upper right above the menu.
I shop at JoAnn’s — so there. But there are times that it can be one of the worst places on earth. I really think it is one of the places that customer service has died:
Some bad language – but JoAnn’s can often be a gateway to hell: http://tinyurl.com/mowx85p
Anyone looking for copyright free images for their artwork should review the new Creative Commons 4.0 licenses:
“Creative Commons Goes More Global With Version 4.0” http://hyperallergic.com/96592/creative-commons-goes-more-global-with-version-4-0/
I use WordPress for my blog — and my entire website. Choosing a theme is like choosing the wrapper for your product. Give it some thought:
“A Guide to WordPress Ecommerce Themes for Artist Websites” http://theabundantartist.com/wordpress-ecommerce-themes-for-artist-websites/
This is an interesting article about yet another independent artist having their work taken out from under them by a fairly well-known director:
“Spike Lee Doesn’t Do the Right Thing [UPDATED]” More copyright news to consider. http://hyperallergic.com/95917/spike-lee-doesnt-do-the-right-thing/
As artists, there are certain habits that we need to consider harmful to the development of our work:
10 Things You Probably Do That Block Your Creativity http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-things-you-probably-that-block-your-creativity.html via @lifehackorg via @FortheCreators
This is a great checklist of things that artists need to update in their annual planning and goal setting:
15 Point Checklist for a Successful #art business in 2014 http://buff.ly/190CKYu pic.twitter.com/fXntLw9SXv via @ArtsyShark
R.I.P. “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” -Nelson Mandela via @ATLFlipFlops
My mom is a professional oil painter so I’ve always had an idea of how to handle requests for art donations, but many artists don’t realize exactly how unfair the process is to the artist until after they’ve paid their taxes:
How to Respond to Requests for Art Donations http://buff.ly/18nVJeT via @ArtsyShark
Mama’s Clothes
011 years ago
I have a dream to finish cutting out all this entire piece before the Christmas break. It’s ambitious but I’m putting the pedal to the metal and seeing what I can get done in the time that I have.
I started this week with her shirt. It’s hard to see hear since it’s white.
Here I’ve completed her jacket and her shirt shows up better. She’s actually hanging on my design board — that’s why the background is black. When I take a picture of this piece on the ironing board, I can’t get high enough above it to take a pick that doesn’t have some distortion. You can see some of that in the pic above.
The only issue I have is that some of darker values of the shirt are blending into her skin. The two pieces under her hand I can easily swap into jacket fabric. The lower pieces on the left will probably become lighter values.
Although it looks red in this picture, the colors are an orange red — more rust colored. I wanted the mother to have a hot color — and then the children will have cool colors. A bright red would have been too cheery — the rust conveys a more worn feeling.
Then I started on the son leaning on her left shoulder. He is turned away from the viewer so you only see the back of his neck.
I did use the same fabrics that I used for the mother. When I made Beach Guardians, the two sisters have the same fabrics. I think it gives a feeling of relationship between the two — unlike the duet piece A Walk in Twilight when I used different fabrics for the two friends.
And this is his hair. I like that he’s more blond relative to the darkness of his mother. He is, however, tucking himself into her side & behind her so I will at some point have to add some darker tone to the crown of his head where his head leans into his mother’s hair.
I was free to make his jacket any color I chose — but really, the smart thing is to let the color wheel have a say in it. Since I chose an orange red for the mother, I chose a green for her son. On her other side, her daughter will have a blue — probably more on the gray side though.
And the baby in her lap — I just don’t know at this point. Today I’ve finished the daughter’s neck, fist, and arm — but her hair will take some time.
Tweek!
111 years ago
I had every intention of having some creative time this week. Although my girls would be home from school — and my mom was arriving late Wednesday — surely I would have some studio time — right? I didn’t factor in keeping the girls entertained or the huge meal I had to prepare. I converted my studio into a guest room and didn’t look back.
Now that my guest is gone — well . . . .all of the Christmas decorations had to go up. Two days. No studio time.
The good news is that the girls go back to school tomorrow and I’m hoping for some studio time.
And sadly, I didn’t get to read much — so I didn’t Tweet much either — all sucked into the time warp that we call Thanksgiving.
My mom is an impressionist oil painter, so from the time I was very young, I’ve been fond of Impressionist work — so I could this article about Imelda Marcos’s assistant interesting:
“Former Imelda Marcos Assistant Convicted in Impressionist Art Fraud” http://hyperallergic.com/94182/former-imelda-marcos-assistant-convicted-in-impressionist-art-fraud/
“Artists Auction Their Facebook Profiles” http://hyperallergic.com/93799/an-auction-of-digital-artists-not-just-the-art/
“Branding Your Art Business” http://www.artbizblog.com/2013/11/branding-for-artists.html
Sadly, there is a German law that will probably keep the original owners of the Nazi stolen work from every retrieving their property:
“Weekend Words: Law” 1938 German law makes return of Nazi stolen works unlikely http://hyperallergic.com/94714/weekend-words-law/
Tweek!
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Twitter
I haven’t been a very good twitter-er this week. I’m currently reading the most recent book by Donna Tartt — The Goldfinch — and it’s taking all of the time that I would usually be reading about the art world. I loved Donna Tartt’s last two books — and she took a ten year break before publishing her third — so this novel has been much anticipated by more than just little old me.
If you would like to follow my twittering — my handle is @vsgreaves — or click the Twitter icon above the menu.
Why Strategic Planning is So Hard for Creative People http://www.productiveflourishing.com/strategic-planning-hard-creative-people/ via @charliegilkey via @abstanfield
What Neuroscience Says About The Link Between Creativity And Madness By Eric Jaffe http://buff.ly/1811h1h via @FastCoDesign via @ArtsyShark
Photographer Tapes a $50 Lens To His P&S Camera To Take Stunning Macro Snowflake Photos | DeMilked http://www.demilked.com/macro-snowflakes-diy-camera-alexey-kljatov/ via @demilked
Remember the unfortunate portrait of Kate Middleton? This one depicted the Danish royal family.
“Another Royal Portrait Disaster” http://hyperallergic.com/95046/another-royal-portrait-disaster/
“Another Royal Portrait Disaster” http://hyperallergic.com/95046/another-royal-portrait-disaster/
Mothers and Their Children
411 years ago
I haven’t worked on a person since I made Lincoln a year ago — but given that it was so successful at IQF, I thought maybe I should revisit making people again.
So I found this incredible picture taken by a government official in the 1930’s of a woman surrounded by her children and the lines of worry embedded in her face — and I decided to use this as my inspiration. (Don’t worry — this is a public domain picture.)
At first I chose this because of the parallels between the economy today and that of the Great Depression, but as I worked on it, I began to see it more as a metaphor for motherhood — how mothers worry and how their children are naturally oblivious to her stress.
This is the first value. Not much to see — although I’ve found this to be one of the most important layers. If I’m going to be criticized, it’s usually on the brightness of this first layer.
In the second value, you can see the worry lines in her forehead and the outline of her arm and fingers.
The third value gives you a fuller outline of her face and arm.
The fourth value gives you the deepening of shadows.
She begins to come alive in the fifth value.
And the deepest shadows are in the sixth value. I did not add color to her irises — I intentionally kept them black. I also added a dot of white to her eyes.
Then I went to her hair. I purposefully decided to keep it dark.
The second value is a dark brown.
And the third value is black.
At this point, I need to start her blouse and jacket. I’m considering making her very conspicuous with hot colors in her clothes — and then using coolers colors in the children — to convey the difference in mood between them — but I’m also considering making the children into more literal shadows using tulle and thread and not completely appliquéing them with fabric like I did the mother. It’s something for me to consider for a while.
Houston Festival part 4
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Exhibition
There were so many quilts at Festival — I thought I had seen them all, but reading the blogs of other visitors, I realize how much I missed.
Obviously, I loved all of the art quilts. I’m not as interested in the traditional pieces — although I love to marvel over the handwork and stitching of Sharon Schamber’s work.
I did, by the way, really REALLY wanted to take pics of some of the exhibits — I had security guards follow me around since I had a camera in my hand — but other than the World of Beauty, most of the other ones had signs up declaring no pictures allowed. I loved SAQA’s portrait exhibit — which has made me think about re-joining.
These are the pictures of pieces that caught my eye. I have given attribution to each artist and a link to their website.
Sandy Curran‘s Jack
Marilyn Belford‘s The Wrath of Poseidon
Jennifer Bowker‘s The Quiltmaker — I particularly love this piece — not just for the color — but for the teeth. Few people are willing to appliqué teeth — I love seeing how someone else would do it.
Jennifer Day‘s Boy and His Best Friend
Barbara McKie‘s Caught in the Act — the use of trapunto in such a non-traditional way made this piece really come alive and feel dimensional.
Jan Reed‘s Ancient Echoes
Jane Haworth‘s Brian the Basilisk
Honey, I Can’t Find My Earrings! by Maggie Stimson, Edith Harmer, Donna Parker, Diane May, Pat Durbin, Rosalinda Brainerd, and Gerry Smetzer — fantastic slice quilt!
A close up shot of Christine Alexiou‘s Septum Peccata Mortalia (Seven Deadly Sins).
Kathy York‘s Windows
David Taylor‘s Did You Wash Your Beak?
The quilting on this was so fabulous I had to take a close-up shot.
David Taylor‘s Cock of the Walk
I hate to say that this is the end — but it is. Houston was such a grand adventure and I loved every minute of it.
Houston Festival part 3
111 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Exhibition
To continue from my last post, at this point in my adventure, preview night is getting ready to start.
TWEET: Preview night starts in 15 minutes.
5 hours of marathon-ing for me. I had high hopes. I knew that I only had 5 hours to see all of the quilts and then see the vendors with what little strength I would have left. After walking around the convention center yesterday, I had convinced myself that tennis shoes, however practical they may be, were going to be my shoes of choice. I admit to vanity — after seeing a certain someone looking incredibly fashionable in leather pants and low heels — I just couldn’t do it. I came to regret that later. This is the view of the vendor area from a portal on the 2nd floor before the show opened.
TWEET: Line to get to escalator to go downstairs to exhibit hall. Waiting for it to open. Quilters are such polite and friendly people. This was probably most apparent in the line of people waiting to go down the escalator to get in the show.
I took a lot of pictures of quilts at the show. Immediately as I started taking pictures, I could see myself being a hypocrite. For years, I’ve been concerned with people taking pictures of my work at shows and not giving attribution — or giving attribution but then putting their copyright image on the picture of my piece (which then gets pinned somewhere & causes confusion about copyright ownership) — or not putting the right permissions on something posted in FLICKR that allows anyone to print mouse pads with my images. I really need to just take a breath. I will show some pieces, I will give attribution, I will give links if possible, and if someone is uncomfortable with that, I will gladly delete the piece. First of all, I had another piece in the show — The White Raven.
There were many other birds in the show. I have to say that there were so many well done birds in the show, I may be done with birds. To say that the work was fantastic doesn’t quite cover it. This is Barb Forrister‘s Sunrise Serenade. I had to take this piece at a strange angle so there is some camera distortion — but the colors and the threadwork on this piece are inspiring. Barb really knows how to bring a peacock alive.
This is Ricky & Lucy by Nancy Sterett Martin and Karen Sistek. It’s painted silk. It is fabulous.
TWEET: My piece Firecracker next to Barbara Beasley’s Best Friend. I love hers. #quiltfestival
Remember my new friend Karen Ponischil?
This is her wonderful piece Princess Daphne that won an honorable mention in the Art-Miniature category. LOTS of thread painting to get that wonderfully furry effect.
I don’t want to forget to show you Christine Alexiou‘s piece Seven Deadly Sins one last time — so you can truly see that there were multiple pages in her fabric book.
I had a great opportunity to spend some time speaking with Thelma Bearden. Her piece, Very Berries, won 2nd place in Art-Abstract, Small. She is also a painter and has a wonderful grasp of how to make color work for her. I don’t think that my camera does this piece justice.
At the very end of the exhibit hall was the Healing Threads in Medicine exhibit, a group of quilts curated by the same people that curated Sacred Threads. I had two pieces in the Herndon, VA Sacred Threads exhibit but was unable to attend. They have since also traveled to the Sacred Threads-Omaha exhibit. It was wonderful to meet Lisa Ellis and Vicki Pignatelli and thank them for the wonderful opportunity to be included.
TWEET: Me with Lisa Ellis & Vicki Pignatelli.
At this point, I stopped and went back to my piece. Can you believe I only took this one shot of it with its blue ribbon? I didn’t even think about getting someone to take a pic of it with me and the ribbon.
Then I went to dinner with my new friends at the other end of the exhibit hall. When we were done, I wandered through the vendor area. It was completely overwhelming. There was stuff everywhere. I should have bought things — but I didn’t. I bought one Pashmina scarf. All of the fabric was either a novelty or brights so nothing really interested me — but I think also that exhaustion was starting to overtake me. I really wanted to find the Superior Threads booth because I love their thread — and I did manage to find them — but by that point, I was done. I was completely exhausted. I had almost an hour left before preview night closed down, and I just couldn’t do anymore. I did love this booth — it was full of the most amazing dolls. These are the dragons.
TWEET: Amazing doll patterns!
On the way out, I took one last look at the section where Lincoln was. I thought about getting a good group shot of the White Raven — but I just couldn’t make myself go backwards. TWEET: I’m exhausted — can’t do any more. Crawling back to my room.
Thank goodness the convention center is attached to the hotel. It was so easy to get back to my room. This is what the convention center looked like from my room.
And this is some of the skyline of Houston that night.
I had a fabulous time — but I was ready to go home. This shot was taken very early the next morning outside the front of the Hilton while I waited on my shuttle. TWEET: Houston — I’ve had a blast — but I’m heading back home to my girls.
One of the items in my winner’s envelope was a long list of awards sponsors to whom I was asked to send thank you notes. I have to admit that my first reaction was one of trepidation, but upon further reflection, I realized the wonderful extended opportunity it offered. I went home and ordered postcards from Moo.com with Lincoln on the front. I am currently addressing them in preparation of sending them to all of the wonderful sponsors.
TWEET: I’ve ordered from MOO! Jealous? Get 10% off: http://www.moo.com/share/mctdkn via @overheardatmoo
— It is now a week since I wrote this post. Unfortunately, server problems kept me from posting it.
I will have one last post on Houston — with the remaining pieces that I fell in love with.
Tweek!
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Twitter
This has been a dreadful week. Last week, I tried to update my blog — and found out that although I have kept my WordPress site up to date — my hosting service has kept me on an extremely outdated Legacy server. It’s a reminder of how old my website is. They never upgraded it to new technology — according to them, because I never asked. Well I will now. I will make an annual appointment to call them and discuss the server administration of my website. It was hurtful to see the website crash because of server overload — that shouldn’t be an issue anymore.
I’m glossing over the painful specifics of dealing with GoDaddy. Now that the hard part is over, I will consider whether or not to continue that relationship in light of the past week. Although the website was view-able most of the week — I was unable to make any additions or changes. Not only do I have my final Houston notes to share, I have sold two pieces — The Bowl Judgments and Firecracker. I have also started a new piece.
But I digress. This post is about my weekly tweets. Please note that you would prefer to follow my tweets in real time, I can be reached at @vsgreaves — or through clicking the Twitter icon in the upper right hand side of the screen just above the menu.
This is a great photo of some street art in Tel Aviv:
Street Art Picture On Building in Tel Aviv: National Geographic http://zite.to/1iWtQMz
This is a wonderful project a woman created for making wheelchair artwork for Alzheimer’s patients:
Regina B Dunn: A Remarkable Project http://reginabdunn.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-remarkable-project.html?spref=tw
Alleged Design Pirate Cody Foster Is Only Sorry They Were Caught By @drcrypt http://www.fastcodesign.com/3021165/alleged-design-pirate-cody-foster-is-only-sorry-they-were-caught via @FastCoDesign
“How to Build An Art Business While Working a Day Job” something I’m currently learning how to do http://theabundantartist.com/how-to-build-an-art-business-while-working-a-day-job/
I have really missed Banksy since his monthlong residency in NY ended — he brought such an immediate discussion of art into the mainstream:
“A Look at the Social Media Impact of #BanksyNY Residency” http://hyperallergic.com/92081/a-look-at-the-social-media-impact-of-banksyny-residency/
Creativity is a drug I cannot live without ~Cecil B. DeMille retweet @ArtsyShark
If you’re trying to find my website – the server is overloaded & the technical fix will take a couple of days. Hope to have it back up ASAP.
Thread sculptures (too cool not to share) http://tinyurl.com/leubm8q #amandamaccouver #thetextileblog
This is an amazing illusionary piece:
“Resurrecting an Illusion: Last Surviving Daguerre Diorama Restored” http://feedly.com/k/1fF93xd
Last week, Hyperallergic had an article about the top 10 most famous artists as defined by famous artists, curators, & collectors. I couldn’t help but wonder about the artists that didn’t make the list — specifically a watercolorist I know who has been personally collected by several living past US Presidents — which made me wonder about the effect of US Presidents on the art world. This is an older article but still fascinating — I had no idea that the permanent collection of the White House almost never collects the work of living artists:
A 2009 article about presidential art acquisitions & how they affect the art world: http://tinyurl.com/la75qp6
Let’s put things in perspective:
Artwork prices vs. baseball contracts: http://tinyurl.com/kuoyuqy
Tweek!
111 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Twitter
It’s time for my weekly TWEEK! twitter round-up.
If you’d rather follow me in real time on Twitter, find me @vsgreaves or use the Twitter icon just above the menu on the right hand side.
I’ve become quite a Banksy fan during his visit to Brooklyn this past month. It’s hard to believe that it’s come to a close — but it’s been great fun seeing the excitement that he’s created, the way he’s inspired conversations on art in that community (and online) — and let’s face it, “everyone loves a rebel Harry.”
TWEET: “Coney Island’s Banksy Robot, Busy Weekend in Brooklyn [UPDATE 2]” http://hyperallergic.com/90612/coney-islands-banksy-robot-busy-weekend-in-brooklyn/
TWEET: “Banksy’s New Work Reflects on Banality of Evil, Benefits Charity [UPDATE 2]” http://hyperallergic.com/90789/banksys-new-work-reflects-on-banality-of-evil-benefits-charity/
TWEET: “Banksy Creates a Bronx Zoo, Invader Invades NYC, Awesome Banksy GIFs” http://hyperallergic.com/90992/bankys-creates-a-graffiti-zoo-invader-invades-nyc-awesome-banksy-gifs/
Can you believe that someone hid 1,500 works of art in their walls in Munich? And that the father of the current owner did this under the auspices of the Nazis?
TWEET: “1,500 Works of Nazi-Looted Art Discovered in Munich” http://hyperallergic.com/91724/1500-works-of-nazi-looted-art-discovered-in-munich/
TWEET: “Don’t Give It Away for Free!” Response to NYT article “Slaves of the Internet Unite!” http://feedly.com/k/172R8en
This is just plain interesting — taking famous portrait paintings and staging them with real actors for photography:
http://justsomething.co/22-famous-paintings-revisited-as-photographs/
We like to think that large corporations don’t steal ideas from independent artists, but unfortunately it happens more than we care to realize:
TWEET: Urban Outfitters steals from independent artist — not cool! http://tinyurl.com/3f85v5j
I find it fascinating that an artist goes into public spaces and creates in promptu thread sketches with her sewing machine. Even better, she’s done it in a Chinese factory where they make shoes by hand.
TWEET: Traveling Textile Performance Artist: http://tinyurl.com/n8snpcd
Sometimes I come across an artist whose work just has to be shared:
TWEET: Intricately Detailed Murals of Animals Living in Harmony – My Modern Metropolis http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/adonna-khare-illustrations via @mymodernmet
TWEET: Why creative people sometimes make no sense: http://tinyurl.com/mzfewyu
One of my sources for finding great articles to share is the RSS reader Feedly. It’s currently down on Saturday, the night I like to catch up on what is going on in the art world.
TWEET: Feedly is down. It’s Saturday night. What do I do now? #Feedly #signofareader
Knowing Feedly was down and watching all of the angry tweets arising out of the chaos, I went in search of why and found this explanation.
TWEET: The tyranny of Google+ continues! Now #Feedly requires it to log in… but they’re already backing down. http://blog.feedly.com/2013/11/07/google-authentication/
Houston Festival part 2
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Exhibition
After the Winner’s Circle, you can be certain that I hardly slept. I went to the hotel bar (perfect spot for a party of one), had some soup, and then went back to my room to try to sleep.
TWEET: Victoria Findlay Wolfe took this just before I walked on stage last night. #quiltfestival
I wish I had a pic of me on the stage. There was a photographer there but I have no idea who he was working for. Anyway, I’m very grateful to Victoria for taking this.
The next day I had a leisurely morning and basically waited for lunch time.
TWEET: Luncheon!
I was so pleased that my new friend Karen sent me a message asking if I wanted to join her for lunch. We met at the door and sat at a table with several of the winners from Japan. They didn’t speak very good English but they were incredibly kind and friendly.
TWEET: Takido Fusako on the left game me a hand sewn flower that is beautiful!
The woman on the left, Takido Fusako (her piece Crest of Tulip won a Judge’s Choice award), gave me a hand sewn pin (which looked awesome on my black jacket). The woman on the right, Sachiko Chiba, gave me an autographed print of her beautiful quilt My Hope that won 3rd place in Hand Quilting.
TWEET: Flower that Takido Fusako gave me. #quiltfestival
On the stage, all of the top winners ate lunch and then spoke about their piece. The first speaker was Best of Show winner Melissa Sobotka.
TWEET: Melissa Sobotka winner of best of show Chihuly’s Gondola. It’s truly stunning.
TWEET: Melissa — “pay attention to the judge or blow them off” — love it!
She had shown this quilt at another venue and one of the judges told her that there was a problem with the binding. Melissa’s point is that you either take their opinion or don’t worry about it. She did ultimately choose to take off the binding and re-apply another one before sending it off to Houston for judging.
TWEET: Vicki Anderson owes 18 sewing machines! Her speech on Getting Published.
TWEET: #judimadsen mentioned in her speech – on how to make a beautifully quilted quilt.
I’m Facebook friends with Judi and I follow her beautiful machine quilting so I was excited that Vicki showed her work and gave it its proper praise.
After the luncheon, there were a couple — just a couple — of vendor tables outside. I loved these fabric cakes. It reminded me of the felted teacup I made a few years ago.
TWEET: Too cute!
TWEET: I bought this year’ spin & they gave me freebies for 2004, 2007, & 2012. The one on the top left is this year’s pin.
It was strange walking back to my room, seeing quilters that are famous quilters.
TWEET: I feel like such a stalker. I know their names, I follow them on FB but I can’t bring myself to introduce myself.
I went back to my room and took pics of the Convention Center from there. It is such a large building, I couldn’t even get half of it in a frame.
With time to spare before Preview Night at 5pm, I spent some time in the gym. This is the view from the west tower of the Hilton.
TWEET: Technology is so cool. Delta emailed me a check-in, they txt’d a link to my boarding pass, & I saved it in Passbook for tomorrow.
This is my first time to be completely dependent on my smart phone to check in. I’ll never print another boarding pass.
I had planned on putting everything in one post from this one day in Houston — but this post is growing by the minute. I think I’m going to split the rest of it into another post. So look for a part 3 in a couple of days.