"Forever and After" is Ending . . . .

wonderful photo by Cynthia Ryan

As all good things must, the haunting and exquisite exhibit, "Forever & After" is closing next week. 

Presented by the South Shore Art Center, Cohasset, MA and curated by Bill Houser, this group show captures the duality, mystery and beauty of death, spirit and what may come after.  

'dear jeff . . . ' featured in the Boston Globe.

as seen in the current issue of 'artscope' 

I have two pieces in the show, 'dear jeff . . . ' and ' torqued & tethered . . .'.  I honored to be in the company of five outstanding sculptors; Benjamin Cariens, Gillian Christy, Rosalyn Driscoll, Sally Fine and Christopher Frost.  

The show has gotten much attention, from the media as well as personal commentary.  Here is a link to the ArtScope article and click here to see what Cate McQuaid said for the Boston Globe.  

photograph by Pamela Copeman

catalog of the exhibit.

And definitely check out Pamela Copeman's blog post about the exhibit, she shared some lovely pictures of the show.  

CLICK HERE TO READ PAMELA COPEMAN'S BLOG

And if you are able, definitely go see this exhibit!!! It is one of those shows that needs to be experienced!!! Well done Bill Houser and the SSAC!!  

this picture is for you Mom!!! :)

peace, va

#wip wednesday: #breathingtoanewbeat

planning to add a few more elements, creating smaller areas to color

Wow, I am always amazed on fast the weeks go by!! 

Many things on the to-do list and just not enough time.  

But here is one of the projects that I'm squeezing into this week.





Thanks to the wonders of Instagram, I discovered the artist/illustrator CurlyPops who lives in  Melbourne Victoria, Australia and describes herself as: 

"Textile Designer, Crafter, Illustrator, sometimes Blogger & Coffee lover.
Double lung transplant recipient 2013."

As you may notice, we have similiar interests/talents/loves(coffee!!!) but where we vary is that CurlyPops, Cam, had a successful double lung transplant in 2013!!! And as a way to show her gratitude for her "second chance at life" she is creating a fund-raising coloring book for the Lung and Heart Transplant Trust Victoria and she put a call out to all 'creative types' who would be interested in donating a design!!!

who needs a light table when the sun is out?!?!?

Let's see . . . illustrating a page of a coloring book?!?! (LOVE coloring books) and a good cause?!?! I emailed her and added my name to the many contributors from around the world?!?!? How cool, huh??

thanks to photoshop I can draw the different elements and
then combined them into one design!

So I took one of my favorite (and quite apropos) quotes/reminders; "breathe, deeply, repeat", and incorporated it into a design with some of my favorite images; a teapot, teacup and a lunamoth.  I plan to add the prerequisite stars and patterns, and voila, my contribution to the #breathingtoanewbeat coloring book.

Now, back to the proverbial drawing board (aka my computer)
Did I mention that I am having so much fun?!?!?
Happy Wednesday!! & peace,
va
p.s. Don't forget to be an ORGAN DONOR!!!!

#wip wednesday: mending, meandering, meditating with a needle and thread.

'meditation one . . . '

Now that my 'tree of life' mural is finished and installed, my schedule has opened up a bit . . . 

As crazy as a deadline can be, it does give me some boundaries and the luxury of tunnel vision; for the past months it has been 'go to studio, paint the mural' 24/7 and I loved it.  

'meditation two . . . '

As is typical for this post-project period, I tend to founder, as I have much to do but not sure where to focus my attention.  Also I have oodles of pent-up creative ideas and energies which were not sated by working on the mural.  Meaning that I have started many projects while also dealing with my graphic design assignments and social media obligations.  One of these projects which is currently 'in progress' is my series of 'mediations . . . '.

'meditation three . . .'

Started a few weeks ago in response to some difficult personal events, I just began to embroider on anything I could find! I had no set design, idea or vision, I just wanted to/needed to sew.  

Sewing is meditative and for me it is healing, literally mending torn parts.  So here are photos of the 3 mediations that I'm working on.

detail of 'meditation one . . . '

I feel there are more to come and believe this could be a beautiful series.  only thing is that I have NO idea how to display works like these?!?! If anyone has suggestions I would love to hear them.  But for now I am just going to keep on mending, meandering, meditating with my needle and thread.

backside of 'meditation one . . . '

detail of 'meditation two . . . '

peace, va

today on #fromthelandofdragons and more . . .

#fromthelandofdragons: It's all about looking . . .: 

"where do you find all these awesome flowers" "... it's all about looking :D"

“How we spend our days, of course, is how we spend our lives,”  Annie Dillard 

click here to see entire post

AND 

Happy St. Patty's day:

May you always have walls for the winds,

a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,

laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,

and all your heart might desire.

~Irish Blessing

click here to see today's dailydress inspiration

PEACE & LOVE,

va

happy "π" day . . .

flower friday . . .Attleboro Arts Museum's Flower Show

seems like the landofthedragons made it to the Flower Show!!

Yesterday I was in #heaven!! I had the great honor of being one of the 'live artists' at this year's Flower Show at the Attleboro Arts Museum,  meaning yesterday my 'job' was to spend the afternoon drawing, painting and talking with Museum visitors!

did I already say #heaven??

pen and ink drawing 

Here is my interpretation of this stunning floral dress, 

created by the museum's director, Mim Fawcett.

so happy & sporting a styling David Lee Black t-shirt

my palette with only 5 colors, the way
I was taught by Martha Oldman

This is a beautiful show, and as usual, the museum staff and volunteers did an outstanding job.  Besides the beauty of the art of the wall, the spirit and atmosphere in the museum was festive, joyful and so welcoming;  a perfect antidote for the long winter that we New Englanders have had.

perfect attire for the Flower Show!!
Pink Dr. Martin's modeled by the lovely 

If you are in the area I highly recommend a visit!! The show runs through this Sunday, and each day is full of events and activities, along with the many exquisite floral arrangements and inspiring art.

AnD DoN't FOrGeT!!! 

Tomorrow, at the Common Street Community Church, 

join the fun as they unveil their two new murals, 

both dedicated to the lovely Anet James.  

Come see my 12-7 foot mural inside and ONE80 Visual's Scott Pressler's beautiful mural outside!!! Hope to see you there!! 

and as always ~ peace, va

#wip wednesday (just on thursday)

Attleboro Flower Show is today thru Sunday
I am going to be painting there this afternoon!! 

Not sure where the days/hours go . . . although I do know I had to lose one whole hour this Sunday!! And I truly don't like losing any hour especially when I don't believe there are enough hours in a day to begin with, however I digress . .

So here is what is happening in the world of Virginia Fitzgerald . . . art . . . inspiration . . . ink :

First, I am so happy to announce that my 'tree of life' mural for the Common Street Spiritual Center is finished and delivered and there is a celebration this Saturday at the spiritual center. More information about the mural and celebration coming tomorrow.

So now that the mural is finished, I got to change hats from mural painter to graphic designer, helping the incredibly talented and provocative artist, Christina Zwart, prepared for her up coming show at the Boston Sculptor's Gallery. 

I have had the honor to work with Christina for a few years and it has been an awesome experience.  We met when our children were in preschool; she was the coolest mom dropping off her child with paint covered pants and pink hair!! I KNEW I needed to meet this woman, and 12 years later I am so happy that I said HI!!

photo by David A Lang

In most of her work Christina takes a single object/idea and multiplies it so that it becomes a totally new object/idea with layers of meaning and interpretations. Here is a bit from her artist's statement.

She works with materials as simple and easily-recognizable as flour and snow, or harder-to-find items like horseshoe crabs and plaster teeth models, giving solitary objects new life as she multiplies them to yield an overall piece.

And fortunately for me she needs some assistance in the Photoshop department (hello graphic designer cap). And not to give too much away from her exhibit, WHOLE (in part), here is just a few of the 'objects' Christina is using as she weaves her creative alchemy. 

For one of her installations she is using ONE condoms!! I had never seen these condoms before and now I want to tell the world about them!!! Why?? Because of the way ONE condoms has thought about the packaging and the design of their product.  The way these condoms look is a great way of removing some of the taboo that is STILL associated with condoms!!! which is kind of crazy in this time where the practice of safe sex could literally mean the difference between life and death!! and as a parent of teenagers I feel it is important to be able to talk about all matters of life, and that includes sex!! So YEA!! One Condoms and thank you!!! and wait until you see what Ms. Zwart does with these gems!!!

I am also doing some working around a one dollar bill . . .  and I can't share those images, however in my research I came across these lovely facts about the dollar bill that I thought I'd share . . . I especially thought the LIFE SPAN of a dollar bill was interesting.

The US One Dollar Bill

The US one dollar bill is paper money worth one hundred US cents. One dollar is written $1.00.
SIZE: US currency bills are are 2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long; they are .0043 inches thick and weigh 1 gram.
COMPOSITION: Bills are composed of 25% linen and 75% cotton; red and blue synthetic fibers are distributed throughout the paper.
PRODUCTION OF DOLLAR BILLS: It costs the US government 4.2 cents to produce a U.S. bill. US currency bills are printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). The BEP prints about 16,650,000 one dollar bills each day. Most of these are used to replace worn, older bills (which are shredded). According to the US Treasury, there are billions of one dollar bills in circulation.
LIFE SPAN: The average dollar bill has a life span of about 18-22 months.

So mark your calendars for April 11th to see this exhibit :

Artist Reception: Sat., April 11, 5 - 7
SOWA First Fridays: April 3 and May 1, 5 - 8

All events are free and open to the public

Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 12 - 6 pm

And to wrap up this studio round up - I am happy to say that today I am stepping away from my beloved computer screen, grabbing my bag of PAINTS and heading off to the Attleboro Arts Museum to be their live working artist demo this afternoon at their annual Flower Show!! I am SO excited about this, all I need to do is sit and paint flowers for 3 or so hours!!! #heaven!!!  I am also excited to see this show as I hear it is quite an event!! 

other big news in my life!!! Harriet was accepted to a wonderful arts school just up the street!!!
the creative gene is alive and kickin'

This year's theme: Rainforest: Canopy of Color,
Exhibition Dates: March 12 – 15th, 2015
Flower Show hours: Thursday – Saturday: 9:30am – 4pm; Sunday: 12 – 4pm
Admission each day is $3; children 9 years and under are free. 

 Daytime attractions**  are free with daily admission.

** Im a daytime attraction!!! :)

In honor of International Women's Day and #amazingmayamondays

virginia's daily dress inspirations: In honor of International Women's Day (which was yesterday...)
click above to see entire dailydress post . . .

mosaic of many phenomenal women!!!

Phenomenal Woman

BY MAYA ANGELOU

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. 

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size   

But when I start to tell them, 

They think I’m telling lies. 

I say, 

It’s in the reach of my arms, 

The span of my hips,   

The stride of my step,   

The curl of my lips.   

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman,   

That’s me. 

I walk into a room 

Just as cool as you please,   

And to a man, 

The fellows stand or 

Fall down on their knees.   

Then they swarm around me, 

A hive of honey bees.   

I say, 

It’s the fire in my eyes,   

And the flash of my teeth,   

The swing in my waist,   

And the joy in my feet.   

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me. 

Men themselves have wondered   

What they see in me. 

They try so much 

But they can’t touch 

My inner mystery. 

When I try to show them,   

They say they still can’t see.   

I say, 

It’s in the arch of my back,   

The sun of my smile, 

The ride of my breasts, 

The grace of my style. 

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me. 

Now you understand 

Just why my head’s not bowed.   

I don’t shout or jump about 

Or have to talk real loud.   

When you see me passing, 

It ought to make you proud. 

I say, 

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand,   

The need for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me.

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flower friday

The first news for flower friday is to announce that both my entries were accepted into the Flower Show at the Attleboro Arts Museum.
 

'guppy . . .' 

This is the first time that I have submitted anything from my #landofthedragons series, so I am quite pleased with the response.

'pandora's box . . .'

The exhibit runs from  March 12th – 15th, and as a special perk I am going to be one of the artists participating in their live art demo.  I will be 'creating' on Thursday, Mar. 12th 1-4pm.

The Attleboro Arts Museum Flower Show is one of the organization’s largest and most anticipated annual fundraising events. Now in its 19th year, the Flower Show celebrates the beauty, wonder and complexity of nature with its 2015 theme of “Rainforest: Canopy of Color.”Image: Kay Kopper

The other 'flower' news is that I am delivering my 'tree of life' mural today!!! I finished the flowers last night and I am heading to the studio to make sure everything is ready for transport.  

This has been the most amazing experience and I am sure I will have some post-pardum separation once this piece leaves my studio wall.  But I am also so ready to see the entire piece, which is too big for me to see all of it in my studio.  A few weeks ago I had to roll up the canvas so that I could work on the flowers. 

This week I had the immense pleasure of Maya joining me one evening while I painted.  She took this photo of me at work and I think it shows the scale of the piece quite well.

also as a social media note: she posted this picture of me painting on instagram and she has told me that she has received a record number of likes for the post :) woohoo!! 

how it looked when I left the studio last night

So last night as I left my studio I had the wonderful and odd feeling that this project may be complete!! And to top off the pleasure of 'finishing'  I was blessed by encountering these exquisite creatures sauntering up my street.  It was quite magical as it was late, the roads empty, the moon bright and it was just me and my new 4 hoofed friends.  I drove with them up the hill to get them closer to some wooded area because even though they seemed quite at home in the middle of the street I thought it would be best to get them off the roads.  But boy was it such a treat to see!! 

peace, va

virginia's daily dress inspirations: Today may we all find inner harmony . . .

virginia's daily dress inspirations: Today may we all find inner harmony . . .: 

“I want first of all ... to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that ... 

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click below to visit the entire blog, blog link
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#amazingmayamonday and other happenings . . .

“Love heals. Heals and liberates. I use the word love, not meaning sentimentality, but a condition so strong that it may be that which holds the stars in their heavenly positions and that which causes the blood to flow orderly in our veins.
Maya Angelou, Mom & Me & Mom

#amazingmayamonday,  on my dailydressinspiration blog

& other happenings from the studio of virginia fitzgerald:

dropped off two #fromthelandofdragons photos to Attleboro Arts Museum for their annual Flower Show!!! It was so great to see those wonderful folks there! It has been such a long time since I have been involved with an exhibit there. 

And to add to exhibiting in the show, I will be one of the artists who are participating in the 'Live Art-making' demo at the show. 

I will be either drawing or painting or collaging (who knows) Thursday March 12 in the afternoon.  I am so excited to see the Flower Show as I have heard it is spectacular and to have an allotted time that I know I will be doing ART!!!! 

Also this weekend I replenished my dressproducts at the lovely shop, Uni-T at the Natick Collections.   The owner, Eujin Kim Neilan, does such a great job finding and promoting talented artisan and artists.
And I love how she has displayed my dressphotos!

And then, in my free time I am continuing my 'meditations on . . .'

not sure where these pieces are going but I know I NEED to do them!! 

and there is nothing better than the meditative act of sewing on a cold winter eve.

here is how I described them on instagram . . .

"this past week i have taken up my needle and anything that is near at hand! In embroidering these meditations . . . Maybe it is the mounds of snow outside or other issues inside but these are my saviors right now"

now off to the studio to finish(?!?!?) my tree of life mural . . .  peace, va