First day of the Birds of Poetry install

pictures from my first day of installing the Birds of Poetry at the Attleboro Public Library - it was a long but wonderful day!!! Thank you to everyone who helped ~ especially my two stellar helpers!!! 

Peace & good night!!!

so much to do, so little time . . .

where to begin . . .

Dress of Poetry on display at Attleboro Public Library

today I am heading to Attleboro to start the install of the Birds of Poetry!! I have two wonderful assistants with me and we are going to primp the birds, get them already for flight then, if TIME allows,  launch them into the atrium.

birds in process

I also plan to stop by the Attleboro Arts Museum to see the exhibit On the Threshold – A National Juried Exhibition (July 14 – August 10, 2012).  I was hoping to make it to the opening last Wednesday but nasty thunderstorms and flash flooding put an end to that idea.  But will make there today to see the show.

'uterus' in "on the threshold'

 While at the museum I will be picking up announcement for their next show, 8 Visions – Work from 8 Juried Member Artists in which I am also exhibiting!! I am really excited about this opportunity!! and, when I can, I am frantically working in my studio to finish some NEW pieces. Here is the info about that show : 

Exhibition: August 21 – September 15, 2012

Opening Reception: Wednesday, Aug 22nd from 7 – 9pm. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, Sept 8th: Gallery Talk, 2-4pm.  Free and open to the public. Kindly reserve your space by Thursday, September 6th. 508-222-2644  

Also last week I meet with the folks at JP Knit and Stitch and discussed performing 'insatiable' at their adorable shop during this years JP Open Studios!! Again, so excited!!! to sit in this inspiring place and crochet on 'insatiable' for hours ~ truly my idea of bliss.  

So on Sept. 22 & 23 you will find me 461 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA, crocheting away!  I will also be selling my dresscards ( need to make that money thing :)  Here are some samples I made for JP Knit - with the paper for the dresses based on fiber arts and knitting.  I also borrowed some of their awesome fabric for some dresses!! So mark your calendars and stop by.  

 ALSO they want me to teach an organic crocheting workshop in the Fall ~

SO FUN!!! 

Now off to Attleboro!! 

peace

worlds collide, in a good way

Like many artists I juggle many jobs to help pay the bills. One of these jobs is making and distributing my dresscards. Another of those jobs is helping Judy Labins with her lovely interior design shop Shafer O'Neil Interior Design.  

I have worked with Judy for a few years now and it is a wonderful working relationship.  Besides being able to go to work in a stunning setting twice a week, Judy has always supported my art.  

She has showcased a number of my sculptural dresses in the shop's window over the years. (click here to see the past windows)  And this month we have put my beach dress photos in the window.

  

And to add to all that, this week I delivered a group of my dresscards to the shop!!! Shafer O'Neil does not usually carry cards but Judy felt these were unique enough for her store.  And I made these especially for the shop ~ instead of using the ordinary origami papers and created papers based on the interior design fabrics that Judy uses in her design work. 

 I am very happy with the way these cards turned out.  These cards have just reaffirmed an idea that I was flirting with, about designing/making my own papers to use for the dresses.  It makes the dresscards even more one-of-a-kind.

So I am happy to announce now TWO wonderful shops are carrying my dresscards ~ Artisans Way, Concord, MA and Shafer O'Neil Interior Design, Wellesley, MA, and I am working on more.  (If you have a store and would like to carry these cards please leave a comment below and I'll contact you)

I am also trying to figure out the best way to sell them on-line . . .any suggestions?? if so, I would love to hear them.  I have gotten nice comments on FB and I have been considering Etsy, but I need more information.  

Bottom line is, especially now that I am divorced and on my own, I need to figure out ways of making that thing called money that everyone seems to want :). 

But I am in good company, as I noted above ~ like many artists I juggle many jobs to help pay the bills.

wishing all a wonderful and cool :) weekend! Peace

amen, sister!!!

Happy Independence Day America!!

Wishing everyone a fun, safe & scrumptious 4th o' July!!! 

peace & bon appetite!! :)

Happy Birthday Bro!!! xxx

Today is my baby brother's birthday!!

So Happy Birthday Bob!!!

I am having so much fun making these men's origami shirts!!! I figured I'd make Bob a shirt/tie birthday card but when I found this quote by Picasso - which is perfect for my brother who is a wonderful father to FOUR boys -  I didn't think that I tie would be appropriate!! So in comes the sewn on pocket, flower and butterfly :). 

Happy Happy day bro!!! Hope it is full of fun and laughs and loads of smiles!!!

p.s. the card will be in the mail tomorrow :)

So much going on . . .

This is one packed full day of art !!! with openings and workshops and more.

I will be at Attleboro helping make Birds of Poetry at Attleboro’s Expo for the Senses which runs from 12-5pm today.  I am planning to be there more on the later side because I need to head west first.

First I am dropping off a new set of dresscards  at Artisans Way in Concord, MA.

the addition of a man's shirt/tie :)

I am very excited about these cards.  I have been experimenting with making my own paper for the origami. This feeds my love of collage and scraps!! I can use all the bits and pieces of wrapping paper, packing and other visual treasures that I have stockpiled all these years :). 

I also have fun finding quotes that resonate and matching it with a fun dress, or now dress or shirt and tie!!! I have posted a few here but here is a link to the entire collection.

  Then after Concord I will head to ArtSpace in Maynard, MA for the closing reception of Michael Frassinelli's Exhibit ~ "The Last of the Pianistas: Piano Sculptures and Artifacts by Michael Frassinelli" (May 30-June 29th) I had planned to make it to the opening, but life got in the way, but I will be there today.

    My daughter would SOO agree!!

Last year I substituted for Michael at Dana Hall while he was on sabbatical, creating much of the work that is being shown in Maynard.  He works with old pianos, he has created an entire culture and history about  people called the Pianistas.  The closing reception is 1-4pm today and the show runs thru the 29th.

From Maynard I will then head to Attleboro to make some Birds of Poetry and then end my day in Framingham, with the opening reception of Fountain Street Fine Art's latest show - Internal Combustion**. This is their 2012 summer open juried show, juried by Joseph Carroll.  the reception is 5-7pm. And if I have any energy left I hope to make it to my studio!!!

**The theme for this exhibit, INTERNAL COMBUSTION, celebrates the Gallery’s industrial roots and speaks to the transformative power of imagination.

Juried by Joseph Carroll, of Carroll and Sons Gallery in Boston. Carroll and Sons supports contemporary artists, and focuses on building the careers of lesser-known artists and promoting ones who are under recognized.

So as I said ~ a packed full day!! 

So what am I doing sitting here writing my blog?!?!

 Off to the highways and byways! 

Wishing all a great weekend!! peace

my life's motto

Happy Hollow: part 1; Carbon Footprint Dress

Happy Hollow Elementary School Art Room Carbon Footprint Dress,
May 24th - June 5th

This Spring I was happy and honored to be hired by the Happy Hollow Elementary School in Wayland, MA as their artist-in-residence.  They received a grant to have an artist come and talk to the students about using recycled materials in art, a topic that I am quite familiar with :).  

One of the many signs that greeted me at Happy Hollow

This was such an incredible experience that it will not fit into just one blog post ~ so there be a few and here is part 1.

I met with art teacher Christine Soeltz in March to discuss my 'residency'.  As usual my brain was buzzing with millions of ideas of things I could do :)

We decided that I would give a slide presentation to the grades about art that uses unique, recycled and non-traditional materials.  I also wanted to create an interactive sculpture with which the students could help me and a memento that would stay at the school - (more about this is the next blog :). 

 

I also felt that it would be a great occasion to install a carbon footprint dress (click here to read more about this series). During this 'residency' I had a specific place and a certain amount of time and the kids would be 'involved' in creating the dress. So after my first morning of lectures, with the help of MANY eager art students I installed a carbon footprint dress in the art room.

It was awesome how much all the students wanted to help!! and how excited they were about the project. I always like to add some details so we tried to put on an "H" for Happy Hollow.  Of course Chris and I wondered how the 'dress' would survive in an elementary school's art room but it did and in fact it looks GREAT!!

We figured over a thousand people walked over, on top of the dress! When I finally took the dress back to my studio to take off the tape stencil - the dress was a wonderful color, showing the pattern of the floor as well as a few random marks from art supplies. The small tape details had not lasted long but as Chris and I told the students - this is an 'experiment'.  That is what I love about the carbon footprint dress - it is a visual representation of the activity of the place and time that the dress is installed. 

Great detail at the edge of tape

wonderful color

the pattern of the floor as well as a few random marks from art supplies

Stay tune for more from my marvelous residency @ Happy Hollow!

Happy weekend and stay cool!!!

PEACE

Happy, Happy Father's Day!!!!

To my wonderful dad!!

 Happy Father's Day!!! 

thanks for being so special!!!

with much love, 

your daughter, 

Virginia

p.s. sorry this was a bit 'late' ~ had to learn how to make an origami shirt!!!! xxx :) 

quote for the day!!

peace

I 'heart' Attleboro!!

I have been heading down to Attleboro a lot lately, so much so that I have been considering renting an apartment there :).  

All the trips have been for exciting activities - jurying the High Art exhibit at the Attleboro Arts Museum and leading workshops for my Birds of Poetry installation for the Attleboro Public Library.  And recently I learned there are more wonderful reasons for me to visit Attleboro.  

 

First, this summer I will be installing my Birds of Poetry in the atrium of the Attleboro library.  With all my workshops we have over 100+ birds, all awaiting to take flight.

I recently lead a workshop with the VERY well behaved fifth graders from Robert J. Coelho Middle School.  We all had a lot of fun!! and made MANY birds, and these birds have some special gold accents!!! & there are still more workshops to come :)

Then this weekend I learned that "womb wrap" (Uterus) got into the Attleboro Arts Museum's National Juried Exhibition, On the Threshold!!! This show was juried by Michele L'Heureux, whose work I have always admired ~ check out her work on her website.

This exhibit runs from July 14th - August 10th, with the opening reception on July 18th.

Then following On the Threshold is the Attleboro Arts Museum's  8 Visions 2012, and I am very honored to say that I am one of the 8 visions!!! 

This is an extremely exciting opportunity!! It is a very competitive exhibit with three different jurying processes.  I am happy to announce that I will be exhibiting with these 7 other very talented artists : 

Patricia Berube – Cohasset, MA

Brenda Cirioni – Stow, MA

Susan Denniston – Scituate, MA

Sand T Kalloch – Malden, MA

Niva Shrestha – Franklin, MA

Mary L. Taylor – Marshfield Hills, MA

Felicia Touhey – Portsmouth, RI

(this is the first year that all women artist were chosen:)

We have already had our first meeting to meet each other and to learn about each other's work.  Also during this meeting the director of the museum, Mim Fawcett, encouraged us to look to this show as an opportunity to experiment and really stretch ourselves!! I can't wait!!! I am already thinking about how I can 'play' with my scale of the dress form?!?!? 

Just wish I didn't need to sleep :)

And on that note I must hit the sheets because tomorrow bring another day!

More to come about all these events, but for now good night 

& 

peace!!!

A few shout outs for artist friends in Beantown

This particular weekend there are many openings and arty events in the Boston Area and some of them are by friends and artists that I admire ~ so I thought I'd share!! 

The first is the opening reception for Judy Kramer in Cambridge!  I have always loved Judy's work. And she has even more a place in my art heart because I modeled for her a few years back!!! 

Her opening is Saturday night in Cambridge!!! info below.

Me!!

Judy Kramer @ Gallery 263

263 Pearl Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

Exhibition dates:                   Thursday, May 31^st through Sunday, June 17^th 2012

Opening reception:               Saturday June 2^nd  6 to 9 pm

Gallery hours:                        Thursday and Friday  1 to 6

                                                Saturday and Sunday 12 to 5

Questions:                              call Judy at 617 661 7175 or judykramer@judykramer.net

Then tonight ~ there is SOWA's First Friday celebration where the area galleries stay open late.  Always a good time!!! and it should be an awesome night, if the weather holds!!! :) Below are two receptions that are worth a stop!

Peter Lipsitt's, Natured and Nurtured,  

at Boston Sculptors Gallery. Reception 5-8pm.

Jodi Colella @ NK Gallery

PHYLA Solo Exhibition of Work by Jodi Colella June 1 - 22, 2012 Reception June 1, 5-8 pm Transformations of material and found objects into whimsical organic objects  NK Gallery 450 Harrison Ave #61 (located below Samson) Boston, MA Gallery Hours: W - Sa 11am - 4pm

And then Sunday ~ at Fountain Street Fine Art in Framingham is Poetry and Art!!! @ 4pm Joel Moskowitz an Helen Marie Casey will be reading poetry - not to be missed!!!

So that is a splattering of the art happenings here in Boston!!

But for an even larger list of Arty things to do there are two Facebook pages that are managed by artist  J Rebecca Trueblood where you can find tons of information about the Boston area art world, Boston Area Artists and Boston Area Artist - Events, News and Opportunities.

Boston Area Artists and Boston Area Artist - Events, News and Opportunities are two FaceBook pages  started/ managed by artist  J Rebecca Trueblood

Happy Friday & peace