A Sign of Things to Come

 My brother recently converted over 1000 35mm slides to a cd. These are old family pictures dating back to the 1950's. While going through them, which was an amazing trip down memory lane, I came upon the photo shown above. That is 8 year old me, standing under a painting of my absolute favorite subject at the time: horses.
 The medium has changed and so has the subject matter, but the passion still exists. I really think I always wanted to be an artist, but was encouraged to pursue a course of study that would result in a "paying" job. As it turns out, I never used my Bachelor of Science in Zoology, and here I am a full time artist. Isn't it funny how life happens?
 I will say that I am very blessed and grateful to be able to spend my days creating.

Art Quilts and Textiles by Susan Nash: Opening Reception

The big night has come and gone, and I lived through it. In fact, it was amazing! By all accounts, the opening reception for my first solo show at the Zanesville Museum of Art, was a success.  It was so much fun to share my work in this way. I found the gallery space to be wonderful...very intimate, and perfect for my work. The director and staff were fantastic as well. And the food and drink were superb.

In the process of working on my "gallery talk", I sat alone in the space for awhile. What I discovered, and what has been pointed out to me lately, is the repeated use of several symbols and images in my work. I shared this in my talk, and thought I would share it here with you, dear readers.

What popped out at me, as I sat surrounded by my work, was the use of hearts, spirals, circles, and leaves. The symbolism behind hearts is fairly self-explanatory:  love, compassion, and caring. Spirals symbolize evolution, and change. I use these alot, even in the fabrics I choose. Why?? I'm not sure. I work intuitively, and they just seem appropriate. My work is definately evolving, so maybe that is it. Then there are all the circles, which symbolize unity and wholeness. So why do they appear over and over in my pieces? Again, I'm not sure. I will continue to dig deeper on this subject. In the meantime, my biggest inspiration is nature, hence, the leaves. I especially admire the Gingko leaf, so it is no surprise ( to me ) to see it in my work.

While my show will hang until June 19th, I will be back in studio working and playing on new pieces. I find it almost cathartic to have my space empty of my work... freeing, in some way. It leaves me open to try new techniques; to follow a new path. Where this path will take me, I havn't a clue, but I look forward with anticipation. Perhaps you will come along on the ride with me? Hang on and stay tuned!

Fear of Flying...Solo

In my last post I mentioned my up-coming solo show. I am extremely proud and excited about: "Art Quilts and Textiles by Susan Nash". It will run from April 24, 2010 to June 19, 2010 at the Zanesville Museum of Art. ( http://www.zanesvilleart.org/ ) The opening reception and gallery talk, should you happen to be in the area, is Saturday April 24, 5 -7pm.

I am grateful for this opportunity on so many levels. A solo show was on my list of things to achieve in the future. The fact that the museum director, Susan Talbot-Stanaway, saw something in my work worthy of a show, humbles me deeply. The publicity has been amazing as well.

May I let you in on a wee little secret? There is a huge part of all this that terrifies me. I mean, I am preparing to hang my heart and soul out there for of the world to see, and judge. That ugly little "ego" dude is on my shoulder asking me, am I really worthy of this?? Who do I think I am?? Okay, so I'm thinking this is probably a normal reaction? Or am I alone in feeling a little bit inadequate?

Springtime: New Beginnings

Does spring stir-up your soul?? With trees budding and flowers popping and the world greening; aren't you compelled to start a-new as well? It does seem like the perfect time to jump on the band wagon and start something fresh, or re-commit to something already in place.
I'm thinking: new artwork, new series, new color scheme, new approach...OR how about: finish, re-do, perhaps start over.
Health wise I have already made a commitment to re-commit for better fitness this spring. (http://schimmelfitness.com ) Art-wise, I have a solo show coming up this month, so the work for that is all completed. I feel as if I have the above mentioned "new-beginning" because I am free to create without a goal insight.
Isn't it nice that we can create opportunities to free ourselves of guilt or worries, and have a new opportunity for fresh starts? Just because it's spring?
How about you?? Do you have any new plans or fresh starts inspired by the season?

All Systems: GO

I have given myself the "green light" to start work improving and building a better, more vibrant blog. How will this happen, you ask?? I recently signed up for the 4-week Blog Triage class offered by Cynthia Morris ( http://originalimpulseblog.com/ and http://journeyjuju.com/) and Alyson Stanfield ( http://artbizblog.com/ ). You will be following along with my progress, as I blog my homework right here.
The most recent assignment is to describe the people I would like to have visit and read my blog. Since I am an artist, and I blog mostly about my work and what inspires me; I would like to attract other artists. Specifically, I am a textile/fiber artist making mostly art quilts. This may narrow or open the field even more, and could include not only other art quilters, but also anyone who sews. I am inspired by nature, so that could be another audience as well: nature lovers. It would also be my hope that I could possibly attract book publishers, art dealers, critics, museum curators, and gallery owners.
So why do I blog to begin with? I think I started blogging for myself. I was impressed by other blogs and felt that it was something I wanted to do as well. However, when it came to physically starting a blog, along with the commitment to continue blogging...that is where I froze up. I didn't want to start and not continue. So, I put it in the category of "doing something that scares me", and finally jumped in and tried my hand at it. In other words, I blog to force myself to stretch and grow. Since starting though, I have seen the value in networking with other like-minded people, and the self-promotion and self marketing uses are endless.
I look forward to the Blog Triage, and the push it is already giving me.
What are your reasons for blogging? Do you look forward to each blog post, or do you need a nudge?