Spring 2010
Dear Friends,
I've yet to get used to the seasons and climate of South Texas. It seems that autumn, winter, and spring are truncated, and summer stretches on forever! Even though this is coming to you on the official first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, we've had several days in the 80s already, and I've already set out tomato plants. Remarkable!
If you've been following my blog or my Facebook page, you know it's been a very busy time in my art life. In the following short articles I'll give some details and share a glimpse of the view from where I sit.
Thank you for your ongoing support of my creative journey. It is truly appreciated more than you can know!
Warmly,
Cynthia
In this issue:
Recent and Upcoming Entries
Eye of the Quilter 2
Project 75
Where to see my work
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Recent and Upcoming Entries
I've submitted entries to two exhibits in the past couple months, and have many more that I am working toward.
At the end of January, I submitted two works to the Border Art Biennial. This exhibit struck my fancy because it will be held simultaneously at two museums, one in El Paso, Texas, the other in Juarez, Mexico. Each artist submitted one work for each venue. Because I wanted my pieces to be connected, they share a theme and medium. You can see them here and here.
Just this week I submitted a piece for the exhibit "Texas - A Blending of Cultures" that is being held by the Texas Museum of Fiber Arts at the Mexican American Cultural Center here in Austin for the month of May. Here is a sneak peak at my piece "Tech Ridge," which I've not unveiled until now.
This is a representation of a typical cul-de-sac in the Tech Ridge area of Austin. Each different medium-sized colored circle represents a different country of origin of the households. As you can see, it is quite a culturally blended and diverse neighborhood! The piece is 36" x 24" made of hand dyed and commercial cottons. It is stitched and mounted on stretched canvas. Some elements intentionally wrap around the sides of the piece.
"Tech Ridge" is a larger piece based on a small study I did for Project 75. You can see that study here.
In the next couple months I will be submitting work to several other calls. The next one is the "Tactile Architecture" exhibit held at Houston International Quilt Festival, then I have committed to pieces for the 15th Birthday of the QuiltArt email discussion list, and the Studio Art Quilt Associates auction.
Stay tuned to my blog for more details as the work unfolds.
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Eye of the Quilter 2
Karey Bresenhan of International Quilt Festival, has announced that the Eye of the Quilter juried photo exhibit will return this year. The theme will be "Reflections." If you have any favorite photos of mine that you think fit the bill, either literal reflections, or metaphorical reflections, please drop me a line and suggest it.
In the meantime, the first Eye of the Quilter exhibit will be on display at International Quilt Festival in Chicago, IL, April 16-18. My photograph "Monument" is included.
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Project 75
I've begun a new project, probably ambitious, called Project 75. Simply, I plan to make 75 new small pieces of art by 7/5. The works will be textiles, collages, and paintings. (I’m not going to use photography, because that just seems too darn easy.)
The past few months have been an intensely creative time for me. I have ideas coming so fast that I don’t have time to execute even a fraction of them. The flow of ideas literally keeps me up nights. My thinking is that by creating works in a small format, I’ll be able to explore many different ideas in a much shorter time frame than I would be able to otherwise. Some of the pieces will undoubtedly be studies or jumping-off points for larger works, and some will certainly just be ideas I explore before moving on.
OK... that's what I wrote on my blog about the project. What I didn't say is that sometimes it's very difficult to make myself go into the studio and work. Sure, I love making art, and really don't have a choice if I want to stay at all "normal." However, being a full-time artist is a very isolated existence. And it needs to be, because I don't believe it's really possible to tap into the "inner me" when there are the distractions of other people and activities around. I am too easily subject to sensory overload.
However, I've found that it is necessary for me to be working toward something, not just working, in order for me to stop procrastinating and just get the art made. One day recently, in fact, I found myself doing anything other than hitting the studio. This included, wait for it, cleaning the house! If you've known me very long at all, you know that I loathe cleaning!!
When I am alone all day with my creative self, undoubtedly my inner critic raises her head and just gives me no end of grief. It's really amazing to step back and listen to her sometimes, because I would never say to anyone else the kinds of things she says to me. And yet, it's really difficult to ignore her and just work anyway. This is one of the biggest blocks to doing my creative work.
Therefore, I'm hoping that besides working on the larger pieces for exhibit calls, Project 75 will give me the feeling of having a "deadline" and that I will just shut that inner critic up by sitting down and working every day. Maybe by the end of the project I will either not allow her in, or I'll have learned to laugh at her.
Please check out the Project 75 page on my website to see new work as it is completed.
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Where to see my work
When I did my recent website redesign, I included a page called Current & Upcoming Exhibitions. This will let you know where my work can be seen in person at any given time. Well, besides at my studio, where you can see it by appointment.
Currently my pieces "Winter Dreams #1" and "Winter Dreams #2" are on exhibit in "Textile Twists in Twenty Ten" at the headquarters of Tokyo Electron at 2400 Grove Boulevard, Austin, TX 78741.
I will have pieces in the Austin Fiber Artists member show and sale at Wesley Gallery, 27008 Ranch Road 12 South, Dripping Springs, TX 78620, on June 26 - 27, 2010. I'll also be "gallery sitting" sometime that weekend and will update that info for you when I have it.
As always, stay tuned to my blog for updates, and please check out my Exhibitions page now and then.
Winter Dreams #1
Winter Dreams #2, detail
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Thank you for your ongoing support!
Happy Spring!
