The Sunshine Award

So - if you've seen my studio you can't help but notice all the ribbons hanging up along the top of the design wall. I used to keep them in a box. Then I used to have them pinned to the wall but tucked behind the bookshelf. When I remodeled the studio I decided that they needed some sunshine up on the wall.

In that same vein, thanks to Robin for the lovely Sunshine Award. Most often I ignore all such things. But the sky outside it a brilliant blue, and the flower in the picture is one of my happy colors today. And of course I thought you might enjoy some of the same artists I love.

The Sunshine Award is an award given to blogs that have positive and creative blogging. The Rules for receiving the award are:

1. Post the Logo in a blog or on the sidebar.

2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers that you follow.

3. Link the nominees with in your post.

4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by leaving a comment on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award.

Now I get to pass this Sunshine on to 12 Creative Bloggers and bring sunshine into their day.

Here are 12 of my current happy places.

Barbara Schneider 

Deborah Harowitz

Joanne Mattera

Melody Johnson

James Gurney

Laura Waskilowski

Kelli Nina Perkins

Jamie Fingal

Melanie Testa

Diana Trout

Jane LaFazio

Pamela Allen

It's All About The Attitude: discipline - finishing

Showing Your Work: part 3 - choosing venues

We've talked about how the jury process works and some of the reasons work is rejected. Of course, as Jamie Fingal pointed out in the comments, there are myriad factors that go into a works being accepted or rejected. No matter what - it's a roll of the dice any time you enter a show.

Today let's talk about what kind of shows are available to the textile/quilt artist. I'll divide them into three general categories: Quilt Shows, Art Quilt Shows, Fine Art Shows

1- Quilt Shows

This is what the general public thinks of when you say "quilt." A gymnasium somewhere with traditional quilts and grey haired "quilt police" counting stitches with a magnifying glass. Fortunately this stereotype. While accurate in some instances, it is in many cases a very wonderful place to show your artwork. Most quilt shows now have art categories but the judges don't always come from an art background. If you are making cutting edge art - think hard about why you are still entering a quilt show.

Maine Quilts 2006

I love traditional quilts and and greatly admire the mastery of technique that wins many a ribbon there. And I DO think that traditional quilts can be works of art in and of themselves. It's one of the things I love about the quilt as a medium of expression. There is room for everyone at every level of creative expression in the quilt world.

Pros

Many quilt shows offer the chance to be seen by a large number of people in a short time. If you want to teach quilters, it is great for them to be familiar with your work. Sometimes prize money is offered. In fact, sometimes, a LOT of prize money is offered.

Cons

Most of the people that see your quilt are more interested in buying fabric than your artwork. There is rarely a mechanism set up for people to buy your work from a quilt show. Only a very few people actually win those cash prizes - but, hey, it could happen!

Recommendation

Do your research. Does the show have art categories? How many people see it? Does it have a great reputation for treating the quilts with respect?

2- Art Quilt Shows

A show that is looking specifically for textiles but is hung and treated like a fine art show. The jurors are looking for original work, excellent composition and design. It is up to the curators how far into the innovative arena of textiles they want to venture. Some do not want work mounted in a hard frame, some require all the materials to be cloth rather than mixed media. Most are quite flexible in their requirements.

SAQA Transformations '09: Reflections

Guilford Art Center 

Deborah Sniders' ENCRUSTACEANS I on the right

Photo by Debbie Bein (and more on her blog!)

Pros

Your work will be treated as fine art. Period. I know that in my middle-to-small sized town, the art quilt shows we sponsor at the community galleries draw the biggest "crowds. "

Cons

I'm having a hard time thinking of any. Tell me some in the comments. Some of the venues don't get a large viewership. 

Recommendation

Just as with any entry - do your research to see if your work fits. I maintain a list of these types of shows on my website - take a look.

3- Fine Art Shows

This is your regular gallery, museum, or whatever-space-available show but is geared primarily towards traditional paintings or sculpture. Most are more accepting of textiles these days. Not all - one show I entered (and won a prize in) insisted my work be put in the "fine crafts" category and displayed it on a pedestal on the floor with ceramics and wood pieces instead of on the wall even though it was wired and ready to hang. 

The Grand Rapids Art Museum

Pros

The people who go to these shows are expecting to see fine art and will not think of your work as a blanket. Unless of course you entered a ratty old blanket as a piece of conceptual art and then they would probably give it best of show. Most of these shows have a mechanism for viewers to purchase the work.

Cons

Some won't even look at textiles. Some staffers or volunteers will be stymied when you ask for two nails in the wall rather than one to hang your work - even when you send in a clear and simple instructions pinned to the back of the work.

Bottom line = do your homework. Ask yourself why you want to enter a show and then make your decisions accordingly. I'd love to hear your opinion!

Studio Classes

I have it good. I have a loving family who is supportive and patient and I get to work time with some of the most wonderful people in the world. I have a passion for creating artwork and a place in which to pursue that passion. 

The family - never complains about take-out dinners and is used to a pretty messy house. We're slowly working on getting the kids to pick up their own stuff. I have an id that particular quest will not end until their stuff moves out along with them. And I just won't talk about complaints about dinners I actually cook.

Those people I get to work with? Students! And the ideal students at that. They are there because they really want to be there. They are inquisitive, talented, and open to what they are taught.  Even if they don't admit to being any of those three things - they are. I always learn so much from them as well.

The space I have to create art in is a blessing. I'm next to the main living area so that I can hear and see what is going on with the kids. I can look out the window and see them when they are playing outside. The space perfect for me to freely create whatever my brain can put together.

In a few weeks I get to combine the last two - students - studio! (The family will be gently kept elsewhere.) Students will have the opportunity to come to my home and my studio  in Cary, North Carolina, and lean, play, and create for two days. 

Thursday April 8th: Surface Design Sampler Platter

It's truly a little taste of everything and one of the funnest classes I teach. We dip into techniques such as printing, stamp carving, stenciling, photo transfer, thermofax screen printing, and foiling! Oops! I almost forgot beadwork. Elizabeth and Ellen both took this class at the Virginia Quilt Celebration in 2008 - the fabric says it all!

Friday April 9th: The Forgotten Fabrics and Screen Printing

There are some wonderfully fun things you can do with synthetic fabrics (gasp!) Disperse dyes are completely different than Procion dyes, and totally fun to work with.

The screen printing we'll do this day is very free, fast, and fun. We'll use regular full sized screens in some very interesting and  improvisational ways.

There are still a few spots available. If you are interested in joining us please contact me at Lyric (at) pobox.com.

Artist Spotlight part 3: Melanie Testa - process

The past two weeks I've enjoyed introducing you to a favorite artist of mine, Melanie Testa. Today I'd like to introduce you to her artwork. Together we'll learn a little more about her process.


Lyric: I've seen just a bit of your visual journaling and it is just as lovely as your artwork. How do sketching and drawing help you in your textile work? Why did you choose textiles rather than a more traditional media?

Melanie: My journals are so import to me that I can't imagine not keeping them. I draw inspiration for stamps, marks, actual artwork, they help me to remain focused creatively. Just today, I met up with a friend and we went to the Met to draw, I feel so alive when I am looking at and evaluating what I see. When the line looks like what I am trying to draw, it is such a thrill. I can't take that for granted! But even though I utilize my journals and sometimes even share them when I write articles, the journals are private, they feel intensely personal to me.

As for why I work in cloth? I could not have it any other way. I just tried to imagine myself as an oil painter. I need the ragged edge, the dye, the stamps, the sewing machine.

L: I am fascinated by your juxtaposition of symbols and words with imagery from nature. How do you go about choosing which images to combine? How did you come upon the process of layering images with sheers?

M: Working with sheers came about as a result of journaling. I came to a place where I found my journals held more artistic focus and intention than my quilt art, but my quilt art was more important to me! So I evaluated the difference in approach and technique. I had been using tracing paper in my journals, I would trace a drawing from one page onto tracing paper, paint around and over the tracing, then glue that onto another painted page. The transparency is what held sway. So I figured out cloth equivalents to my favorite techniques. Silk organza became tracing paper and could be dyed with Procion MX dyes.

I started using words in my art because I was working with a man who used words in his paintings but I could not stand how he did it! I started using text and symbols because I knew there had to be a better approach. The words ought to merge with and become one with the piece almost as though in pentimento. As for using nature in my work, I find great solace in all things natural. 

L: Do you work from a plan or do you improvise as you go?

M: I like to plan loosely. Right now I just started a series if 20 Common Birds in Decline. I am working on an image of an Evening Grosbeak. the drawing of the bird needs to be perfected before I begin because the artwork is only as good as your original drawing. But the background and the collaged elements are not in the original drawing. I like to leave as much as possible to chance.

L: What is it about birds that draws you to use them so much in your artwork?

M: When I was a girl, I wanted to be a bird, to be able to flit, watch and leave by taking flight! I began bonding with birds when I was a teenager, my father had bought a bird feeder and a Roger Torey Peterson identification book and we began putting names to shapes and colorings. As an adult, I started keeping my own feeder, then bought binoculars, and now study and read all I can. Right now, I am an armchair bird watcher! Simply? The shiny sparkle of light in a birds eye bowls me over, I can't resist it. 

L: Your use of stitching is so well integrated into the composition of your work. Do you begin with your stitched lines in mind or do those ideas come afterwards.

M: I do loosely plan the images used in my work. As I print, paint and stamp, ideas will float past and reveal themselves, but it is only when I get to the sewing machine that I can listen to and enact a plan for the stitch.

L: If you went to a desert island for a week and could only take a shoebox of art supplies, what would it contain?

My backpack is about the size of a shoebox and often contains, scrap, batting, needles, thread, embroidery floss and beads, a journal and a small box of paints, one pencil, two pens (Pilot t500 and a Pentel Pocketbrush) and a niji water brush. My wallet can be left behind to accommodate more cloth, perferably hand dyed dupioni, my current cloth crush. :)

So dear readers, are you as in love with Melly's work as I am? Her process fascinates me and I've enjoyed studying it and sharing with with you.

I've finished the 5x7 piece from the ginkgo fabric that Melanie sent to me. Next week I'll tally up all of the comments on the four posts featuring her. Yes, you can leave a comment on each post and be counted four times!

I'll throw the lot into a random number generator (or have one of the kidlets shout out a number between so and so) and the lucky winner will be sent this lovely little piece of art. It is 5x7 and made with the beautiful piece of organza printed by Melanie. I do believe that she is posting the piece she made with the fabric I sent her on her blog this week as well.

The Goddess of the Last Minute Feels Rejected

The very first person to befriend me when our family spent a lovely two years in Chicago was the wonderfully witty Robbi Eklow. On my very first visit to the area she picked me up for a few hours of bead hunting and laughter and I've counted her as a friend ever since. I have enjoyed following her career as an artist and author and highly recommend her latest book, "Goddess of the Last Minute."

One of my all-time favorite writings of hers is her response to the rejection letters we all receive. She has graciously permitted me to repost it in it's entirety for you pleasure. Pull it up next time you receive a rejection and you'll be smiling again in no time!

What if quilt shows offered you the chance to write your own acceptance/rejection letter? Or what if they wrote letters saying what they REALLY meant, instead of those nice ones that usually say how hard it was to choose just a few quilts out of all the excellent ones that were sent to them?

Here are a few of my offerings:

• Your work has been accepted into our quilt show, please peel yourself off the ceiling at the earliest convenience.

• Your work has been accepted into our quilt show, please follow the enclosed directions for shipping it to us. And thanks for the box of homemade cookies. The jury was impressed.

• Your work has NOT been accepted into our quilt show, please proceed to the nearest quart of Mint Chocolate chip icecream and dig in.

• Your work is fabulous, we can't believe we didn't notice this before and have you in our quilt show every year. In the meantime, we are looking forward to receiving your current entry and possibly putting it on the cover of our book.

• We declined to accept your work in this year's our quilt show, due to the butt headedness of our jury. Although we could not convince them to recant, we have decided never to have them again, and next time will ask them what they think of your work BEFORE we invite them to jury.

• We're sorry, we cannot accept your work into our quilt show this year. In fact, we doubt we'll ever accept your work into our quilt show. Perhaps you should consider learning to operate a pottery wheel. We're keeping your slides in an effort to prevent you from inflicting your poor taste on another jury.

• We are declining your quilt entry this year. Whatever made you think we would consider a quilt using puce and chartruce in the same quilt? We are enclosing a free coupon for a color class at your local community college.

• Puleeze! Your work looks just like (insert famous quilter's name here). Haven't you had an original idea in the last ten years? Not that (insert famous quilter's name here) has, but that's beside the point.

• We are so sorry to have declined to accept your work into this year's quilt show. Your work is so incredibly amazing, the workmanship divine, NOTHING else submitted can stand up to it, why the WHOLE show would have looked shabby compared to your work. Since we do not want to hurt the rest of the artist's feelings, we have decided not to show them up by including your work.

• Dear Mrs. Eklow, even though technically, your husband's 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado DOES qualify as a quilt (three layers:metal, upholstery and padding, held together by bolts) we feel that the shipping costs of the traveling show would be prohibitive. We did consider using the trunk as a storage area for the REST of the show, but we can't find a garage big enough to house the car, and it's reported gas mileage of 5 gallons to the mile makes that idea inefficient. That said, we do admire your efforts to find a way to get rid of the vehicle once and for all without hurting your husband's feelings.

• Dear Mrs. Robbi Joy Eklow: Unfortunately for you, we aren't taking your quilt/quilts into our show this year. Mrs. Robbi Joy Eklow, we had over 750 submittals, but we can only show 25 quilts. However we do appreciate the $40 entry fee you sent, please send another $50 if you'd like a ticket to the opening night. We need to cover our expenses. Mrs. Robbi Joy Eklow your work was one of the outstanding entrees, and we're not just saying that even though this is obviously a form letter.

• Dear Mrs. Eklow, we can't accept your quilts into our multimedia show this year. We prefer the avant guarde work we've been showing for the past 40 years and will continue to reserve our exhibition space for those artists who've shown their work for that period of time. And this year, we'd appreciate it if you'd decline to send a rebuttal letter to our rejection letter. We don't care if you think those fabric blankets of yours deserve to hang next to or in place of the lovely oil paintings of dogs playing poker.

• Please return the enclosed postcard along with a check for $50 to receive a ticket to the opening night reception. We know you'd like nothing better than to spend an evening fawning over the artists who DID make it into our fabulous show. Drinks will start at 9pm, $10 for wine, $15 for margaritas. And we've got those cute little hotdogs floating in barbeque sauce. $3

Back to archives

Showing Your Work: part 2 - rejection

It's going to happen sooner or later. The envelope or the Email that says, "sorry - out of luck" arrives in your mail box. You followed all of the directions in the prospectus to the letter. You dutifully researched the venue, past shows, the jurors. You have the best possible images of your artwork and yes, you did send in your best work. And still - you don't get in.

Malachi's Promise
rejected from half of the shows entered  (mostly abstract art gallery type shows)
received a "Best of Show" at a local quilt show

What does it mean? Why do you feel like a failure? I discussed the jury process and the many reasons work is rejected from shows in my last post on this topic in case you missed it. What being rejected does NOT mean is that you are a failure as an artist. If you go into a blue funk because you did not get into a show you need to examine why. Do you think everyone will reject your work if it did not get in to one show? Do you think that all of your work is unworthy?

Failure can be a friend if you are willing to learn from it. Easier said than done but if you can learn to see failure as one more step towards success your life will be easier - and happier. And you will be growing!

First off - are you entering venues appropriate for your work? I'll talk more about this next week. A cutting edge and provocative piece might not be appropriate for a traditional quilt show and a traditional Baltimore Album isn't going to make it in a Soho gallery.

Spill
never juried into a show quilt but shown in several art galleries

Also, the higher the quality of the show that you enter, the more likely it is that you will be rejected simply because of the higher number of applicants. Quilt National is what many of us Art Quilters call "our favorite charity." It has an overwhelming number of entries compared to the number of Artworks that it can accept. It is also one of the most respected showcases of the Quilt as Fine Art that there is. A hardcover catalog is published every year and the show travels to respected venues. It is still on my list of "hope to get in before I die" shows so I continue to send in work and take my chances.

Second - are you pinning all of your hopes on one piece? As a serious artist you want to be continually creating. You need to build up a body of work. (I'm preaching to myself here!) If you think this one piece is the best you will ever make than you have stopped progressing. Try to create enough work that you can have several pieces out there at the same time if entering shows is a path you wish to follow.

Third - take an objective look at both your photographs and your work. If you have someone whose opinion you trust, ask them for a critique. Use this as an opportunity to learn and to improve. The work just might be fantastic and the photography impeccable. It still never hurts to examine and to find areas for improvement.

Here is a lovely blog post about entering shows by Elizabeth Barton. It includes a conversation with a juror about why some pieces were accepted in a nationally juried show. Well worth reading.

Circle 3

juried in to only one show - where it sold

Tomorrow morning I'll give you a treat - Robbi Eklow's wonderfully witty answer to rejection letters.