Unbound

November 12, 2017

November 4 - Opening reception of the Unbound show at the River Street Gallery in New Haven, CT. This lovely gentleman spent a good amount of time inspecting my Forget Me Not. I should have introduced myself and talked to him, right? I mean, that's a big part of what opening receptions are all about, right? I'd love to know what he would have had to say.

River Street Gallery is housed within Fairhaven Furniture. Fairhaven inhabits a large warehouse space and has wonderful merchandise on multiple floors and in many rooms. One of these spaces is the gallery where they have been having high caliber exhibitions for years. Much of the furniture in the store is handcrafted, mostly by artisans who work with wood, and what they show is unique and very beautiful. The artwork they show complements the furniture they sell and vice versa.

Left to Right: Ellen Schiffman, fiber artist and indefatigable leader of our Connecticut (CT) chapter of the Surface Design Association (SDA); Doug Crites-Moore, maker of truly tiny paper sculptures and my husband of 37 years - he looks like he's wearing awesome earmuffs; Sooo-z Mastropietro, fiber artist extraordinaire; and Nancy Moore, award-winning artist and the very talented and unflappable curator of the Unbound show.

Unbound showcases the work of more than 40 artists from the tri-state area, all of whom are members of CT-SDA. The more than 200 works in this show will be on display through January 7, 2018.

For you, a glimpse of some of the items in the show:

JOAN WHEELER :: THE SEEKER :: needle felted wool — JOAN WHEELER :: THE SEEKER :: needle felted wool

JENNIFER DAVIES :: SHIMMER :: pigmented kozo fiber :: 60h x 52w

MINDY HORN :: PALM VESSEL :: ceramic :: 9h x 10w x 8d — MINDY HORN :: PALM VESSEL :: ceramic :: 9h x 10w x 8d

JULIET MARTIN :: I WOULD WEAR THAT: BRONZE :: 16 X 20 — JULIET MARTIN :: I WOULD WEAR THAT: BRONZE :: 16 X 20

LIZ ALPERT FAY :: LEAVES ARE GREEN, NUTS ARE BROWN :: wool, pearl cotton thread, hand stitched :: 28.5 x 30 — LIZ ALPERT FAY :: LEAVES ARE GREEN, NUTS ARE BROWN :: wool, pearl cotton thread, hand stitched :: 28.5 x 30

CHRISTINE WILKINSON :: IT STARTED WITH A BOOK

MARY LOUISE LEARNED :: BIRCH BARK :: cloth, thread :: 40h x 27w

HELENE KUSNITZ :: BLACK VESSEL WITH RED BEADS

MARGUERITE FRENCH :: RED MOONS :: dyed silk charmeuse — MARGUERITE FRENCH :: RED MOONS :: dyed silk charmeuse

TTFN

DAYNA WENZEL :: UNDER THE SEA :: DRIED ALLIUM, BITTERSWEET VINE, BARBED WIRE, CANVAS, PAINT — DAYNA WENZEL :: UNDER THE SEA :: DRIED ALLIUM, BITTERSWEET VINE, BARBED WIRE, CANVAS, PAINT

Unraveled and hanging by a thread

May 19, 2016

Yesterday was like a dream day. My friend Karen and I visited the Ridgefield Guild of Artists’ current shows and, after about two hours of eye-to-brain awesomeness, we left, nearly speechless due to being so full of the many thoughts engendered by what we had just seen.

Dayna Wenzel, whose solo exhibition is in the upstairs gallery, met us and a few others and gave us a tour of her show, Nature Unraveled. Dayna creates exquisite sculptural pieces which are composed of natural materials which are often juxtaposed with found objects which others might define as rusty old debris! The results are simply beautiful, as you can see in the piece above.

Having Dayna lead us through her exhibit was quite a treat. No matter how much I may be drawn to a work of art, there is always a heightened level of appreciation that happens in talking with the artist. We learned a lot about Dayna’s process, how she spends lots of time outdoors, experiencing nature with her dog at her side, and scavenging things that go others never even "see" until they lay eyes upon her constructions.

Many of her dried flower heads and pods come from her own garden, which makes me want to see it because I’ll bet it is gorgeous. She also has quite a collection of wasp nests. Now, I would love to get my hands a one of those gorgeous, papery globes but I never see them. Dayna, on the other hand, will tell you they are to be found everywhere! (Note to self: Less couch, more woods.)

After our really special visit with Dayna, we headed downstairs to wander through the current show, By a Thread: The Fine Art of Fiber. The collection of works, curated by Nancy Moore, is a wonderful offering of fiber art from some of Connecticut’s most exciting fiber artists at work today.

Here are but a very few pieces I enjoyed seeing on yesterday’s visit.

FRANCINE EVEN :: SMALL WEAVINGS :: LEFT :: PETITE CHOSE #11 :: WOOL, RAW SILK, LINEN, WAXED LINEN. RIGHT :: HARMONY :: HAND-DYED EUROFLAX LINEN. — FRANCINE EVEN :: SMALL WEAVINGS :: LEFT :: PETITE CHOSE #11 :: WOOL, RAW SILK, LINEN, WAXED LINEN. RIGHT :: HARMONY :: HAND-DYED EUROFLAX LINEN.

I love Francine’s display of small weavings. I forgot to count, but there must have been about twenty of them, each one beautifully displayed in simple 8 1/4" x 10 1/2" shadowbox frames. If I were buying, I’d want to buy one (or more) of these. I would have a very hard time choosing which one to buy.

JENNIFER COYNE QUDEEN :: THE RED BOAT :: TEABAGS, DIGITAL PRINT OF PHOTO TAKEN BY THE ARTIST, THREAD

Jennifer’s massive wall hanging - 71" x 54" - is a definite show-stopper. Visitors yesterday couldn't help but gather in front of it and ooh and ah. Lucky for us, Jennifer was there to tell us all about this tantalizing piece made from tea bags.

LIZ ALPERT FAY :: POCKET FULL OF CHANGE :: HAND-DYED RECYCED WOOL, PEARL COTTON, BUTTONS — LIZ ALPERT FAY :: POCKET FULL OF CHANGE :: HAND-DYED RECYCED WOOL, PEARL COTTON, BUTTONS

Of course I had to stop and gasp at Liz’s 54" x 60" quilted wall hanging. That’s a lot of pennies!

FRANCINE EVEN :: ODE TO KLEE :: HAND-DYED WOOL STRIPS

Another piece by Francine, this one larger (23" x 23"), quite colorful, and hooked rather than woven. She is a woman of many talents.

SHEILA HICKS :: COLZA REEVE :: COTTON, SILK, LINEN

What a gem this little piece is, by Sheila Hicks. I think it’s why we have the phrase, "Oh, my God!" I just love it. I forgot to measure it, but it’s small - about 8" x 12" or thereabouts.

DAYNA WENZEL :: IT STARTS WITH A SEED :: DRIED RUSSIAN SAGE STEMS, RECYCLED TEXTILES, THREAD (PHOTO COURTESY THE ARTIST)

I’ll end with a "start" from Dayna’s upstairs show. Isn’t it just lovely?

If you are anywhere near Ridgefield, CT, I hope you’ll make a trip to see these two very inspiring shows of fiber art, each of which will remain on display through June 19.

NOTE: I apologize for the less than stellar quality of my photos. I meant to bring my camera but ended up having to use my iPhone.

Big Hands ... Tiny Art

May 14, 2016

Today is the day, finally! Doug’s first-ever show of his teeny-tiny cut paper art is on display at the Mark Twain Library in Redding and today is the opening reception.

I’m just going to share a few photos here, along with excerpts from the lovely news article, written by Maggie McIntire.

Standing at 6’4, Doug Crites-Moore nearly fills the doorway when he enters a room, yet his passion is sitting at his dining room table for hours on end, creating whimsical paper sculptures that stand about an inch tall.

Nearly 40 of Crites-Moore’s intricate works are now on display at the Mark Twain Library. Crites-Moore, a longtime Redding resident, will give a gallery talk and share the process and inspiration behind his work on Saturday, May 14 at 3 p.m.

TINY WOVEN PAPER SHOE :: ONE INCH LONG BY HALF INCH WIDE

For as long as he can remember, Crites-Moore said he had a fascination with “tiny things.” He made his first paper sculpture, a stereo console cabinet, when he just 10 years old, growing up in Oregon.

“It’s hard to explain. I’ve just always had an interest in making really tiny things. It’s in my DNA,” said Crites-Moore, a retired Senior Marketing Manager at IBM. “For me, it’s Zen – total peace. When I’m making these things, it’s the closest thing to being in my heart.”

CHRISTMAS TREE WITH TRAIN ON TRACK AROUND THE BASE :: THREE INCHES TALL

The tools he uses include water color paper, dental implements, tiny scissors, X-Acto knives, blades, little clamps and tacky glue. He often creates the sculptures to give away as gifts, or to celebrate holidays. Crites-Moore said some creations take just a couple hours, and others have to be assembled in stages over the course of several days. One of his favorite works is a gift he made for his daughter, Adeline, a Noah’s Ark that stands just an inch and half tall – with miniature Noah and his wife standing on deck, tiny birds flying overhead and four pairs of animals marching aboard.

ADELINE’S ARK :: ABOUT TWO INCHES TALL AT ITS TALLEST POINT

Crites-Moore said his wife Morna, has encouraged him to follow his passion for turning plain white paper into works of art.

“She has always seen that I’ve had this thing, this passion… she encourages me all the time, ’’ Crites-Moore said.

In case you’re wondering, I am 5’ 1" tall. I used to be 5’ 4" tall - and I thought that was short. It’s a good thing Doug likes tiny things, although I’m only tiny in the vertical.

OMBROUCHURE :: SOOO-Z MASTROPIETRO :: WESTPORT, CT — *OMBROUCHURE :: SOOO-Z MASTROPIETRO :: WESTPORT, CT*

Canton Reception Was A Blast

April 28, 2016

The Connecticut Scissorhands opening reception at the Gallery on the Green in Canton was so much fun! I kind of groaned about going because it is an hour and a half drive, each way, and I was going solo, and I'd be driving home at night, which is not my favorite thing to do.

But I'm so glad I went! It is a wonderful show!

*HOMAGE TO ANNI :: CHRISTINE WILKINSON :: SOUTHBURY, CT*

There was a fabulous turnout - it was opening night for three shows - one in each of their three galleries, which made for an awesome collection of art lovers and artists, connecting over food, wine, and ... you know ... ART.

*KOZO TOTEM (detail) :: JENNIFER DAVIES :: BRANFORD, CT*

Canton apparently has a strong community of art lovers - the Canton Artist's Guild bills itself as Connecticut's oldest running artist's guild. The guild has been hosting shows at its Gallery on the Green since 1960.

*DRAWINGS FROM THE STARGAZER'S DIARY :: JENNIFER COYNE QUDEEN :: REDDING, CT*

Congratulations to Jennifer Coyne Qudeen, whose wall of wonderfully rusted and stitched cloth squares received the Award of Excellence.

*DRAWINGS FROM THE STARGAZER'S DIARY (detail)*

Connecticut Scissorhands is a curated exhibit of work by the Connecticut Chapter of Surface Design Association. It will be on view at the Gallery on the Green, in Canton (CT), through May 22.

On Exhibit - with reception this Saturday

April 21, 2016

BLOOD MOON :: 6.25" H x 6.50" W :: vintage cottons and linens, sourced from old clothing and quilter's scraps :: woven in strips, torn, patched, and heavily stitched.

I am honored to have my work selected for inclusion in Connecticut Scissorhands at the Canton Artists’ Guild at Gallery on the Green.

A curated exhibit by the Connecticut Chapter of Surface Design Association
April 22 - May 22, 2016

Opening Reception: Saturday April 23, 2016 - 6pm to 9pm

Exhilarated

September 13, 2015

Last night was the reception for "On the Fringe" - a juried show of works by Connecticut members of Surface Design Association, at the Bruce S. Kershner Gallery in Fairfield, CT. My piece, Twelve Patch with Crosses, was in the show and, before the night was over, I was thrilled to see it had acquired a red dot.

The thing about this piece is that it became something so incredibly different from how it started. I am accustomed to going with the flow when I sew ... the textiles and the muse conspire to guide me the way they want to go and I'm very glad that they do.

The horizontal piece, up above, started out to be a vertical 12-patch and it was going to be very minimalistic ... solid black background with stitching only on the squares.

But, as I was stitching, I kept feeling like I wanted to fill that black space, but I didn't know how. I kind of wanted to fill the space with stitches, but I found I was not comfortable stitching "outside the box." The more I looked at it, the more the black took on its own life and all I could see were the crosses. Suddenly, I wanted to make crosses. After all, all the cool kids (i.e. awesome stitchers) have crosses.

ARTISTS REPRESENTED ABOVE, CLOCKWISE STARTING FROM TOP LEFT (click on a name to see the artist's website) ::: CHRISTINE MAUERSBERGER, JUDITH MARTIN, ELEANOR McCAIN, JUDE HILL, AND JUNKO OKI. — ARTISTS REPRESENTED ABOVE, CLOCKWISE STARTING FROM TOP LEFT (click on a name to see the artist's website) ::: CHRISTINE MAUERSBERGER, JUDITH MARTIN, ELEANOR McCAIN, JUDE HILL, AND JUNKO OKI.

So, I plotted and I stitched ...

And this is where all those scraps of fabric and stitches landed ...

TTFN

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