textile paintings
Posts tagged exhibition
How To Make Lemonade
112 years ago
Last week I finished fusing the Yorkie. I put her up on my black design wall for a quick pic. Most things look so stunning on black.
And then I started the tedious process of appliquing all of those raw edges. I use a tiny zigzag. There is so much thread in this piece from applique, I doubt there will be much stabilizer that I can tear off the back.
I did applique the piece onto white muslin. I knew that my background was going to have its own applique elements — so it was easiest to use the muslin as my canvas.
Just as I was finishing the applique on the Yorkie, Pokey Bolton announced the exhibit It’s Raining Cats & Dogs at the IQA-Houston show in the Fall. I had known about it earlier because there was an invitational exhibit that included my piece Unconditional last year — and I was told that the following year, it would be juried. So I did have this in mind as I started this piece — and I also think that animals are much more marketable than people in terms of selling my work.
However, Pokey threw me a curve ball. The minimum on any side must be 25″ — the shortest side of mine was 24″. Clearly, I was going to have to make the best of things. I threw on my creative thinking cap and starting working. I considered a border — the easiest solution — but I don’t think that that would add anything to the design. I finally decided to extend the bottom. I freeform cut it too — I felt very brave. There is more here than I’ll need but there will be some shrinkage in quilting.
I also decided that the left eye just wasn’t cutting it. There is a sprig of hair obstructing our view of the eye, but I still felt like it needed more of the detail of the iris.
Now it makes more sense to me.
This is the final top. I have added the details of a jacket around her and the background behind the two figures.
I taught a class last week to my Fiber Art Fusion group about Color/Value & Picking Fabrics. It made me realize how dependent I’ve become on my color wheel. Can you see the tetradic color scheme (or double complement) I used? I think it works — although this is technically the hardest color combination to do successfully. I actually had no idea what to put in the background on the right — but figured out that pulling the green over from the collar but in a value deeper than the coat would work best.
So now I will start quilting. I just wanted to share with you how this little piece was coming along.
2013 Goals
112 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Goals
Now that the new year has begun, it is time to start looking forward. This year, I’m planning more than I have in the past. Maybe by sharing goals on my blog, I’ll feel more accountable.
I went back and forth on some of these. The truth of the matter is that as much as I would like gallery representation, I know from my mom, a very talented impressionist painter, that the galleries in Atlanta typically demand 20 of your newest pieces with a regular rotation. My current mode of working requires a month or two to complete one piece. Last year, I completed only six pieces. So it comes down to the desire to enter exhibitions versus gallery representation (even if I could produce enough work to satisfy the inventory demands of a gallery). I could put both on my goals list, but I know that realistically, only one will work. I chose exhibitions.
I am, however, considering starting a different series of smaller pieces that I could complete more quickly and that I could then list on some online galleries. I’m going to experiment with that. You’ll notice I put it at the bottom of the list with asterisks as caveats. I’m uncertain about these goals for several reasons — we’ll see how it goes.
I’m also planning to start writing more on my Facebook Page and my blog — and I’ll be visiting my local galleries, getting to know them, and then I’ll share all of that local flavor with you. There are a LOT more galleries than I thought in my town — but I think that it’s important to get to know your local art scene as intimately as possible. I’ve been cooped up in my studio a bit too much. Time to get out and shake things up a bit. EVENTUALLY I hope to add some galleries in downtown Atlanta — but for now, I’m starting small.
- Have at least 2 years of my blog printed into hardback books (plan to use Blog2Print.com).
- Design & print new business cards.
- Take a photography class (probably lynda.com).
- Develop a workshop on Choosing Fabrics Creatively.
- Finish a piece to enter Sacred Threads 2013.
- Develop new method for designing quilt labels on the Apple platform so that I can finally pitch my PC.
- Complete the first draft of a book about Textile Portraits.
- Join Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance.
- Increase blog posts to once a week.
- Create at least six portraits.
- Create an Art Contact email and snail mail list.
- Double the number of Facebook Page fans.
- Enter at least 6 different exhibitions.
- Update Facebook banner with newer work.
- Post to Facebook Page 3x per week.
- Visit at least 12 art galleries in Roswell and write a review of at least one exhibition per gallery.
- Increase web traffic 20% from last year.
- Make spreadsheet with goals and dates to monitor progress.
- *** Make two small pieces per month.
- *** List small work on artfire.com or artfulhome.com.
2012 Accomplishments
012 years ago
One of my art friends on Facebook, Kimberly Baxter Packwood, asked yesterday what was our top accomplishment for the year. Lisa Call and Dale Anne Potter chimed in — and I began to realize that making a list of what I accomplished in 2012 was definitely something I needed to do. My first list was less than twenty, but after reading Lisa’s list (she lists 100 every year), I realized I wasn’t giving myself enough credit. So I’ve been working on it.
At first I also had a list of disappointments, but I decided that those were actually risks that I took that should be counted as accomplishments. Without risk, we’d never travel anywhere new.
Lincoln
– Accepted into Fulton County Artist’s Registry in Atlanta, GA.
– Accepted into the La Conner Quilt Festival in La Conner, WA (Bukonyan Elder).
– Won 1st place at the La Conner Quilt Festival (Bukonyan Elder).
– Accepted into the Georgia Artists Show at the Abernathy Arts Center in Sandy Springs, GA (Amelia Earhart, Beach Guardians).
– Won 3rd place at the Georgia Artists Show (Amelia Earhart).
– Accepted into International Quilt Festival/Houston: World of Beauty in Houston, TX (Beach Guardians, A Walk In Twilight).
– Included in the invitational show International Quilt Festival/Houston: Pets in Houston, TX (Unconditional).
– Included in a IQF exhibit review by Sophie Rubin on Youtube (Unconditional).
– Accepted into the book Art Quilt Portfolio: People & Portraits being published by Lark Crafts in April 2013 (Celtic Woman).
– Included in the invitational show Fiber Art Fusion: Artifact at The Art Place in Marietta, GA (Arminta Patterson, The Ties That Bind Us).
– Spoke about my work at the Gwinnett Quilter’s Guild & taught my workshop on Pet Portraits.
– Gave a seminar on Textile Photography at Fiber Art Fusion in Marietta, GA.
Laura Margaret
– Created five portrait pieces, two of them with two figures.
– Made a portrait almost exclusively with ties from my stash and local thrift stores (The Ties That Bind Us).
– Updated my website for each of my new pieces.
– Reconstructed and updated my art resume.
– Updated my LinkedIn resume, adding my exhibition achievements.
– Wrote 22 blog posts (23 with this one) — averaging almost twice a month.
– Submitted work to Art Book Archive: Atlanta for inclusion (haven’t heard on e-book publication yet).
– Created a Page on Facebook for my art & syndicated my blog posts to it.
The Ties That Bind Us
– Lost 11 pounds and dropped two clothes sizes.
– Developed a way to create figures in large sections so that I could construct them in manageable pieces on a temporary surface and then build a more complicated piece on the background.
– Went zip-lining in Honduras.
– Went cave tubing in Belize (after hiking over river rocks and breaking my toe).
– Went snuba diving in Mexico.
– Took thousands of sports photos and learned to share them through DropBox.
– Photographed the Fiber Art Fusion Artifact annual exhibit and holiday exchange.
– Indoor trained a new puppy.
A Walk In Twilight
– Converted hundreds of printed family pics to digital.
– Finally found the names of my paternal grandfather’s parents and was then able to take that part of my tree back to 466 AD with the birth of King Clovis I.
– Served as a Unit Leader and Troop Treasurer for my daughter’s American Heritage Girls troop.
– Created a 5”x7” piece for the Fiber Art Fusion holiday exchange that I’m using as a model for a larger piece.
– Visited Mary Jo’s Cloth Store in Gastonia, NC.
– Learned about head concussions and other soccer injuries from my daughter.
– Spent a week in Ponte Vedra, FL for Spring Break taking lots of beach pictures and exploring Saint Augustine.
– Helped Rebecca Reasons-Edwards curate Fiber Art Fusion: Artifact exhibit.
– Played roles of volleyball mom, lacrosse mom, soccer mom, and choir mom.
Beach Guardians
– Saw MacBeth downtown at Shakespeare’s Tavern.
– Applied for a part time job at local children’s hospital (not accepted).
– Applied for entry into Quilts=Art=Quilts for the first time (not juried in).
– As of 12/30/12, there were 12,680 views on my website for the year — which was down 23% from 2011. This was caused by a bubble in 2011 from a mention of my blog in Quilter’s Home Magazine, but although views dropped between 2011 and 2012, views increased 154% from 2010 to 2012 so I was able to keep a lot of my traffic after this unexpected marketing windfall.
– Created a Facebook banner highlighting my work.
– Learned how to make resin jewelry.
At this point, only half of the work is done. I’m still working on my goals and will share that in another post.
Not At Houston
012 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Exhibition
Years ago, I had the privilege is attending the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah. There were miles and miles of the most extraordinary quilts I had ever seen. Every time I came to the end of a row, there was another one, each quilt more breathtaking than the last. I marveled that anyone could jury awards and somehow discern the placement of one over another.
Although I don’t enter Paducah anymore because of their size restrictions — this is how I imagine the International Quilt Festival in Houston to be like — probably larger. I have had the honor of having many quilts there but have not been able to visit myself. At this time of year, the blog posts from friends attending makes me wish I could hop on a plane. I’ll get there one day.
I have one quilt in the invitational exhibit Pets — Unconditional. This is a piece I created several years ago and shows the unconditional love that my mother’s Brittany Spaniel has for her. Given the popularity of the animal pieces that I have done, I should really make more of them. They are much more marketable — portraits of people are much more personal to the subject — although I do not use marketability often in choosing a subject for a piece — no more than I use exhibit themes as guidelines for ideas. I like to create pieces that are inspirational to me — although I can appreciate that that is not always the most marketable decision.
I also have two pieces at the same show in the World of Beauty Exhibit — People, Places, & Figures category. I confess I don’t actually know if they hang the exhibit by category — although it makes sense that they would.
The first is Beach Guardians, a piece I made last year based on my children when they were younger. I love the perspective of looking down on them from above.
The second piece in the same exhibit is called A Walk in Twilight created earlier this year. It is about friendship and the joy that we share in each other’s company. Sometimes we just need to remember to take our friends along to make the journey more enjoyable.
These were the first two pieces I made with multiple subjects — although you could argue that Amelia Earhart had two subjects — Amelia and her plane. I still struggle with backgrounds and deciding whether more complex is actually helpful to the piece or not. Sometimes I think something simple is best — you don’t want to detract from the main subject — but other times, a complex background adds to the story of the piece and still enhances the portrait.
I have also been privileged with winning a first place ribbon from the La Conner Quilt Festival in the Open: Fiber Art Quilted category for Bukonyan Elder. This is my first year to have entered this show and I was thrilled to place. Their Top Honors Exhibit will extend until the end of the year and will be available for viewing at the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum in La Conner, WA.
Lastly, my piece Celtic Woman is being included in a book to be released this coming April. I have not been published in a book before so I can’t wait to receive my copy. I will give more details on this publication at a later date.
The Finish Line
013 years ago
I am embarrassed to say I realized the other day that I had not written a blog post during the month of August. My only defense are deadlines. I have been writing several proposals — I’ve been entering more shows — and I spent a frantic two weeks (once school had started back) finishing my piece for the Fiber Art Fusion show. We hung it on Tuesday at The Art Place in Marietta, GA. I will post pictures of the show later. The artist’s reception will be on the 13th at 7pm — and it runs through this month only.
I have two pieces in this show — Arminta Patterson and my new piece, made from men’s ties, The Ties That Bind Us.
I have had one piece juried into the La Connor Quilt Festival in La Connor, WA– Bukonyan Elder. It will be on display in October.
I have had two pieces juried into IQA Houston’s World of Beauty show — Beach Guardians and A Walk In Twilight. They will be on display in November.
Interestingly, there was quite a bit of debate when the acceptance letters for Houston went out. It used to be that you’d receive a fat or skinny envelope and share the results on QuiltArt (an online forum that works on email) — but technology is speeding us forward. Now many of us have a presence on Facebook, a blog, a website — and we post pics of our work.
The debate is over whether that is fair. IQA judges felt that seeing work online before judging would affect their decisions — so they asked that all pictures of work accepted into the show be removed from the internet.
Which on the surface sounds reasonable. They want only virgin art in their show.
My first argument against this is that seeing a picture of a piece online and seeing it in person are two different kinds of experience. One enhances from the other — it doesn’t detract from it.
My other argument is how much it destroys creativity. My blog & my website are my creative endeavors. If I can’t show a piece that I intend to enter into a virgin show — my blog goes away. Most of my blog shows in process — none of that would then be possible.
I would also be holding pieces for as much as a year before I could publish them on my website — for a show that I might not get into.
IQA does not currently HAVE this rule — they are considering it. Quilt National has this rule — and they are biennial — which would mean that I would hold pieces as long as TWO years before I could publish them on my website.
Virgin rules would effectively take away my ability to interact with the world through my blog and my website — if I choose to enter them. It is my choice to enter them or not. I hope that IQA doesn’t add the virgin rules — because then I choose — my blog or their show.
Georgia Artist’s 2012
113 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Exhibition
Last night was the reception for the Georgia Artist’s Exhibit in Sandy Springs, GA. I rarely get to openings of my shows, but this was near to my home and is sponsored by my own Fulton County.
Both Beach Guardians and Amelia Earhart were in the show. Beach Guardians was in the front of the exhibit and was one of the first pieces you’d see as you walked in the door.
One of my daughters attended with me — I wondered if anyone would realize that the model was at the show. She was probably four or five in the photograph and she’s twelve now, but she still looks the same to me.
I was so stunned when I placed in the show! This is the first time that I’ve placed in an all art show — and my work was the only fiber in the show. I was so excited at how accepting most everyone was to include fiber. Omar, in fact — the gentleman to my left who won Viewer’s Choice and Best of Show — was so excited about my work that he insisted that we be photographed together in the winner’s circle. I was very flattered.
I received third place with an orange ribbon — which was quite a show against my purple dress!
And Amelia Earhart took the ribbon. She was placed on a back hallway — and although I think the majority of attendees were most taken with Beach Guardians, Amelia captured the eye of the judge.
This is Omar Richardson’s wonderful piece — My 2 World Look Deep, Lyns? As I mentioned, it took Viewer’s Choice and Best of Show.
I also had the opportunity to meet Penny Beasley, a wonderful artist that works in my area. This is her piece — Untitled. It was hanging next to Beach Guardians, and I didn’t realize it at first, but it has almost the same color palette as my piece. They made a wonderful complement to each other.
Her friend took a picture of us together in front of our works. I hope to see Penny again.
It was a great show. Several of my friends showed up — and a good time was had by all! The show will be on view from now until June 15, 2012 at the Abernathy Arts Center.
Reception Tonight
013 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Exhibition
I have two pieces, Amelia Earhart and Beach Guardians, in the Georgia Artists exhibit being shown at the Abernathy Arts Center in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The reception is tonight 6:30-8:30. I am honored to be included in such a wonderful show. The talent of the other Georgia artists is incredible. Last year, my favorite piece was a bronze sculpture of a huge wing that sat on a pedestal & could be rotated. I can’t wait to see the work included for this year.
Opening of Taking Flight
114 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Exhibition
We had the opening artist’s reception last night for Taking Flight at The Art Place Gallery in Marietta. I think my favorite part was when some traditional artist friends of Rebecca’s came and they got so excited by the work. They were truly inspired by what they saw as a new level of expression. I know that fiber art is growing, but there is still of lot of work to be done in the Southeast — to draw the art of the quilt beyond the bee’s of Southern grandmothers. I plan to enter more traditional art venues in the Southeast — beyond traditional quilt venues — and we’ll just have to see how it goes.
The Art Place Gallery is a small space, but it is more forward thinking than many other galleries in regards to fiber art. We are blessed that they give us the opportunity every year to show our work in their gallery.
For those of you that won’t make the trip to Atlanta in the next couple of weeks, I have prepared images of works in the show so that you may enjoy the exhibit.
Taking Flight From My Life by Julie Runyon Kokan
Statement: The first week of summer vacation, I went to Greece and Italy with my husband, leaving our four kids with my sister. It has been 7 years (and two kids) since we last left them. I had a stressful year at school last year, and I needed to get away. We went to Thessaloniki, Greece and Rome, Italy, both places visited by Saint Paul. Since my husband was attending a conference while we were in Greece, I was free to wander the streets of Thessaloniki by myself every morning. Since I could not speak the language, let alone read the language, I had a lot of time with just my thoughts, and thinking about Saint Paul, as my dad put those thoughts in my head just before I left. Then I went to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where there is a statue of Saint Paul. It was a very spiritual experience for me. This piece is my impression of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Dreams of Flying: Peter Pan by Denny Webster
Statement: Only once have I flown on a magic carpet–on my way to some unidentified dreamworld destination. Lately, when I wonder why I feel compelled to create, I think I may be living part of the life my uncle had planned. He died at 18 in a plane over Italy in 1944. He wanted to be a cartoonist.
Dreams of Flying: Spain by Denny Webster
Statement: As a child I was sick much of the time and I filled many of those home-bound hours listening to the Disney version of Peter Pan. I never wanted to grow up either and I longed to fly. In my dreams I could rise above the houses and yards and float unseen. Sometimes I still can.
Dreams of Flying: Spain by Denny Webster
Statement: In most of my flying dreams I am trying to get to Spain, although “why” remains a mystery. Usually I am racing to get a ticket for a commercial flight, but sometimes I fly a tiny, funny, wind-up plan. What a rush of freedom and adventure!
Exponential Butterflies by Julie Runyon Kokan
Statement: This piece features 31 ribbon butterflies displayed in an exponential growth pattern as you go down the piece. As a math teacher, I am always looking for ways to cross math and art because using different parts of the brain together creates better understanding. If you start with the one butterfly at the top, it doubles each time you go down the panel, ending with sixteen butterflies on the bottom part.
Up, Up and Away by Ben Hollingsworth
Statement: This balloon was made from extra (mistakes) from a paper-pieced piece that I made for the Olympic Quilt Project 2012.
Fall: With a Spring Kind of Attitude by Ben Hollingsworth
Statement: After a guild presentation on stamping on fabric my bee group (the WannaBees) decided to dedicate one of our meetings to stamping on fabric. I finished quilting the leaves and needed a background. The next day I attended a workshop with Nancy Prince on thread painting. I used her technique on the background trees.
Jet Stream by Hellenne Vermillion
Celestial Home by Virginia Greaves
Statement: I created this piece to convey a sense of expansiveness. The snowy mountain peak juts out above the cloud layer, and the eagle flies about in his own personal Elysium.
Nature's Helicopter by Ben Hollingsworth
Statement: One day while walking, I notice this incredible wonder and the idea for this piece was born.
Highway to Hell I by Deb Lacativa
Mirage by Deb Lacativa
Highway to Hell II by Deb Lacativa
Amelia Earhart by Virginia Greaves
Statement: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is mere tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” — Amelia Earhart
Supersedure by Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Supersedure by Rebecca Reasons Edwards
3 to 5 for Moprey by Deb Lacativa
Field of Gold by Sharon Serrano Ahmed
Statement: This piece was actually inspired by a container flower garden. Sitting amidst several other plant-filled containers sat an amazing combination of various flowers and textures. At first it was just the smaller stitched mixed media piece but as I tried to decide the best way to display the piece, I kept remember my initial impression of this one unique container.
Phoenix by Hellenne Vermillion
*SOLD*
Stars Over Elijay by Sharon Serrano Ahmed
Statement: Last year, I purchased a cabin in the North Georgia Mountains. The region inspires me a hundred times a day. It has brought back to me the capacity to see with “new” eyes. Sitting on the deck at night and viewing the clear sky away from the bright lights of Atlanta has become one of my favorite pastimes! When I made the decision to focus on one design theme to create a series of work, it was the clear choice for a subject. The aim was not to create a single large piece, but instead to generate variation on a theme with an emphasis on design creation. It has been an incredible progression as I started with the obvious symmetrical designs and slowly moved to designs that obscuring the star until it isn’t always apparent what the source of the design was.
Elation by Virginia Greaves
Statement: The quiet grace of hot air balloons allows a view of the world altogether missed through the speed of other air travel.
I only got a couple of pictures of the artists. This is Sharon Serrano Ahmed & Julie Runyon Kokan.
And this is me sitting between them.
I have 3 proposals waiting for my consideration so it’s time for me to look forward. Most of the exhibition opportunities that I consider come at this time of year, and this is turning out to be a busy year.
Motus 2010
115 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Inspiration
My Fiber Art Fusion group had our annual show reception last night. (It will continue to be on public display at The Art Place in Marietta through the month of September.) The theme this year was Motus — or Movement — which was a tough one for me. My first thought was to do an optical illusion — more abstract than what I usually do, but I wanted to see if it could be done in fabric. I used colors from the American flag & created Altered States of America:
When I made this piece, I showed it to a friend of mine that couldn’t see it — which I really didn’t understand — until another friend told me that some people can’t see optical illusions. (Learn something new every day.)
I also made this much larger piece, We the People:
and included a piece I made earlier in the year, Cracked:
I think it was a very successful show, and I was honored to be included with such a wonderful group of women (and Ben).
