A Bittersweet Memory

 My show at the Zanesville Museum of Art came down yesterday, and I picked all the work up today.  It was a wonderful, exciting ride...one I am extremely proud of. I am very grateful to the ZMA for the opportunity, and to all my friends and family who supported me in this endeavor.

 Now, back at Studio 202, I am ready to get back to the business of creating more artwork. I am currently working on 2 commission pieces, so they are keeping me busy for the moment. But, I am feeling the pull to perhaps stretch in a new direction. It usually takes awhile for me to incubate an idea. Stay tuned for more to come.

 For now, I will bask in the memory of my first solo show.

Confessions of an Embarrassed Fool or Lessons Learned

Venus Flytrap  copyright Susan Nash 2010

 
 Have you ever  received the prospectus for an upcoming show, and thought to yourself, " this is the perfect venue for my work", but, not had any work available to submit??

 This happened to me very recently. The show was totally based around a botanical theme, and was to be held at a conservatory. My work of late has been very much organic and botanical in nature. It would be, in my estimation, a perfect fit. The problem ( if you want to call it a problem), was that all my work was being displayed in other shows! Specifically, my solo show at the Zanesville Museum of Art, and The Best of 2010.

 What would you do??

 Well, here is what I did, and I do not recommend it. I had maybe 2 weeks to create a piece for submission. So, I got to work, and very quickly put together a piece in time to take photos and submit it.

 The good news is that I realized it was a hurry-up job...it was done to fit the theme, not created from that place inside me that wants to create.  In plain English, it did not feel authentic. So, I did not enter it. The decision felt right.

 The bad news is that I decided to keep working on the piece and try tweaking it into something that felt right. I thought I got it to that point. But when I saw it hanging recently in another show, it jumped out at me as not being good. It still didn't feel right. So now, I feel a little embarrassed, even stupid for allowing this piece to have been sent out into the world depicting my work. Yuck.

 The lesson I am taking from this is that I should ALWAYS make work that comes from my heart; that is totally authentic to me. NOT try to fit a theme, or catch a specific jurors eye. Just make the work that is my personal soul work.

  Have any of YOU, dear friends and bloggers, felt this silly and annoyed? I am somehow deeply embarrassed that my name is hanging by this piece for the world to see.
I did create it, but I am not overly proud of it.
Lesson Learned.

Quilt Surface Design Symposium

  I am newly returned from my classes at QSDS, and thought I would share a bit of the experience.
This symposium has been around now for 21 years and is going strong. It attracts people from all over the world. In their words, it is for anyone interested in working with fabric and ready to challenge the boundaries between what is considered craft and fine art.

 My first class was with book artist Pam Sussman. We had a choice between making 3 different books. For me, the best part was that we learned how to screen print! We used our own text and/or images and screened them to fabrics of our choosing. Then, the idea was to create a book in fabric using some of the material we had just created. I am hooked! Pam was an awesome teacher with infinite patience. I highly recommend her.
   Here is a picture of the book I chose to create. It is called a "concertina " book. I only used a small piece of the fabric I created.  You can almost see it on the second panel from the left. This book was not yet completed in this picture.

    The second class was with Rosalie Dace, who is from Durbin, South Africa. She was an amazing person and teacher, with so much to share in life experiences alone! The class was all about texture and the ways to create it.  Here is a picture of Rosalie working with my dear friend Vivian. ( Rosalie is on the right)

  Above is the work I have, still in process from this class. It has a lot of work left.

 QSDS is an amazing learning experience, but one must also recognize the fact that there are many friendships created and nurtured throughout the years at this event.  I am very grateful to have been able to attend. I was able to "catch up" with people I haven't seen in years, and also to share the time with special friends like Vivian.

Month End Review

 After taking Alyson Stanfield's "Blast Off" class back in January, I have been trying to take her advice to "check in" with myself and my artistic endeavors. I thought I would do an end of the month review here: what have I accomplished in the month of May...did I meet any goals?....and what are my aspirations for June?

 May was a busy, art-full month. I have my solo show continuing at The Zanesville Museum of Art. Some of the work has sold, and I have a commission request.
 The opening of "Best of 2101" at the Ohio Craft Museum has come and gone, along with receiving my award there. I completed 3 new pieces that had been in process and sent them along to "FABRICations" at the High Road Gallery. The show runs May 26 to June 26. I also somehow managed with the help of an artist-friend, Mike Seiler ( thanks Mike) to get a cd and application sent off to the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Expo.  I won't know the results of that until early June. Finally, I created a piece for consideration to be in Patti Digh's newest book.

 On a down note, the deadline for the Aullwood Nature Center show came and went. Unfortunately, I had nothing to send along.

 With June unfolding quickly before me, I am excited about the opportunity to take classes at the Quilt Surface Design Symposium in Columbus. I will be studying with Pam Sussman and Rosalie Dace. This event is great for re-connecting and networking with friends, old and new.

  My goal for June would be to create more artwork. QSDS will offer much inspiration, I am sure. I will also await the acceptance or rejection notice from the state fair expo. ( keeping my fingers crossed ). There are several more deadlines for other shows looming in the future. My intention is to create, and hope that something will be appropriate to enter.

 I am well pleased with the month of May, and hope to keep the momentum going in the months ahead. this is helpful to state my goals, not only to remind myself, but also to make me accountable.