Winter 2011
Dear Friends,
I hope this Solstice finds you well and without weather extremes. Here in Texas we've been experiencing some (thankfully) cooler weather, and we've even had several gloomy and rainy intervals!
Life here has been busy, but the next couple of weeks promise a slower pace as we move into winter. Read on for some news and some highlights of the past three months.
As ever, thank you for joining me on my art journey!
Warmly,
Cynthia
In this issue:
A Recent Exhibition Opening
Foto/Fiber 2012
Surface Design Basics Class
Kathyanne White
House Concert with Musician & Artist Lee Barber
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A Recent Exhibition Opening
DAC Opening | copyright 2011 Cynthia Wenslow
From December 5-20, my diptych "View from the Other Side" (seen above in the center) was exhibited along with work by other faculty members and some selected students of the Dougherty Arts School in downtown Austin. My friend and fellow faculty member, Nancy Michalewicz, had a beautiful bracelet in the exhibit. Along with being a talented photographer and painter, Nancy is an accomplished metalsmith, which she teaches at the Dougherty.
It was an excellent exhibit with a great turn-out for the opening reception. The Julia C. Butridge Gallery is a very nice space located in the Dougherty Arts Center, owned by the City of Austin.
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Foto/Fiber 2012
As a nearly life-long photographer, I am honored to be a part of Foto/Fiber 2012, a special fundraising project of Fiberart For a Cause, founded by the always inspiring Virginia Spiegel. All the funds raised go to the American Cancer Society.
Foto/Fiber 2012
90 Photos AND 90 BONUS Fiber Surprises
Beauty and Mystery Unite to Fight Cancer
Gold Donor Day - February 15, 2012
Make a minimum donation of $100, choose a photo by
Virginia A. Spiegel, Karen Stiehl Osborn, or Cynthia Wenslow
and choose a BONUS Fiber Surprise
by a specific artist from an amazing list of generous fiber artists.
Regular Foto/Fiber - February 16, 2012
Make a minimum donation of $50 and choose a photo by
Virginia A. Spiegel, Karen Stiehl Osborn, or Cynthia Wenslow.
Your BONUS Fiber Surprise will be chosen at random for you
from a list of generous fiber artists.
Photo selections haven't been finalized yet, but I'll have between 1 and 3 images available. These images have never been shown before, and never will be again. Don't miss your chance to acquire an extremely limited edition print!
See the Foto/Fiber 2012 website for all the details and mark your calendars for February 15 & 16!
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Surface Design Basics Class
The Dougherty Arts School's long time surface design instructor, Jean Dahlgren, has accepted an opportunity in San Antonio. I've admired Jean's work for quite some time, and have gotten to know her a little bit through our mutual memberships in Austin Fiber Artists and Surface Design Association, of which Jean is the Texas Rep.
While nobody could expect to step in and fill Jean's shoes, I've been asked to develop a 6 week course in Surface Design Basics that will be offered twice during Summer 2012. Some of you may be unaware of how strong a part my surface design history plays in my artwork. While many of my finished fiber works are "essentialist" in nature, I usually paint, dye, and otherwise create the materials that go into them, such as this small section of a southwest sunset sky to the left.
In the coming weeks, I'll post some of my more mainstream surface designed materials on my blog and website. Please stop in and take a look now and then.
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Kathyanne White
Noted mixed media artist Kathyanne White juried the upcoming Texas Federation of Fiber Artists exhibit. While I knew of her work previously, I had never had any personal interaction with Kathyanne before working with her during the jurying process for which I developed a private, password-protected jurying website.
Recently, while perusing her blog, I came across some interesting work she is doing with wire crochet. You may recall from this blog post that I started playing with this earlier in 2011, so this really caught my eye. I love that she is incorporating bottle caps in her layers.
I'm pleased to say that I am currently working with Kathyanne on a top secret project she will launch early in 2012. In the meantime, take a ramble around her blog. It's inspiring!
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House Concert with Musician & Artist Lee Barber
Something that we've taken to doing here in the "Live Music Capital of the World" is hosting house concerts. We've done three in the last 14 months or so. In early December, a crowd gathered in our living room to mingle, eat, talk art, and hear gifted Austin musician and visual artist, Lee Barber perform. The audience was split almost evenly between artists and audio geeks, but everyone got along great and really enjoyed the evening!You can read an interview with Lee on MetroSeeker.com. While you're there, you can listen to a few of his songs on his ReverbNation player.
Expecting to Fly | copyright Lee Barber
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Look below for a cute photo of our newest family member, Mindy. Being a pup of the 21st Century, she has her own website, which you can visit at Mindy, The Great Pyr.
Winter Blessings!
~ Cynthia
Mini Mindy | copyright 2011 Cynthia Wenslow