Arden Fair, Art Show

Arden, Delaware is a special place to live. Once a year the center of the village is transformed by many volunteers into a Fair grounds for the Arden Fair and Antiques Market held the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. The Fair features children’s games and rides, handmade crafts by over 100 vendors, an Antiques Market, used books, plants, live music in the Shady Grove, food and drink, an art exhibit, and more. Proceeds from the Fair help maintain the Arden Gild Hall, where the public can enjoy concerts, musicals, plays, dances, suppers, and programs throughout the year.

The role I play is curation of the Art Show in the Backstage Gallery of the Gild Hall. It is always someone who lives in Arden, Adentown or Ardencroft,and often it is one featured artist. This year I sent out a call for entries to all women artists. The gallery which is used as a green room for Shakespeare productions and musical performers throughout the year, needed to be painted, thanks Shari Phalan for helping! Then Barbara Henry and I installed 37 pieces of artwork that coincidentally was the exactly right amount of artwork for the space. The mediums and techniques ran the gamut and included metal piercing, quilting, traditional rug hooking, oil painting, watercolor painting, nuno felting, shibori dying, restoration of leather chaps, pastel drawing, colored pencil drawing and ceramic and metal sculpting. Women Artists of the Ardens are a group of pretty talented individuals. But I have to give one shout out to a man. Alton Dahl does the machine stitching on Bev's beautiful quilts and he installed the ceiling lights Friday morning that made the show the success it was. Without him I don't know how anyone would have seen anything. The feedback was great and many stories were shared in typical Arden fashion. Thanks to everyone that participated. My photos aren't great. Sorry, Rhys I didn't get your work in the pictures and Shari, sorry your's is cropped.

Participating Artists:

Beverley Barnett, quilting,
Naomi Clark, metal piercing,
Hunter Clarke, painting,
Linda Celestian, painting and silk sculpture,
Ellen Dolmetsch, traditional hooked rugs,
Barbara Henry, nuno felted wearables,
Bunni Hurlong, pastel drawing,
Judith Kay, photography,
Rhys McClure, colored pencil,
Eleanore Morrow, oil painting,
Betty O’Regan, hand-made paper and collage,
Jeanne Orr, watercolor,
Erica Orr, pen and watercolor,
Linda Parks, ceramic and metal sculpture,
Shari Phalan, restoration of leather chaps and wreath,
Toby Ridings, cyanotypes,
Marjorie Roberts, oil painting,
Jeanne Stigler, oil painting and appliqued quilt,
Dorothy Verne, oil painting.

GoggleWorks Opening

A funny thing happened at the GoggleWorks opening on Friday night. My friend Marilyn and I decided to go to the opening since it might be our only chance to see the other work. Great turnout, great work.

I was really interested in meeting Lyn Godley, one of the jurors. She's an amazing artist and designer of interiors, product, furniture, lighting, and jewelry. She does work with fiber optic lights that you can see in the images from her show at the GoggleWorks here.

I was actually standing next to her and chatting her up about my piece when they started to announce the awards. She tapped me and said "Aren't you getting one of these?" When she saw I had no idea what she was talking about she back peddled and said "Well I put my vote in but I don't really know what they decided." 3rd place was announced, then 2nd, then 1st and I thought oh I guess I'm not getting an award. I saw that Lauralynn wasn't leaving the podium and there was one more award and she said something about this person is winning because of the 3 pieces she has in the show and then I knew. I won Best in Show and the award is a solo show, March 9 - April 14, 2013 in the Cohen Gallery which is a massive section of the first floor gallery space. I went up to get my award and turned around to find people snapping pictures of me. A reporter and photographer from the local paper the Reading Eagle were there and asked to interview me for an upcoming article. I really didn't see this coming and was in complete shock.

The funny part is I had some postcards of my paintings that I whipped out to show Lyn and Laralynn. They didn't even know I painted and said they can't wait to see my show. I can't wait to get to work.

Installing Sculpture

I installed my fiber sculpture, The Ocean's Whisper to Me at the GoggleWorks in Reading, Pa. I want to thank Lauralynn for her help and for allowing me to pick the very best spot in the gallery to hang my large piece. I was concerned that it would only look good from the front since that's how I had worked on it in my studio so I chose a spot in front of a wall.

I worked out a new hanging system with curtain rods and felted magnets with fishing line sewn to them. After I arranged and rearranged it in my studio I numbered and color coded the magnets and their placement on the rods. I'm so glad I did all this because I wasn't allowed to get up on a ladder in the gallery. I worked with a very patient gallery helper on the ladder. Handing each numbered magnet to him, he placed it to the corresponding number on the rod. It went up easily and quickly.

Lauralynn loved it and said let's see how it looks without the wall behind it. The walls in the gallery are moveable and viola. We liked it from every angle. This was an unexpected bonus so I took some pictures right before my camera battery went dead.

The opening is on Friday, May 4, 5:30 - 7:30. I can't wait to see the rest of the show. The show runs through June 3rd.

Inspiring Artist

I caught a show of Pat Steir's paintings in November at the Locks Gallery. I've been aware of work for years but it was a pleasure to see it in person. Her paintings are similar to mine because they are made with thinned down oil paint that is poured.

The scale of some of them alone was impressive.

This one titled Forest in Snow is 127 x 109 inches.

Interestingly her approach is very different from mine in that she sets a course for the painting in the beginning deciding what order the colors will be added and how many layers and then executes it. She says it's removing herself from the role as the grand creator and leaving some things up to chance.

Double White on Black, 84 x 84 inches

I on the other hand try to strike a balance between allowing and controlling in the making of my work. I really struggle with this, wondering how much to force my ideas onto a piece and how much to leave up to chance. It leads me to question how this applies to life. Is it an illusion that we are in control of our destiny? When we are fighting for control is it beneficial to loosen the reigns a little and see where things fall?

Drawing Classes in North Wilmington, DE

I've started a new blog that gives all the details about my Saturday Art Classes that I teach in Arden, DE. I'll be updating this as we go along. There is still room for new students to join or drop in. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Check out the blog and please pass this information to anyone you know that might be interested.

New Work

Grounded, 48 x 46 inches

I've finished three of the large paintings. One still alludes me.
Oh and I might still work on the green one. One area is still bothering
ing me, ugh. I should have listened to Drew and left it alone when he told me to. I wish there was a back button in painting.

In the Beginning, 48 x 46 inches

Somewhere Only We Know, 36 x 60 inches

Creativity Workshop Update

The word Creativity might take on different meanings for different people. Here are some meanings that we came up with on Saturday and I few others I pulled from a previous workshop, passion, fun, joy, intangible, unknown, our true nature, movement, new, expression of self, ability to stand alone, open, growth, flow, journey, ever present, recognizing that we are collaborators, part of creation, transcendence, release, surprise, discovery, inspiration, freedom, risk taking, and insight.

In the workshop we wrote, we laughed, we moved to music, we painted, we shared, we collaged and exchanged ideas. Then we were exhausted!

These are the only photos I remembered to take. I didn't get any of the final collages which is fine since I actually think it's more about process than finished product. It's so important to enjoy the process and understand that you're not going to love everything that you make. You are always learning something new that helps you the next time around. The creative process is a lot like life, you can't be worried about making mistakes. If you were you'd never leave the house and what fun would that be?

Thanks Keri, Kevin, Suzanne, Toby, Nicole and Liz for allowing me to bring you on a creative journey to the land of possibility.

If you are interested in participating in this workshop the next time I teach it please drop me an email and I'll add you to my email notification list.

New Work

I'm excited to have finally started new paintings in my new space.

New Studio

When I left my studio in June to start my summer job I never imagined I wouldn't be returning. An exciting opportunity arose, is the best way I can think of to describe this major change of venue. I've moved the contents of my studio to what is at the moment a raw space, kind of like a diamond in the rough. The space is at 2003 West 17th St, off Union St. in Wilmington, DE, home of the Silver Hammer Workshop. Rich Pierce will still be holding woodworking workshops there in the summer and in the near future we plan to be on the Art on the Town, Art Loop. Until then I actually have the whole place to myself until my studio mates Delainey Barclay and Kyle Ripp move in. I'm stretching and priming large canvases for my upcoming show at Trust Venue in Philadelphia for the month of November.

Change is inevitable, everyone knows that. I felt really sad when I found out that during one of this summer's storms the wall to the old swimming hole in Arden gave way.

I used to sit on it to experience Naaman's Creek flowing under me. It was my favorite place, close to home to go and be one with nature. I always felt a little nervous walking across it, wondering if it would hold. The forces of nature can be very powerful as seen by the huge trees that fell in this area during hurricane Irene. I used to paint tree roots to symbolize permanence and stability. Everything is impermanent, apparently.

Upcoming Show

I'm busy preparing for my show. Here's a preview of 2 new paintings that will be on display in July at the Delaware Division of the Arts, Mezzanine Gallery, in Wilmington, DE. The opening is July 8th 5-8pm.

Underwater, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

Deluge, oil on canvas, 48 x 46 inches

I've titled the show Outpouring which means, an exaggerated expression of emotion. I can't think of any better way to describe my work.

Peek Inside My Studio

This awesome panoramic shot was taken by my husband in February after I hung my show.

This shot was taken last week showing new paintings in progress and the sculpture hung in a new configuration. I'm busy working on the logistics
of hanging the sculpture from the hanging system in the Mezzanine Gallery where I'm planning to show sculptures and paintings in July.

My Opening in Arden

Thanks to everyone that made it out to my opening at the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden this past Friday evening. It was nice to see so many neighbors and friends and meet some new people as well. It was a great turnout and I received really nice comments about the work. Here's how it looked minus one corner I didn't get a picture of.

I know it's not quite the same as seeing it in person.

My next show is in Wilmington at the Carvel State Office Building at 820 N. French Street in the Delaware Division of the Arts, Mezzanine Gallery for the month of July. The opening is July 8th, 5-8 p m. This is the second Friday due to the 4th of July weekend.