Domestic Observances: A success!

Domestic Bliss? Oil, and Mixed Media

   

Brittany Steigert and I had a wonderful time at our opening.  Thank your for the many friends and family members who have come out the show.   The art community has been very positive about our show.  We have even had 2 reviews! 

One from the always kind but truthful  Tom Wachunas: ArtWatch Blog 

The other from Judi Krew: SnarkyArt Blog   it wasn't even too Snarky :) 

I really enjoyed the fact that our pieces work together so well.  Many times it is more interesting for the viewers to see 2 different styles of cohesive artwork, then a whole room of similar art.

I have had MANY people tell me how much they love, and wished they could have bought  the only painting I had in the show(it sold in the 1st hour of the opening).  I haven't created a painted in 4 years.  Now, however, I am thinking that maybe I need to create more paintings.   I am thinking that I could create a very interesting 1 person show with paintings and framed quilts.  

I am itching to get back in my studio.  But, I have started the arduous but exciting process of applying for my MFA.  I am not allowing my self to enter shows or create art until I have finished.  This will force me too get my applications finished.   

I am floating on a cloud of home made apple sauce and excitement for starting my MFA!

Domestic Observances: Experiencing the Everyday Sacred

I am involved in a 2 person show that is both ART QUILT and oil painting.  If you are in the Canton area please stop in!

Domestic Observances: Experiencing the Everyday Sacred. 

with Liz DeBellis & Brittany Steigert 

Working in a variety of media ranging from fibers to oils to ceramics, 

these talented artists will reflect on notions of femininity and domesticity, capturing the magic 

and wonder in the mundane that a woman's intuition can help accentuate.

Anderson Creative

331 Cleveland Ave.

Canton, OH

Gallery hours 

Tuesday-Saturday 

12-5

& 1st Friday's 

http://andersoncreativestudio.com/

I never claimed to be normal

In the words of Ted "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K"  

I am glad my neighbors are used to me because if you drive past my house today you would see some out of the ordinary things.  

A picture frame laying on the drive way, 

An assortment of drying plastic containers, 

and an old mans smoking jacket.  

Also, I am boiling fabric.... 

This is more annoying then I had anticipated, I wish there was an easier way to get the wax out of batik. O, my fabric is done boiling, back to quilting for now.    

Batik and Dye party!

This is the time of the summer when I start to run out of fabric.  As a teacher I have my summers off, so I  choose to spend my summer creating tons of new work for all of my shows in the fall.  

For the first time ever I was brave enough to do batik on my own in my studio.  I loved it! 

I just need to get a Tjanting tool now.  

I also did some more basic dying.   Which didn't go as well as I would have liked.  I have all of my dye books and journals in storage, which I didn't think would be a problem. I dye fabric all the time on a need basis, so I figured I would just be able to remember what I was doing.  I though I would try to do a fabric parfait which is harder to do then I remembered.  Basically I didn't do something right because I ended up with 5 pieces of orangey-red fabric, non of which is particularly cool.   O well they will be a great base for BATIK!

 

A July day in Brikelfern studio

I am having so much fun working in my studio right now.  I have been silk screening, painting, dying, and sewing like a crazy woman.  Every surface, including the ground, is covered in quilts that are at various stages of being done.  

Don't tell anyone but I have even been skipping social engagements so that I can work in my studio.   When I have have a creative hurricane like this I need to roll with it as long as I can. 

My hands might be the dyed same color of black as these strips of fabric... 

If you need to find me, you will know where to look!

Artists Business Software

I have been thinking about the fact that I don't have my artwork saved in any sort of data base.  I have no idea what shows I have entered certain pieces in (don't tell anyone), and every time I enter a piece into a show I have to remeasure it because I don't have that information saved anywhere.

Then in the most recent Art Calender there was an article about things that all artist should have saved on hand and one of those things was to have a working list of artwork, where it is, where it has been, and shows you have entered it in.  

So,  I decided that it was time.  I didn't want to just make a spread sheet because I wanted to have a picture that I could see of each piece with each list.   I spent a few days searching for programs, reading blog posts, asking around, and even posting questions on Facebook.  I didn't want to spend too much on a program so I picked Flick! .  

It is not hard use and it has a pretty interface.   It has some quirky things but I only played $29.95 for it.  My only real complaint is that I cannot list what shows a piece has been entered into on the same page as all of the other information.    

It makes great lists and I think that I does everything that I needed it too.  I am very happy with this program.  

The only problem now is that I have too go through 5 years of artwork and put it all in the database.  That is going to be torture!  

I'm going to try it again

Ok, so I have not been posting much.  I am going to try it again.  I participated in an awesome webinar about blogging given by Melanie Testa earlier this week.   So, to catch up I will just give you a photo montage of a few of the things that I should have been posting about.      

This photo was taken in an amazing fabric shop is the strip district in Pittsburgh.