a week has past. . .

. . . since this year's Natick Artist's Open Studios, and I think I may be recovered enough to share the experience!! (if ever so briefly)

Provocative (Rope Dress) held court in the hall

After much muttering and procrastinating (anyone who reads my facebook artist's page may have seen some griping about needing to clean my studio) ~ I had a wonderful open studio!!!! Many familiar faces came by to see what I was doing and to get some peanut M&M's!! A great success even though I really didn't get my studio very clean!!! I know the chaos did 'scare'' a few folks off, but those who were brave enough to enter, LOVED what they saw ~ a real working studio!!!

creatures in their different states of display

 I had many interesting conversations and fabulous comments on my newer work - my creatures and my wall painting that I began at the Vermont Studio Center. 

I had my creatures greet visitors as they entered my studio.

Art talk by the peanut M&M's

a bit of an idea of how messy most of the studio was!!

There was much positive feedback about my wall painting that I started at VSC this past March. It was fascinating to watch visitors stand in front of this piece and just get lost in it's magical world.  there was some discussion about me painting a wall in a house like this, which I would LOVE to do!!! 

series of Carbon Footprint Dresses with Poetry Dress

And I also was able to show all my carbon footprint dresses that I have done this past year.  These too got a lot of attention.  And, of course, I created a NAOS 2011 carbon footprint dress! 

after one day

NAOS 2011 carbon footprint dress

And I also rolled out my newest greeting card to much, much success!!! Still working out all the details but I hope to be able to offer these on Etsy or my web site, soon!!

 So, all in all, it was an exhausting yet exhilarating weekend ~ full of insightful conversation ( where is the creativity in the carbon footprint dresses?), joking, 'footprint'ing, exploring the mess and lots of fun.

 I thank everyone who stopped by during such a beautiful Fall weekend & for those who didn't, there is always next year?!? :) peace

to dress tag or not to dress tag?!?!

To dress tag, or not to dress tag, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in heart & mind to endureThe slings and arrows of a run-of-the-mill life,
Or to take arms against a sea of the ordinary,
And by dress tagging, end them? To tag, to sleep ... no more;
(my apologies to Mr. Shakespeare)

Mystic, CT, after delivering 'insatiable' to the Mystic Arts Center for their Form and Fantasy show

Form and Fantasy: A Contemporary Twist on Fiber Art

 September 30 - November 12 ~ Opening Reception - Thursday, October 6^th from 5:30pm-7pm

Dress Tagging while visiting Red Alert Cocktail Dress at the Boston Children's Museum's  exhibit ~

In the Bag

September 15 - November 27, 2011

can u see the dress???

@ my favorite restaurant, flour, down the street from  the BCM

Flour Bakery, Fort Point Channel12 Farnsworth St.,a perfect place to go after a visit to the Boston Children's Museum!! thumbs up from our entire group!!!

their tag line ~ Make life sweeter, Eat dessert first!! (what do u think Mom?? :)

a little something extra @ the FPAC store

then next door to flour is the Fort Point Artist Community Store ~ 

Made in Fort Point: The FPAC Store 12 Farnsworth Street

@ the opening of Here Now at the Sprinkler Factory, Worcester, MA

Barthelson  Crane: here  now
Sprinkler Factory Gallery
Opening Reception: Saturday, October  1,  5 to 8 pm
Artists Talk: Sunday October 23,  3:00 pm
October 1 - 30, 2011

experimenting with tagging

'May this dress help you find your inner baker'

this tag may have been too suggestive?!?

this 'tag' I put in a busy JoAnn's Fabric, thinking that the creative clientele would be open to picking up a dress, but it stayed put for the hour or so that I was shopping :(?!?! I am dying to see one get picked up!!!)

this made me question my whole dress tagging endeavor ~ is this insanity??? why am I doing this?? why am I throwing one more 'thing' into my already full life?? last week, besides delivering artwork and submitting artwork, I got to deal with a dead chicken, a broken pipe, flooded house and then lost my all keys for a truly uncomfortable amount of time?!?

but even as I question this latest obsession,  I can't deny this burning desire to put these 'tags' out in the world.  Even if they are never picked up & end on in the trash ~ they might bring a smile to someone before it is thrown out.  And I have so much fun figuring out what 'intention' to put on each dress and where to put it, so I guess the dress tagging will continue!! so keep your eyes open AND if you want to be part of the fun ~ email me or comment below and I will send you some dress tags!! But beware - it is addicting :) Peace

Dress photos hit the Road

Packing up the photographs of my ephemeral dresses to take them down to Attleboro to be ...

New York Diner Dress

Artist of the month ~ Attleboro Arts Museum

2011 Community Gallery Artists

OCTOBER: VIRGINIA FITZGERALD

It all began on Wells Beach, ME. in 2006. I had an idea of an image of a dress and while walking on the beach one morning. I picked up a stick to see what this ‘dress’ would look like.  I drew a sleeveless, life sized dress and  illed it in with the beautiful beach rocks & then proceeded to let the high tide take it away ~ giving me a new, clean canvas on which to make another dress.  The process felt so right and so gratifying that for the rest of the vacation I made a dress!  & each day I would walk the beach with no preconceived idea and would just listen to which material I was to use that day…

www.virginiafitzgerald.com

______________________________________

To learn more about exhibition opportunities in the Attleboro Arts Museum’s Community Gallery contact office@attleboroartsmuseum.org or 508-222-2644 x15.

______________________________________

Back to Nature 

Beach Warrior

Back to the Sea

Wedding Dress (Brenda's Dress)

A Little Jam, Please

 I am so happy to be the Artist of the Month at Attleboro because I love this place!! wonderful people, space and exhibits!!! Definitely stop by if you are in the neighborhood!!! 

Peace!!

sizzle. . .

dress tagging at the Natick Collection

'may this dress bring you fun' 

'may this dress bring you inner beauty'  ~ left at Sephora 

this made shopping at the mall much more enjoyable for me. peace

'insatiable' on the road again

Recently I got an exciting email, which read  ~

Working on 'insatiable' at Attleboro Arts Museum

"Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that your piece Insatiable has been accepted into the Mystic Arts Center Form and Fantasy fiber exhibit and was awarded 3^rd Prize! . .  Out of the approximately 70 entries we  received from around the country, the juror selected 26, or 37%."

So 'insatiable' is on the road AGAIN!!!   In fact I am heading down to Mystic, CT tomorrow to deliver her and then plan to swing through Manhattan to see de Kooning: A Retrospective at the MOMA!!

dress tag in Wellesley

I am so psyched because beside seeing some great Art, I plan to do a little dress tagging in the big apple.  Yes I am calling my little dress activity dress tags or dress tagging ~ thank you all for your suggestions. As u can see I have tagging quite a bit.  And I am not even photographing each tag because I realize that it is always appropriate to pull out the camera in certain spots.

So NYC and Mystic keep an eye out for some little dresses filled with good stuff.  

And here's the 411 on the mystic show:

Form and Fantasy: A Contemporary Twist on Fiber Art, runs from September 30 - November 12, with the Opening Reception - Thursday, October 6^th from 6pm-8pm.

 peace!!!

on the road again . . .

Last week I once again packed up my Red Alert Cocktail Dress to take her on the road.  This time she was going to the Boston Children's Museum for the In the Bag exhibit.  It is quite a production so I thought I'd share some of the journey.

first I take off all the bottles...

& refresh any that are cloudy...

then I pack everything up....

waiting in the hall to be loaded

all loaded on the pushcart

in the freight elevator

on the loading dock of my studio

unloading at the BCM in the gallery

& the rebuilding begins....

in all her glory at the opening reception!!!

The BCM did a great job displaying the Red Alert Cocktail Dress!! 

and the opening reception was quite a wonderful event ~ besides the inspiring & provocative exhibit put together by Liz Milwe and Peter Wormser, we dined on Island Creek Oysters from Duxbury, MA, so yum!!!  

Then the party walked over to Lot F Gallery in a glorious Fall evening, where we viewed the work of Todd Robertson, dined on delicious Thai food and danced, 

it was a wonderful evening!!

I am so honored that Red Alert Cocktail Dress was included in this significant show!!

Click here it read a press release talking about the importance of this exhibit.

thank you & peace