happy halloween!!!

peace to all!!!

insatiable got into insatiable!!!!

I am SO excited to be able to announce that 'insatiable' got accepted into the show, insatiable, at the Kniznick Gallery, at the Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center!!!! I was honoered once I learned that they received many submissions from artists all over the US (25 states), Canada, and Turkey. And the even more exciting news is that it was accepted as a performance piece ~ I am truly psyched!! So during the exhibit I will be coming in to continue to add to the piece. As I mentioned in an earlier post this piece just does NOT want to stop - it wants more and more, and I am trying to oblige!! During this past Natick Artists' Open Studios I asked people to bring in any material that could be 'fed' to this creature ~ yarn, ribbon, rags, wire ~ anything green, black or brown. I was hoping to be working during the open studios ~ I set up a 'pulley' system in front of my favorite chair, however I spent most of the time chatting with wonderful folks!! So not a lot of crocheting but many wonderful ideas.

I am really enjoying adding the more non-traditional material. Here are some photos of interesting additions ~ a broken headphone, old plastic wrap & the old balloon ribbons and balloons from the open studios. I was tempted to crochet in one of the floating helium balloons but I figured it would not be as successful once the balloon landed!!!

So 'insatiable' is growing and growing and it will continue growing at Brandeis university.

The show will run from January 25 through March 15, 2011 and I will post the times that I will be there working!! peace ~

coming-homes and going-ons

Today is the last day of Cutting Edge: A Celebration of Fibers at the Textile Art Center, Brooklyn, NY. Here is a statement from the curator, Joetta Maue,

“This exhibition focuses on how artists are using fiber and techniques in truly unexpected ways either through their subject matter or the actual techniques of construction”, explains Ms. Maue. “Fibers are without boundaries - the purpose of this exhibit is to show that there are no rules. The show is going to be an incredible, not to miss exhibit with truly exciting work from prominent and unknown fiber artists. Any one who has an interest in fiber as a means of expression should not miss it.”

Click here to see some photos of the show and click here to see the videos that were exhibited at the show. It has been such an exciting show to be included in and I loved learning about all these wonderful artists and their work.

So these creatures will hopefully be back from Brooklyn in time for the up-coming Natick Artist Open Studios which is this weekend ~ the 16th and 17th!!! I will be posting more information but for now here is a brochure and click on the link above to get more information. And in the interest of saving paper and postage :) ..... if you want a brochure, email your address and I will send one out. Also I will have a pile in my studio so stop by my place first for your map. Lastly I will be collecting green, black or brown yarn, string, wire, streamer, balloon string,..... u get the idea. I'll explain more later. Happy Columbus day!!! peace

illustration friday ~ transportation

this week the 'topic' for illustration Friday is transportation .... so many possibilities ~ boats, cars and truck, oh my!!! When I finally settled down my creative brain and perused my portfolio for an appropriate illustration, I came across this one. And even though this might not scream transportation, like a big yellow taxi :) I wanted to use it, because this painting was done for a picture book and yesterday I read a disturbing article in the New York Times about the decline in the publication of picture books ~ Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children By Julie Bosman, published: October 7, 2010. Reading this article upset me greatly, as an illustrator and a parent. I believe in the importance of the picture book!!! I bet we all have a cherished memory of our favorite picture book ~ the one we sat with for hours, disappearing into the pictures ~ fighting dragons, rocking with mama bunny or cruising along one of Richard Scarry's wonderfully busy streets. Our house is still full of picture books even though my girls are nine and twelve. I don't think there is an age limit for enjoying a picture book; however this seems to be the main reason for the decline, according to this article. The article concentrated on how parents are pushing their children to read chapter books at an earlier and earlier age ~ ack!!! As a parent I see so many elements of my children's lives disappearing in the name of 'advancement'. How many parent conferences I have gone to where I am told that all these new procedures are preparing them for the MCAs ~ the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. Now don't get me wrong I am all for giving our children a wonderful education with as many opportunities that they can have, but I feel like we are losing some of the wonders of childhood! And this article stirred many of these feelings, especially this section ~

Now Laurence is 6 ½, and while he regularly tackles 80-page chapter books, he is still a “reluctant reader,” Ms. Gignac said.
Sometimes, she said, he tries to go back to picture books.
“He would still read picture books now if we let him, because he doesn’t want to work to read,” she said, adding that she and her husband have kept him reading chapter books.

I read this and it made my heart ache ~ I think as parents we are not only responsible for teaching our children to read but, and maybe more importantly, we need to cultivate a love for reading, especially now that children have so many other entertainment options besides a good book. I know that I am a bit biased on this point (you can ask my girls) but I feel that the written word can take you so many wonderful places and you don't need an outlet!

The article did mention that the cost for a picture book could also be contributing to the decline in sales ~ and I can see that, however then again, authors and illustrators do need to buy groceries and pay rent too!!
So go find a good picture book (or go buy one) and enjoy!! If you feel so inclined please tell me one of your favorites ~ one of my favorites is The Bedspread by Sylvia Fair ~ visually amazing and the story warms the cockles of my heart everytime I read it!!

happy reading and looking!! peace

the insatiable creature

Here are some photos of my latest 'creature', but this guy does want to stop ~ he is insatiable, wanting more and more!!! And I am happy to oblige. In fact I am feeling almost possessed by this creature, just wanting to sit a crochet and crochet. However, I need to take out a loan to pay for all the yarn and material that I keep buying for this guy. And the great thing is it is not only yarn ~ in this creature there is rope, leather, cut black plastic trash bags and, my personal favorite, green gardening twine. The reason I like the twine so much is that when i crochet with it the twine keeps some of its 'body' giving the crocheted strand a life of its own ~ twirling & curling. And depending how i exhibit the piece ~ some of the strands are coming out of the piece ready to grab your leg and pull you in!!!

I started this creature when i heard about a call for submissions. The prospectus read ~

"Gluttony is the new status quo. Our appetite for food, power, wealth, sex, new experiences, and information is seemingly insatiable and poses increasingly greater risks to the welfare of our planet and its inhabitants. .... this ravenous craving for excess and/ or the consequences of indulging our endless desire for more."

With these words spinning in my brain I thought I wanted to make a creature that represented these ideas. It was an interesting idea because I wanted this creature to be oozing, ugly, sucking up everything is its path. I saw it hanging from the rafters or slithering down the wall. I tried to work on it without an aesthetic agenda per say, yet I noticed how I did edit my greens ~ not any green yarn would do. And I haven't created an 'ugly' piece but the experience has been challenging and i am happy with this creature's presence. And, as I mentioned before - this piece is NOT finished!!!
However the call for submissions due date was last week ~ dilemma yes?? Well no ~ I submitted this piece as a performance piece ~ a work in progress that I would come in a continue to add to during the exhibit. I LOVE this idea!! and hopefully the curator will too.
The pictures that I have posted here are the pictures that I submitted to be judged. I wanted to show the versitiliy of this piece, the aliveness of this piece.

“Love is blind, and greed insatiable” chinese proverb ~ peace

illustration friday ~ beneath

When I saw the topic for Illustration Friday this week the image of worms under (beneath) the ground immediately popped into my mind .. so I sketched it. Now, my girls think the worms are snakes but you get the idea. However, as my weeks have taken on this basic insanity I realized that I wouldn't be painting this illustration any time soon (especially within this week). But then I remembered this illustration that I did awhile back with a snake 'beneath' the jungle ...so voila!!!

happy weekend!!! & peace ~