July & it’s Hot- Hot- Hot
Member News and Kudos
Lynne Brunning
“I’ll be presenting my eTextile haptic coat for the blind at the Aspen Mini Maker Faire Saturday 10 July. http://www.makerfaire.com/
Base of the gondola. I hope to see some of the western slope folks!
Video interview about this project from May Maker Faire in the Bay area:
http://www.lbruning.com/videos/
Jennifer Ghormley
“I am going to have a booth at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, 4th of July weekend, located in Denver Cherry Creek North shopping district. I will be in Emerging Artist booth #E6, located on 3rd st between Fillmore and Milwaukee streets. I will have colorful little hand made prints for sale, as well as stitched sketchbooks made from recycled and re-purposed materials. I encourage all SDA members to come out and see this amazing Art Fair, stop by my booth and say hi!” http://podcast.cherryarts.org/
Carol Shinn
“I just got back from a great time at Alegre Retreat.….which I would definitely recommend for people next year. Gateway Resort was fabulous, and food etc likewise. Every morning Katie led us on a nice little hike! Pictures are up on Facebook.” http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alegre-Retreat/275135766854
Art Finds while traveling around Colorado
Denver
Biennial of the Americas - a month long celebrations of arts and culture of the Americas throughout the city of Denver. Go to this site for all the details.
http://www.biennialoftheamericas.org/newsletters/Biennial.Newsletter.05.html
Palmer Lakes
America the Beautiful – The Fiber of Our Heart
July 3-29, 2010
Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts – #304 on Highway 105
Featuring the Embroiderer’s Guild of America’s National Tapestry Show and and exhibition and sale of needlework and fiber art. Call: 719-481–0475 for more details or visit the art center’s web site: http://www.trilakesarts.org/
Montrose
Colorado Historical Society: Ute Indian Museum
We were recently camping in Ridgway State Park with our oldest son and his family. On the way home we stopped to visit this wonderful small museum which celebrates the heritage and customs of the Ute Indian Nation. It has beautiful artifacts, informative videos and exhibits and a gallery featuring contemporary native American artists. Well worth a visit. Go to their web site for more information: http://www.coloradohistory.org/hist_sites/uteindian/ute_indian.htm
Denver Botanic Gardens
“The Legacy of Henry Moore: Contemporary British Sculpture”
Thursday, July 15, 7-8 p.m. in Mitchell Hall
Nora Burnett Abrams, the newly-appointed Associate Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver will discuss the influence that Moore has had on contemporary art. Moore‘s sculpture dominates 20th-century British art, but how have contemporary artists responded to this towering figure? Explore the work of Rachel Whiteread, Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor.
Quick Takes:
Convergence 2010 New Visions: Ancient Paths
Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 18-25. A fabulous, gathering of weavers, spinners, dyers and many other types of fiber artists. Click here for all the details.
http://www.weavespindye.org/?loc=8-00-00
Down Under Textiles Magazine – a new and vibrant magazine on textile arts in Australia and beyond. Here is a review of it on art quilting blog. http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/blog/2010/02/13/down-under-textile-magazine/
Djanne Cevaal has a wonderful blog which she calls Musings of a Textile Itinerant. You will want to check out her publication: 72 MORE Ways Not to Stipple or Meander and her CD titled Lovely Lutradur.http://origidij.blogspot.com
Smithsonian Craft Show – Wearable Art
http://www.smithsoniancraftshow.org/indexmain.asp?content=WearableArt
Colors of Morocco - great color inspiration
photographs of Claude Renault http://mymorocco.wordpress.com/
June & the living is easy
Member Spotlight – Denise Labadie
Denise Labadie
Denise is an art quilter living and working in her terrific studio in Longmont, Colorado. Her art focuses on expressing the beauty of the magnificent stones, dolmens and ancient sites in Ireland. Denise has traveled there several times to study and photograph the stone formations. She hand paints almost all of her fabric she uses in her work. She is known for her ability to create interesting textures and beautiful skies as backdrops for the focal points of her work. This summer her work will be exhibited in two juried shows.
Shaw Cramer Gallery, Vinyard Haven, Massachusetts
Jul 16, 2010 through Jul 28, 2010
http://shawcramergallery.com/exhibits.php
ITAB: International TECHstyle Art Biennial at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles – August 17th – October 31st 2010 http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org
Denise Labadie - Dun Aengus Stone Fort 63"w x 72"h
Denise says of her work:
“I love my stones. when people ask how long I will focus on this, I just tell them that their are so many stones and ruins out there, I can’t get enough. I also can’t get enough of Ireland, although I am longing to go to Scotland as I have never traveled there. For the time being, who knows. With every stone circle, dolmen, stone fort etc. there are new challenges, new shading and perspective to work on and learn from. I absolutely love the challenge that comes with each piece I do. It has been a constant struggle for me to get the shadows and perspective correct, things that have not come naturally to me. I am immensely grateful to those who have helped me to define my stones in more depth and detail. My dream would be to have my work shown in Ireland!”
Denise Labadie - St. Kevin's Way - 27"' w x 37" h
Denise has worked diligently to evolve her style and techniques. She now shares her knowledge through classes on fabric painting and reverse applique. Contact Denise through her web site for more information and to see more of her wonderful art quilts.
http://www.labadiefiberart.com/
Denise Labadie - St. Kevin's Monastery II 55" w x 66" h
Kudos to Colorado SDA members
Regina Benson
As one of five American artists invited to exhibit their work at the 13th International Triennial of Tapestry at the Central Museum of the Textile Industry in Lodz. Regina received special jurors’ mention for her textile installation Ablaze III, a double-sided triptych, 54″ high x 132″ wide x 16″ deep.
Carol Shinn
Carol has had one of her thread painting pieces purchased by the Denver Art Museum for its permanent collection. She will also have her work represented in the booth for the Jane Sauer Gallery at SOFA West in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (see below for more details on this event).
Charlotte Ziebarth
The 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards has selected Charlotte Ziebarth’s recently publishes book: Artistic Photo Quilts to receive the Bronze award in the How-To Book Category.
Go have a some fun
Check out the ESTES PARK WOOL MARKET – June 10-13. 2010 at the Estes Park fairgrounds.
Sheep dog herding demos, alpaca, llamas, and exotic Paco-vicunas, Angora rabbits and incredible yarns, fleeces and demos of spinning, knitting, weaving etc.
http://www.estesnet.com/events/woolmarket.htm
The SDA NewsBlog is live
The online evolution of the SDA Quarterly Newsletter has just been released live on the Internet. Congratulations to editor Leesa Hubbell for her fine efforts in making this a reality. It is informative, fun and full of resources. If you haven’t seen it yet, go to: http://dev.surfacedesign.org/blog/. You will also find the Live Links to the recent issue of the SDA Journal EcoVision, Spring 2010 there.
Calls for Entry
Lines into Shapes sponsored by the Art Center of Estes Park, Colorado. A national multimedia juried exhibition of fiber art, paintings-water media/oil/pastels/printmaking, photography, sculpture/glass/wood/fine pottery, jewelry. Deadline for entry is September 10, 2010 with exhibition October 29 through November 14, 2010. For more information call: (970) 586-5882 or see the prospectus on their web site: http://www.artcenterofestes.com
Big Themes/Small Works sponsored by the Spark Gallery in Denver, Colorado as part of the Biennial of the Americas which will take place all month long in July. Deadline for entry by dropping off your submission is Sunday, Jule 11th or Monday July 12th. Exhibition dates: July 13-July 31st, 2010. For full details go to their web site http://www.sparkgallery.com and click on the call for entry pdf to download to your computer
Quick Takes:
SDA in the state of Michigan has just put up a blog for its members:
http://sda.posterous.com/
Hand-Eye Magazine
An amazing online resource.
HAND/EYE is an independent, international publication which explores the nexus between design and development, culture and commerce, art and craft, and environment and ethics. Get a glass of iced tea or lemonade and settle back for a great time on the web. http://handeyemagazine.com/node/166
Check out these fun chairs:
Collaborative design Italy - Africa found on Hand/Eye magazine
Try Some Indigo This Summer
Have you thought about trying indigo dyes? Here is a link to an article which describes how to go about it along with references on where to find the dye.
http://handeyemagazine.com/node/58
Earthues (natural dyes)
http://www.earthues.com/
Textile Printing Resources
If you want to experiment with having your digital images printed on textiles here are two resources to check out:
Fabric on Demand
http://www.fabricondemand.com
Spoonflower
http://www.spoonflower.com
Smithsonian Find
You know how things unexpectedly “surface” in your home or studio? Well, I recently found a page which I had torn out of a November 2009 Smithsonian magazine about the discovery of a 30,000 year old piece of thread in a cave in the Caucasus region of Georgia. “The fibers had been knotted together and dyed. Researchers identified violet, red, black and turquoise threads in clay sediments, providing one of the earliest known examples of humans using plant fibers. Other remains – including the spores of cloth eating fungus – suggest that such fibers were made into textiles.” It seems that fiber art and surface design have been part of the human experience for a long time.
SOFA West – Santa Fe
Planning a summer trip? Not so far away in always-fun Santa Fe, New Mexico is the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair: SOFA West. July 8 – 11th, 2010 It will be held in the Santa Fe Convention Center. For more info: http://www.sofaexpo.com/
Snyderman Gallery
Take a tour of the many works in 7th International Fiber Biennial exhibition in this prestigious gallery in Phiadelphia, Pennsylvania
http://www.snyderman-works.com/snyderman/gallery.html
Is it Spring Yet?
I took the photo in the Spring SDAColorado.org header (above) at Chautauqua Park here in Boulder, Colorado on one of our truly Spring days. As all Coloradans will know, the next day can be -and often is – a return to Winter. Spring is unusually slow in arriving here at the base of the Rocky Mountains, yet it also lush and verdant. SDA members here have been very active indeed…
Kudos to SDA Colorado Members
Deidre Adams
Deidre’s BFA Thesis Exhibition: Plane of Persistence at the Metro State College of Denver. You can see Deidre’s art work at http://deidreadams.com
Regina Benson
Nothing succeeds like success. Regina has just left for Poland to attend the opening the 13th International Triennial of Tapestry at the Central Museum of the Textile Industry in Lodz. Regina’s piece titled Ablaze III is a double-sided triptych. You can view it under Events on her web site: http://www.reginabenson.com
Regina is one of only five American artists to have work accepted into this prestigious exhibition. The other artists are: Lanny Bergner, Tim Harding, Nancy Koenigsberg, Mary Zicafoose. Congratulations Regina, not only for this show but for the other exhibition where her work appears currently or during the summer months
Art Cloth: Engaging New Visions - Wanagratta Gallery, Victoria, Australia
Art Quilt Elements - Wayne Art Center, Wayne Pennsylvania.
Transmutations solo show, Ice Cube Gallery, Denver, CO – July
From Nature’s Studio – solo show at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver CO – August
Darlene Danko. & Shelley DeChantal
One of Darlene’s art jackets has been juried into the Colorado Weaver’s Day. Shelley DeChantal will also be demonstrating Shibori Dye Techniques at the Colorado Weavers Day. Learn more about Colorado Weavers Day, Saturday, May 15th in the Glenn Miller Ballroom at CY Boulder. http://www.handweaversofboulder.org/cwd/Colorado%20Weavers%20Day.html
Patty Hawkins
Patty has a solo show Nature’s Patternings at the Estes Park Art Center
May 15 – June 20. The opening reception is May 15th from 5-7 all are invited
Click here to see Patty’s wonderful art quilts http://www.PattyHawkins.com
Denise Labadie and Carol Krueger
Denise Labadie has received notice that her piece titled: Poulnabrone Dolmen quilt was accepted into the ITAB: the International TECHstyle Art Biennial. This exhibition launches the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles new signature event in San Jose, California. It is on display from August 17th – October 31st, 2010. It will be an exciting showcase of textile art and technology. http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/ITAB2010.html
View Denise Labadie’s Web site here: http://www.Labadiefiberart.com
View Carol Krueger’s web site here: http://www.CarolKrueger.com
SDA Journal / Linked – Spring 2010 – Recycled Art
Another wonderful edition of the SDA Journal is in our hands. As always, we are indebted to Patricia Malarcher for her fine skills as editor. Click here to go to the SDAResource.org site where you can find live links to each of the artists and organizations featured in the Journal’s theme: Recycled Art. You will also find an extensive list of resources on Recycled Art as a new category under Fiber Art Resources.
Great Opportunity for SDA Members
SDA is renting booth space at both Convergence (July 18-25 in Albuquerque, NM) and the Houston Quilt Festival (Nov 4-7 in Houston, TX) For a $100 fee, SDA is allowing members to have a three-hour window to do demos of techniques, process, books, DVDs or simply show their own work. You can read all the details and apply at the following link:
http://dev.surfacedesign.org/members-booth-benefit.php
Quick Takes
Denver National Quilt Festival
Thursday, April 29th- Sunday, May 2nd. Denver Merchandise Mart, (I-25 and 58th Ave)
http://www.quiltfest.com/activities.asp?id=35
Art Quilt Elements http://www.artquiltelements.com/
Fiberarts International 2010 http://fiberartinternational.org/fi2010
Fun Finds in Fashion
Style Skilling
http://www.styleskilling.com/
Far Fetch – 40 European and us Boutiques – 400 Designers
http://www.farfetch.com/
Gabriele Colangelo
http://www.gabrielecolangelo.com/en.html
Copyright information for artists
The Copyright Website
http://www.benedict.com/
Funny Strange Copyright for Collage Artists
http://www.funnystrange.com/copyright
Where do you find inspiration for your art?
When you want to start something totally new where do you go for inspiration? Please share your ideas and sources of inspiration with other members. I like to go to web sites with content that makes me stretch visually and mentally. Try one of these sites to find new ways of seeing.
Crop Circles
If you haven’t seen the photos of crop circles which appear annually beginning about May in the UK and around the world you might want to check out these web sites. The designs are truly amazing. Their origin is something to think about.
www.cropcirclesandmore.com
www.temporarytemples.co.uk
www.cropcircleconnector.com
Quotations also inspire me and I sometime like to imagine how I could translate them into art work. Here is a quote I found recently. Share a quote that inspires you.
Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, “You owe Me.” Look what happens with a Love like that, It lights the Whole Sky. – Hafiz from The Gift
Look Whose Talking
Colorado SDA members’ expertise heard everywhere.
Lia Call
Lisa gave a presentation at the Create Denver Expo in March titled: Time Management: the Artist and the Internet. it included tips Facebook tricks to time management tools to help artists get off-line and back into the studio. Lisa was also gave a presentation How to be a Famous Artist Without Quitting Your Day Job on the Art Heroes Radio – you can hear her commentary by clicking below and then going to Conversations and scrolling down to Lisa’s presentation. http://artheroesradio.com
Lisa Call is a visual artist, software engineer and founder of MakeBigArt.com – a web site empowering artists to think big about their art, lives and marketing. http://makebigart.com. You can see her art work at http://www.lisacall.com.
Jill Powers
Jill is the featured guest speaker at the Handweavers Guild of Boulder meeting on Monday, May 10th. She will present Off the Beaten Path- Plant, Animal, and Insect Fiber Art. Jill creates fiber panels and vessels made of harvested and manipulated plant materials from Thailand. Jill’s presentation begins at 10:30am at the Mountain View Methodist Church, Barker Hall, 355 Ponca Place, Boulder. CO
Jill will also present Pathways for Fiber Artists – Adventures with Alternative Media at the Tuesday evening Guild meeting at 7:30PM in the Frasier Room at the same location. You can see Jill’s intriguing art works on her web site: http:/JillPowers.com
Charlotte Ziebarth
Charlotte will present Digital Cloth at the may 17th meeting of the Front Range Contemporary Quilters. She will discuss her journey from being a person interested in many fiber crafts to an artist who has found a passion in digital art as applied to cloth and quilts. Charlotte’s art involves several processes and many sources of inspiration. Her slide presentation will include the development of her imagery from photographs through digital transformation to finished art quilts. The FRCQ meeting will be held from 7pm-9pm at the Westminster City Park Recreation Center, 10455 Sheridan Blvd., Westminster, Colorado. To see Charlotte’s digital creations and learn about her recently published book Go to: http;//www.CharlotteZiebarth.com
Member Spotlight – Barbara Frey
Barbara Frey
Barbara Frey started working with textiles as a teenager, sewing and knitting, then moving on to crocheting and embroidering. She learned quilting while raising a family of three and juggling her nursing career. She began making art quilts in 1997. Recently Barb’s work has taken a new direction in creating art garments.
Barb says of her current work: I am excited about exploring how a garment makes a person feel. I am dedicating the next year to the series. I’m curious where it will go. Right now I’m working on a self portrait in the form of a dress style I used to make for myself. Here are a few of the questions I asked myself when I first started this series:
How could a garment transform your imagination just by putting it on?
Would you feel like a different person?
Who would you be in the garment?
Do you feel safe in the garment? warm?
Shape is really important to the series. Arms stretching out in welcome, a flaring shape, feminine shape, powerful shape, soft, flowing shape, etc.
My influences come from looking at a minister’s robe and stole, from kimonos, traditional costumes, clothing I’ve worn, costumes from cinema.
Will some phrases creep in to the series–like who “wears the pants” in the family? ”dress for success”?
Will I want 3-dimensional pieces?
You can see Barb Frey’s art quilts on her web site: http://www.BarbFrey.com
Here are examples of Barb’s current work:
Barb Frey: Robe of Transformation 54" wide x 61" high
Barb Frey: Robe of Welcome 55" wide x 50" high
Member Spotlight – Regina Benson
Regina Benson
Congratulations are due to Golden, Colorado artist Regina Benson. She has been appointed to the SDA Board of Directors as the Director of Fund Raising. Regina will be working closely with Vice President of Development, Bette Levy, to create and implement new structures and mechanisms for increasing financial donations to the organization. Regina is the former SDA Colorado state rep.
Regina Benson - Western Rain
In her studio practice, Regina creates large-scale wall hangings and dimensional textile structures using her own surface-designed cloth. Her painterly designs are created by manipulating and intentionally mark-making on silk, rayon, and industrial polyester fabrics. Intricate patterning is achieved by discharging black fabric with soy wax and starch paste resists, followed by overdyeing and rusting the surface with natural, disperse, and acid dyes. The resultant markings are stitched, burned, and waxed.
Regina’s work has been shown in galleries and museums on both a national and international basis. She currently has an exhibition Informed Dichotomy at the Wright Museum at Beloit College in Wisconsin.
See more of Regina’s wonderful art on her web site.
Member Spotlight - Ilza Aviks
Ilze Aviks
Ilze is a textile artist living in Durango, Colorado and teaching Studio and Art Theory courses at Ft. Lewis College as well as being a visiting artist at many other colleges around the country. She also conducts wonderful and informative workshops.
Of her current work titled Fix-It, Ilze notes: “The hand-made lace recalls the feminist credo that “the personal is political”. The lace is not perfect, shows evidence of the hand…the digitally-printed paper (target and numbers) is mechanically perfect. The combination can be uneasy–something flawed juxtaposed with something perfect (like Plato’s platonic circle). The visual metaphor of a shape, a number, a painted gesture, insinuating itself from beneath the lace, can be both political and personal. Something pushed back or slightly hidden. The surface may be friendly, but violence or unexpressed emotions exist just below.
Ilze Aviks - Fix It
Ilze Avkis - Don't Worry
FIX IT 24″ x 24″ (framed)
Pigment, ink, cotton thread on digitally-printed Arches paper; finger painting, hand stitching.
DON’T WORRY 24″ x 24″ (framed)
Hand-made cotton lace, discharged silk, pigment on linen, commercial fabric; collaging, hand stitching
Two of Ilze’s artworks were recently selected for the permanent collection of the new United States Embassy in Riga, Latvia. Learn more about Ilze on her web site.
Member Spotlight – Carol Watkins
Carol Watkins
SDA member Carol Watkins lives in Boulder, Colorado. Digital technology has given Carol the opportunity to create deeply personal art. Exploring the possibilities inherent in this new medium keeps her constantly asking “what if.” She creates art quilts from original photographs, digital processes and prints on cloth and other substrates. The printed fabric is pieced, painted, and heavily stitched with free-motion, machine embroidery.
Carol has a genuine connection to and appreciation for nature. Having been raised in urban areas Carol found solace as a child in quiet places. She now lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains where she hikes renewing body and spirit.
Carol Watkins - Green Sonata
Carol Watkins - Prairie Rainbow
Green Sonata 26 x 27 silk fabrics, digitally printed, applique, free motion stitching
Prairie Rainbow 42 x 34 cotton fabric, treated w. inkAID white matte, printed and enhanced w. heavy stitching
Rooted in Fantasy II 34.5 x 42 printed on cotton treated with inkAID clear, free motion stitched, applique of clouds build on interfacing using molding paste and inkAID, printed.
Three of Carol’s art quilts are featured in the newly released publication 500 Quilts. Carol teaches workshops on various techniques. Learn more about Carol on her web site.
Calls for Entry
The Biennial of the Americas (July 2010 in Denver) and the Denver Art Museum have combined a Call For Entry for a month long artist residency- Deadline March 26th. Details can be found at Biennial of the Americas. The application form can be found at Platte Forum
Interesting Resources
While researching art sites on the web, I recently came across a site called ArtNet. It has lots of useful features: price database, market trends, auctions etc. It also has profiles of artists which often include their observations about their work process or philosophy. Here is a link to noted painter Jamie Wyeth’s thoughts on his own art process. ArtNet
Art Cooperatives – Art Collectives
Artists sometimes become members of an Artists’ Cooperative or Collective in order to exhibit and sell their work effectively. I have recently researched a number of such venues and put them in a new category on the Resource blog/site. along with links to articles on the pros and cons and how-to’s of starting such an venture in your area. Go to SDAResource.org.
Tour Japan with Yoshiko Wada
- In person or from your computer
Noted shibori artist Yashiko Wada, often a teacher at SDA conferences -including the SDA /SAQA Reinvention conference this coming week in San Francisco -conducts tours to Japan. She has one this coming May and June. If you are interested in details you can go to the World Shibori Network site. If you can’t go, yet want to travel from your computer, download and check out the myriad references and links Yoshiko has put together for the selected bibliography of places visited on past trips. Primo!
Yoshiko Wada - Memory on Cloth - Shibori Now
Yoshiko is the author of several books on shibori. If you have not seen her remarkable book Memory on Cloth - Shibori Now, you are in for a treat. You can buy it at Amazon.com and support SDA. Click here to link directly to Amazon.com, type in the title of the book, then place your order as you normally would. Part of the profits - at no added cost to you – will be shared with SDA. Thank you!
Health & Safety in your studio
Joy Boutrop - Health & Safety Working with Textile Dyes & Chemicals
SDA publishes a 50 minute DVD titled Health & Safety Working with Textile Dyes & Chemicals by Danish Textile Engineer, Joy Boutrop. It features dye and chemical health and safety procedures in a clear, straight-forward manner. Joy covers topics such as measuring powder dyes and liquids safely, working with pigments and emulsion using appropriate protection, and minimizing the risks associated with caustic soda and lye solutions in the textiles studio. This is an excellent educational resource, especially for those new to the field of textile dyeing and printing. Click here to order.
For the Art Quilters among us:
Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit -a community exhibit to help fellow artists raise money for worthy causes. 2010 – In My Words a benefit for Art Now for Autism and Autism Speaks. Click here for more info on how you can participate. You will find the Calligraphy and the new Type / Fonts categories on SDAResource.org helpful in thinking about designing with words for this exhibit.
A different perspective on autism & language:
I took a weekend course with John Daido Loori a year ago. He is the abbot of the New York Zen Center, New York, NY and also the Zen Mountain Monastery in upstate New York. He started our first session by showing us a video of a remarkable woman Amanda Baggs, who is autistic and cannot communicate verbally. Yet, she can type her very compelling thoughts into a computer with voice synthesizer. Our assignment in watching this video was to open our minds to different ways of understanding expression and to challenge our limiting views of acceptance, communication and language. Click here to learn from Amanda on YouTube. Type: In My Language into the search field. Stay with it until the end.
12 Connected
Twelve fiber artists on a two year journey of challenges. Why not form your own online challenge group. Here is a great model.
http://12connected.blogspot.com/
Quick Takes on Art News Now
click here to:
- Learn about Running With Scissors
- Understand what a “Blog Aggregator” is
- Find lists of Art Fairs and Craft Shows – entry deadlines are coming up rapidly.
Craft Centers – Retreat Workshops -new category on SDAResource.org
Make it a personal enrichment vacation this summer. Go on a retreat workshop at one of the many Art and Craft Centers. I’ve added a whole category devoted to the major centers in the US and even one in the UK. Click here.
My own moment in the sun
I was one of nine artists whose artworks were part of an exhibition celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Denver Botanic Gardens this past December-January. The exhibit titled Mid-Century Modern Interpreted required each artist to celebrate the architecture of one of the significant buildings in the gardens. Using the exaggerated scale approach, I chose to juxtapose the graceful arches of the conservatory’s glass dome with the curving underside morning glories. It became a multiple-layered, digital fine art print titled Grace & Glory – 8′ wide x 31″ high (234 cm x 79 cm). I was thrilled to learn this past week that it has been accepted into the permanent collection at the gardens. Life is good, indeed!
Jamie Bolane - Grace & Glory
Zaney Fun
Post-it Notes Art – who knew?
http://blog.shoplet.com/office-supplies/post-it-notes-art/
MIT FlyFire project – can we attach textiles to that?
http://senseable.mit.edu/flyfire/#
Randon Exhibition Title Generator
- use this when you can’t figure out a focus for your next artwork series!
http://www.mit.edu/~ruchill/lazycurator.html
YouCube - new toy for YouTube afficiandos and geeks
-map your favorite YouTube video onto a rotating cube. Slide your cursor over the cube – Select the About YouCube for a demo.
500 Art Quilts available now!
Order it Here!
Karey Bresenhan has carefully juried the works of prominent art quilters to create a new edition to the 500 series books. Colorado art quilters featured are: Deidre Adams*, Sandra Hoefner*, Sue Kongs, Gay Lasher*, Kathy Lichtendahl, Luella Morgenthaler*, Melody Randol, Jan Rickman, Louisa Smith, Deborah Snider, Joan Sowada (Wyoming) , Fay Timmerman-Traudt, Pam Thiele, Carol Watkins*, Carol Ann Waugh and Charlotte Ziebarth*. *These artists are SDA Members! Well done ladies, well done!
CLICK HERE to link directly to Amazon.com, type the book title in the search field, then place your order as you normally would. Part of the profits - at no added cost to you – will be shared with SDA. Thank you!
Denver March Powwow – March 19 – 21, 2010
A wonderful Colorado event: The Denver March Powwow. If you believe that Native American ceremonial dress can only be seen in a museum, think again. Approximately 1500 American Indians gather in Denver each year (at the Denver Coliseum) to celebrate their remarkable culture through dance competitions, drum circles, and Grand Entry where all dance as one. Vendors sell art, beads, leathers etc. It happens over a three-day period. Learn more on their web site and note that camera or video use need a low cost permit.
Fashion Week in New York, London, Paris & Milan
Just completed and full of fashions which few of our figures will ever fit, but still fun to see the creativity of the various designers. Now, if we could just get those models to look like they are having fun! Go to New York Magazine coverage or the British Guardian coverage.
Member Spotlight – Katherine Colwell
Hotchkiss resident Katherine Colwell is part of a current exhibition “RED” at the new Terra Firma Gallery, 217 Grand Avenue in Paonia, Colorado. It runs through Saturday, March 13th, 2010. 970-527-4993. The next show at the gallery examines the theme “DIRT” with a variety of artists and media. It opens March 19th.
Katherine Colwell - Red, Woman Dancing
Katherine is a blended-media fiber artist. No matter the finished dimensions of her work, Katherine’s hand embroidery, quilting, and sewing is on a small scale. Her favorite threads are size 50 sewing silk, and single strands of Eterna silk and DMC cotton. Three series have kept her engaged for a number of years: double-sided, pieced monotypes with Cretan labyrinths; three-dimensional folding embroidered books; and embellished silk fusion. Over three decades of plein-air drawing provide
inspiration and imagery.
Sleeping Cedar Luminous Dreams #4 (see detail below) is included in 1000 Artisan Textiles: Contemporary Fiber Art, Quilts, and Wearables, from Quarry Books; authors Sandra Salamony and Gina Brown. This book will to be published in May 2010. You can pre-order it at Amazon.com. CLICK HERE to link directly to Amazon.com, Type in the name of the book or author, then place your order as you normally would. Part of the profits - at no added cost to you – will be shared with SDA. Thank you!
Katherine Calwell - Detail of Sleeping Cedar-Luminous Dreams # 4
Katherine Colwell - Angle of Repose
Katherine and her husband run the Rivendell Retreat overlooking the beautiful North Fork Valley in Western Colorado. It provides opportunities to increase awareness, creativity, and self-discovery – to relax and rejuvenate, and interact with nature and wildlife. You can stay for a day, a week or more. Click here to learn more.
Member Spotlight - Brooks
Noted clothing and wedding gown designer Brooks of Brooks Ltd. in Denver has the honor of having her elegant bridal designs as the focus of a four-page article “Heading to the Alter and Looking Great the Second Time Around” in the current issue Colorado View - words for women who observe – question- aspire – live. Go to Colorado View. Click on Winter 2010 on the right and the use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the page to click through the magazine until you reach page 58-59. Congratulations Debra! You can see more of her beautiful fashions at Brooks Ltd. Be sure to watch the video of Brooks talking about her designs.
Brooks Ltd. - custom designed ensemble
Brooks Ltd. - custom designed gown
Member Spotlight – Sara Rockinger
Sara is an MFA graduate of the fiber arts program and Colorado State University. An exhibition of her work titled The Lines That Divide will be on display at the Old Firehouse Art Center, in Loveland from March 12 – April 10, 2010. The opening reception is Friday, March 12th from 6 pm – 9 pm. www.firehouseart.org. 303-651-2787
Sara Rockinger - Invisibility
Sara’s work titled Invisibility consists of five three dimensional figures with video of local people working and discussing immigration projected onto them. My work in this show is an exploration of the contributions of migrant and immigrant workers and their families in Boulder County. This work comes from my need to understand , if only momentarily, what it might be like to be someone else. What is life like for people around me? I am interested in exploring the relationship between current social issues, injustices, and daily life in my community. Using hand-dyed fabrics and my sewing machine as a drawing tool, I layer sheer fabrics, color, figures, line, thread, and image to consider how one experience may overlap with another. Where do we intersect? How do we affect each other? I want to visually challenge boundaries between the notion of “us” and “them,” just as they blur in my life as I create this work.
To learn more about Sara and her work, click here to go to her web site.
Sara Rockinger - She
Sara Rockinger Orange Grove - Thread Painting
Member Spotlight – Lisa Call
Art quilter Lisa Call has a solo exhibition titled Dwelling at the spacious Macky Auditorium Gallery on the CU Campus. February 17th – March 17th, 2010. Last week’s snow storm postponed the Opening Reception to Sunday, February 28th from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Lisa will give an Artists’ Talk at 2:00 pm that day. Lisa’s art quilt Structures # 11 was selected for the cover of the Quilt National 2003 Catalog. Lisa is also the founder of the Fiber Connection, a small, online support group for textile artists. Congratulations Lisa! Click here to see more of Lisa’s art.
Member Spotlight – Lynne Bruning
Lynne Bruning is an award winning fashion forward designer and innovator who created a stunning entry for the SDA 2009 Fashion Show using blacklight reactive effects. Here is a glimpse of her Fashion Prototype Show as seen on YouTube.
Lynne has written about her invention of weaving cloth with conductive threads and yarns. Go to WeaveZine. Type in Lynne Bruning in the search field. You can also learn more from Lynne about conductive fabric at Instructables.
Click here to see more exciting fashions by Lynne Bruning.
To learn more about Techno-Textiles go to this new category in Fiber Art Resources at SDAResource.org
You can order any of the following books on techno textile effects and materials at Amazon.com using the SDA benefit link below:
- Techno Textiles 2: Revolutionary Fabrics for Fashion Design
- Fashionable Technology: The Intersection of Design, Fashion, Science & Technology
- Fashioning the Future
- Fashioning Fabrics: Contemporary Textiles in Fashion
- Smart Materials and Technology in Architecture
- Textile Designers at the Cutting Edge
CLICK HERE to link directly to Amazon.com, Type in the title of the book you want, then place your order as you normally would. Part of the profits - at no added cost to you – will be shared with SDA. Thank you!
Check out the other new categories at Fiber Art Resources on SDAResource.org
Beyond Facebook and Twitter – Social Networks for Artists and Blog Directories
Henry Moore Exhibit opens at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Twenty monumental sculptures by Henry Moore are now on exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The actual opening is March 8th. for details go to: Denver Botanic Gardens
Call for Entry:
The Denver Botanic Gardens has just issued a call for entry for an exhibition titled Moore Inspired: Contemporary Responses to Henry Moore. For details and deadlines go to CAFE: Call for Entry.
And don’t forget: Many Studio Tours for artists in various Colorado communities have deadlines for application coming up very soon. Most are listed under Colorado Art Resources / Studio Tours on this blog – site.
Go to ART NEWS NOW for some valuable art links and to learn about Colorado’s own Peeps Contest.
How to start your day
Colorado member Mary McCauley starts each day by viewing the Astronomy Picture of the Day. Always an inspiration, try it: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html.
You can also subscribe to NASA’s Inbox Astronomy – a free email service which periodically sends you recent photo releases from the Hubble Space Telescope. Various sizes and resolutions of these amazing photographs are available to download. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/hubble_on_the_go/inbox_astronomy/
Welcome to SDAColorado.org
This blog and comprehensive Internet resource has been developed for the benefit of Surface Design Association members living in Colorado, USA. by state representative Jamie Bolane. It is a place to learn, to share and connect with other members, to grow as an artist, and hopefully to just have fun.
All Things SDA - Live links to help you land on just the right function you need on the SDA web site and to understand the myriad benefits of SDA membership.
Art News Now – What’s happening right now in the art world in Colorado (and sometimes beyond)
Fiber Art Resources - Link to a companion blog and internet source (SDA Resource.org) for rich resources on different topics related to surface design and fiber art. Be sure to look for the extensive artist and organization listings under Felt. You will also find live links under SDA Journal / Linked – to the artists featured in the theme of each SDA Journal issue beginning with Winter 2010 – Felt.
Life Made Easier - Want to have some art fun on the Internet? Want to learn what on earth a blog is and how to participate in this blog? Want help in finding zip codes or correct sales tax percentages for your clients? It’s all here.
SDA in Colorado – Learn what’s new with SDA members in Colorado – exhibitions. workshops, lectures and what you can do as a member.
Colorado Art Resources – Eleven sections connect you to extensive lists connecting you to the active art world in Colorado. You’ll be introduced to many of them in more detail in future blog posts.
So, click around the various sections and links, have fun and participate – share your ideas and resources on this blog.
Jamie Bolane
SDA Colorado State Representative
