Taking Wings Westward . . .

"winged victory"

"insatiable"

 Happy to announce that 'insatiable' and 'winged victory' were accepted into "The Art of Fiber": 

Rediscover this ancient art form through the unique vision of more than 20 contemporary artists. From appliqué and cross stich to basketry and mixed media, the artists in this exhibit represent a wide range of techniques, materials, and subject matter. Expect the unexpected as traditional meets contemporary in this juried exhibit.

Davis Art Gallery

44 Portland Street, Worcester, MA  01609, 3rd Floor, 

Opening Reception:  May 24, 2012, 5-7 p.m.

Featuring:

Bayda Asbridge
Ani Baronian
Kerry Bart-Raber
Jennifer Baum
Frank Cole
Andrea Driscoll
Virginia Fitzgerald
Ann Hanscom
Tobi Hoffman
Celia Knight
Robyn Lane
Kimberly Marshall
Janet Miller
Corina Palmer
Judy Rolt
Janice Sisti
Carolann Tebbetts
Kay Thompson
Marion Vaitkus
Max Verga
Erika Davis Wade
Mihoko Wakabayashi

back from the dead and taking 'flight'

Hello all and hope you are all well.  I don't think I have ever gone this long between blog posts but it seemed as if mother nature and life had a different plan about my past 6 weeks.

As many of you may know I am in the process of getting divorced, which is taxing on many levels in itself.  And the plan was to move into a new apartment on February 1st, but instead of packing I ended up sick in bed!! I seemed to have contracted a new, 'trendy' and wicked virus that can take people out for weeks - and that is what happened.

I was down, but not out & luckily I am slowly getting back to normal.  In the past few days I have made way too many trips to Ikea to count - but boy is that a great place to outfit an entire apartment. Last week they delivered 33 boxes to my new abode!!! allen wrench, anyone.  So hopefully before April 1st I may have my apt. assembled and my girls and me settled (fingers crossed)

I have also been trying to get back to my art. ( I don't think I have darkened my studio door in weeks, but I digress)   To help get me back into this wonderful state of mind - I had a show which opened on March 1st ~ Flight of Fancy at Amazing Things, Framingham, MA.

'insatiable'

'womb wrap' seen thru the doorway

my 'creatures' !!!

For those who follow my facebook artist page you might have seen the announcement.  For those not on facebook, I apologize. Facebook updates were about all I could do that opening week.

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook (well I am questioning social media in general - but that may be for another post).  However it offers an easy way to announcements out there in the whole.  So if you want to, you can 'like' my artist page, and all that means that you will get my art news, but no pressure!

The opening of Flight of Fancy was well attended, even with the snow storm!!! And the show looks great!! It is a three person show ~ David Lang, Carl Staley and moi! and all of our pieces compliment each other's wonderfully.

When we were granted this exhibit opportunity we decided to have our theme be play!!! We all recognize the importance of the journey and the process as much, if not more, than the end product.  I was pleased to exhibit mostly fiber works and I even performed 'insatiable' during the opening. And to add to the fun, some of the people who came to the opening (such loyal followers :) had come to my 2010 Open Studio when I was just introducing  'insatiable'.  At the opening they marveled at how much the piece has grown and changed!!  I hope to go to the gallery at last once more to work on the piece ~ that would be between all my box opening and furniture building.

This 'moving' has presented me with an interesting conundrum. With all this unpacking, I have been swamped with endless packing material, much that I think would be great to crochet into 'insatiable'!!!  In fact I was thinking of starting an entirely new piece, made solely from all the plastic packing material from my move ~ the plastic from the new mattresses (so wonderfully thick), the thin white plastic wrap that was protecting some of the furniture and the endless plastic bags that carried all the smaller purchases. This is a challenge as I can't throw anything out - much to the chagrin of my eldest.  But I can guarantee that at least some of these fine material will make it into 'insatiable' and hopefully during 'Flights of Fancy'!!!

So stop by if you can - the show runs thru March 29th.  If I do go 'preform' I will post it :).

Also there was a marvelous write up in the MetroWest Daily News:

March 1, 2012
'Flights of Fancy' in Framingham

Three artists making "sexy" woodworks, crocheted "creatures" and moving sculptures that broadcast old baseball games are quoting Socrates' observation "Wisdom begins in wonder" to describe their show at Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham. Carl "Chip" Staley, Virginia Fitzgerald and David Lang are showing varied works that seem to fit together in "Flights of Fancy: The Importance of Play" which runs through March 29.

Chip off the block A cabinetmaker and artist, Staley creates sculpted woodworks shaped to suggest the flow of music and imagination. The Natick resident is showing a dozen sculptures he called "graceful, sexy 3-D doodles." A carpenter whose business is named "Wooden Wisdom," Staley said, "My work is mysterious and spiritual. It takes you places."

Tangled up in blue Departing from prior work, Fitzgerald is crocheting semi-abstract pieces she called "creatures" that seem to take on lives of their own. The work named "Medusa" might be a knit orange hula skirt for a mermaid. Beside its tactile appeal, a three-part piece, "Trinity (Trust, Strength and Wisdom)" seems to subvert the Greek myth of the Fates who measured out men's lives in yarn.
Her most ambitious piece, "Insatiable," has "grown" to be 8 feet tall like hanging moss. "It's turned into a monster that doesn't want to stop," said Fitzgerald. "It's become a performance."

Clockwork orange Part tinkerer, part conjurer, Lang transforms gears and feathers, sprockets and copper tubing into automatons that shake, rattle and roll out the whimsy. They enact mini-mechanical pantomimes that might be jokes, nostalgic skits or even moral tales. Featuring clam shells and pictures of Renaissance nudes, "The Day the Castinetti Sisters First Learned to Fly" is an elaborate sight gag. Resembling an old buggy built the Unabomber, "Play By Play" will emit radio recordings of vintage baseball games.

"This show embodies the idea the best art is serendipitous," said Lang, of Wayland. "When you work, unexpected stuff comes out."

A reception will be held Thursday, March 1 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Amazing Things is located at 160 Hollis St., Framingham. For information, call 508-405-2787 or visit www.amazingthings.org.

well, thanks for reading, happy to be 'back' & peace

Heading South!!

I am very so excited because I am packing up to head down south to Mystic, CT to lead an all day workshop tomorrow!!! The workshop is in conjunction to the Mystic Art Center's exhibit, Form & Fantasy: A Contemporary Twist on Fiber Art, in which I have a piece ~ 'insatiable'.

The day is split into two sessions ~ organic crocheting in the morning, based on my creatures and wraps, and collaging, based on my daily dress project, in the afternoon.  The broad focus of the workshop is creating while focusing on process over product. 

Both of the bodies of work that have inspired these workshops are produced in a very organic way.  I am more interested in the process and getting my thinking-mind out of the way, than the product!!  Secondly, reusing materials is a main theme in both these works so i am planning to high light the wonders of reclaiming the materials that surrounds us ~ most of the daily dress pages are based on some piece of detritus that inspired me during that day!! 

Lastly,  both of these bodies of work thrill me ~ my creatures and daily dresses are a huge passion for me so I am hoping that it will be easy for me to share.

 

So I am filling my car with my endless collections of stuff - vcr tape, electrical cords, candy wrappers, and so much more!!! I so enjoy teaching and leading workshops as they allow allow me to share my passions, and they also give me the time and excuse to make art!  Getting the time and 'band width' to be creative during the day is usually quite difficult when trying to make a living as an artist:(  But tomorrow I will be sharing some of my skills to a group of teachers who, hopefully,  will teach to their classes, so the tradition & passion will continue!! 

 xxx & peace!!

ending with a bang!!!

Today I had the pleasure of talking to some of the campers at the Attleboro Arts Museum all about my piece 'insatiable'!! It was a wonderful morning!! My girls and I also introduced the campers to the wonders of crocheting. For most, this was the first time, however there was one girl who

is a pro (she made an orange ball!) and I wanted to learn from her.

We got all the campers, ages 6 - 13 years old, crocheting with different green yarns, some were using hooks and some were finger crocheting. Soon I was showing some how to work with two or more strands and then we talked about adding the beads and charms ~ we all had a blast!! At the end of our time each camper had created a significant chain, and for those who wanted to, they gave me their handiwork which I then incorporated into 'insatiable'.

So 'insatiable' grew a bit more today, and grew a lot during the Green show, which sadly ends tomorrow! It has been such a wonderful experience to be involved in this terrific show, so if you can stop by tomorrow!! hours: 10- 4 pm.

But if you can't make it ~ here are two links to videos from the opening reception ~ you can see me with green hair tinsel performing 'insatiable'.

http://www.doubleacs.com/?q=node/2673

http://youtu.be/E8YHRVxYSoA

Enjoy & peace

Gabby called it Bob

It was a fabulous evening at the opening reception for Attleboro Arts Museum's exhibition, Green. I had such a wonderful time 'performing' with my piece, 'insatiable'. Many people helped me work. A girl named Gabby was very intrigued with the piece ~ wondering if I was going to be working on the piece the entire time the show was open!? She was disappointed when I told her that I would only be crocheting during certain scheduled times, but then she learned how to crochet and helped me work on the piece. She also did decide to give 'insatiable' another name, she called it Bob.

The museum staff had created a terrific set-up for me and 'insatiable' ~ I had an entire corner to myself. There was also a bowl where people could leave materials for me to crochet into the piece. When I got there there was a buckle in the bowl that I immediately worked into the piece.

For me this evening was extra exciting because I was 'to perform' with my piece during the reception!!! With this in mind, I felt I should 'look' the part, so I went all out ~ I wore a green dress, had green fingernails and toenails, green tinsel in my hair and made myself a kind of crocheted shawl, which I loved wearing. And the experience was awesome!!! I LOVED!!! working on 'insatiable' again. In fact it was so wonderful that I have started another giant creature to work on at home. This time it is red; and I want to make it so people will be able to go inside the piece. That is something I see people wanting to do with 'insatiable' ~ to get inside, however there is no easy and safe way to get it.

It is amazing to me to see how people are drawn to 'insatiable'. I encourage them to touch and play with the piece. Many artists and curators discourage any touching of art because the oils from hands can cause the work to decay. But as I have mentioned before ~ I see my creatures as alive and especially 'insatiable' ~ changing all the time. So the idea that 'insatiable' will be touched, meaning that there is the possibility of it getting a little dirty or oily, only adds to its ever evolving state.

The entire show is a treat for the senses. there are some amazing pieces from all over the country. Below is a list of all the contributing artists, with the award winners in bold :). ( I also put links to their websites and take a look if you have time - so really cool work!!!) And it is SO great to be in another show with my soul sister artist friend, Lisa Barthelson!!! Just another perk about this show!!!

So if you are in the area - STOP BY. I will be working on the 'insatiable' at certain times during the exhibit and I will try and post the times here!!

Green Exhibiting Artists

Michelle Acuff, Jenny E. Balisle, Stephen Barnwell, Jeanne Barry, Lisa A. Barthelson, David Lee Black, Peter Campbell, Mia Capodilupo, Donna Catanzaro, Barbara Clark, Barry Close, Iris Falck Donnelly, Virginia Fitzgerald, Ricky Gagnon, Eleanor Gilpatrick, Julie Gray, Michael S. Guertin, Leslie Hirst, Kevin Hughes, Bonnie Jaffe, Sharon Loper, Petra Nimtz, Elaine Pawlowicz, Norman Petersen, Lahary Pittman, Barbara Poole, Nikki Rosato, Lisa Gabrielle Russell, Cheryl Safren, Ruth Scotch, Hiroko Shikashio, Alan Strassman, Mark Taber, Stephanie Terelak, Tom Wagner, Elizabeth White, Peggy Wyman, Stephenie A. Zentara.

that was also a lot of 'press' :) and I think I made an interesting subject. Below you will find a link to one article about the opening.

article in the Patch online

AAM is going 'Green'

Attleboro Arts Museum, 86 Park St., Attleboro.

Tues. through Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

www.attleboroartsmuseum.org or 508-222-2644.

GREEN - A National Juried Exhibition, July 6 through August 3

peace

the countdown has begun!!!!!

This week in the mail I received the announcement for the upcoming show, Insatiable, in which i have a piece. And what a thrill it was ~ to see my name among all these other wonderful artists, and to know that this exciting show is just around the corner!! Not that I am not always excited about every show i am in (or most any art show in general :) It is just that I am truly gaga over the piece that is in this show ~ 'insatiable'.

I have been obsessed by this piece ever since its conception ~ gathering different yarns and twines, then moving into the more unique materials, such as old headphone, electrical wires, gardening twine and tattered plastic bags. As the time has passed i have gotten even more adventurous with what I can crochet into this beast ~ the ribbons from old balloons and the popped balloons themselves!! Also I was at a birthday

party with my girls where the girls at the party were taking off the plastic wrappers from their water bottles and pulling them into a long string!! I flipped when i saw this and asked the girls for all their wrappers and left the party with a roll of plastic 'yarn'. It is amazing how my eyes seemed trained to see more material ~ a bunch of gold streamers from a cheering pomp-pomp, cut rubber bands left over from creating a window-box, excess dental floss from an overly zealous pull. The mishmash of material that i am collecting is beguiling. As I scooping up the many pieces of flotsam and jetsam which is left behind by our everyday life, i feel that this piece is becoming a true illustration of our ever consuming appetite.

As 'insatiable' grows it seems to speak more and more to the subject of the show ~

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 juried exhibition will feat

ure work by 42 artists from the US and abroad that explores our ravenous craving for e

xcess and/or the consequences of indulging our endless desire for more.

I must confess that i am collecting more than i am crocheting. I keep hoping for that quiet moment where I can sit down and start 'spinning' this 'magic' into the piece. However another wonderful

element of this piece and the show, is that 'insatiable' was accepted as a performance piece!!! So it is going to grow during the show and i am going to have designated time that i need to be in the gallery crocheting. That alone is a gift - scheduled 'work' time!!! Especially since i have taken recently been given a teaching job I hardly see my studio ( But the teaching is wonderful (so far) great opportunity, great students and a regular income ~ WOW!!!) But for now the elation is with this coming show and my ever growing piece.

However also, for now there is also a great sadness. In the wake of the horrid news out of Arizona... may we resolve to open our minds and hearts to love and to embracing differences; to dynamic discussions of politics and ideas withOUT firearms and violence. My heart & prayers go out to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims and their families. Especially the family of the nearly 9 year old girl who was attending the event because she had just won a position in her school's student's government, and who is now dead ~ a victim of gunfire. In my busy day i had missed this event until I turned on my computer to finalize this post & once i saw the announcement my heart broke - on so many levels. so as i say every post ~

peace!!! peace !!! & peace i mean!!!!

a day of thanks...

This Thanksgiving has been an intense day for me because last year I was 'recovering' from sticking my hands in the middle of a dog fight. My hands were stitched & bandaged and I was not sure how it was going to affect my work ~ needless to say I was a bit blue. But what a difference a year makes :). This year I was able to go for a run, cook up a storm and enjoy the day with wonderful friends and family. However, there was still a cloud of introspection that followed me . An anniversary gives you a time to reflect, and today I thought about my journey since the 'incident' and I found more positives than negatives. One positive outcome was being introduced to acupuncture and meditation ~ two practices that have entered my life to help balance my ‘crazy’ tendencies. (she says as she blogs at 2:30am) And the second positive was my passion for crocheting. Yes I was crocheting before, but after the ‘incident’ crocheting became essential to
keeping me sane. It was a creative activity that I could do with stitches and soon after my surgery. And with this crocheting obsession came my creatures, and most recently, my ‘healing wraps’. This idea also sprung from my surgery ~ a fiber piece that brings the owner positive healing energy, warmth and TLC. I guess it is along the lines of my womb wrap – a ‘garment’ that gives you comfort. And this week I finished my first healing wrap and it was delivered on the eve of Thanksgiving, which seemed appropriate. It went to a friend who is the midst of a tough battle with cancer. I made this wrap with blues and purples, colors that I connect with healing. Crocheted into the piece are many beads and charms, saying things like ‘laugh often, love much’. When I worked on the piece I tried to be present with my crocheting and concentrated on filling the stitches with positive thoughts and prayers.

In the past months I have been aware of how garments can bring the wearer strength or confidence or healing. When in New York I went to a show that highlighted this idea in many of the exhibited pieces. This remarkable show, “A Stitch in Jewish Time,” is at the Hebrew Union Collage - Jewish Institute of Religion Museum until June 30th, 2011. It is a beautiful show with some truly amazing pieces ~ some personal favorites are Ten Plagues (2009) and Exodus(2008) by Carol Hamoy, The In-Between Yeshiva (2008) by Jacqueline Nicholls, Coat of the Agunah (2010) by Andi Arnovitz and Lisa Rosowsky’s We are Not Safe(2005), to highlight a few. This show is definitely worth a visit.


And I am thankful that I was able to see that show, along with the many wonderful art shows that I see in NY and anywhere I can. And I am thankful to have my work included in many wonderful shows. I am thankful that I am back to my old creative, high energy, insomniac self. I am thankful for the many wonderful people in my life that support me, encourage me and love me. So thank you & peace!!! & good night :)

Out & About

A little update of the comings and goings of the artwork of Virginia Fitzgerald ~
Last night was the MassRecycle's Annual Recycling Awards @ the Artist for Humanity EpiCenter,Boston and a few artists, including yours truly, were ask to exhibit artwork made from recycled material. This was an easy one for me ~I exhibited Black Widow (the VCR tape dress), Glass Slipper and the Paper Mache Bustiere. It was such a lovely event as well as a zero waste evening!! really nice!!! The Epicenter was a perfect venue for this event being a green, high-performance, sustainable building ~ "the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter was awarded LEED Platinum Certification from the United States Green Building Council; it was the first project in the city of Boston to have earned this distinction. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings." The building itself set the 'green' tone with many different reused materials ~ the Ladies room was so cool, the toilet paper holder was made out of the bottom of a used water cooler bottle. I was happy to be included because i am a big fan of all things recycled. Years ago my business centered around recycling, creating bottle cap jewelry and accessories. I used the bottle caps as frame for my artwork and sold the pieces to stores around the world ~ so this is not a new trend for me. And it was exciting to see the 'recycled' artwork of the other artists. David Lang exhibited three pieces, and one of them he made especially for the evening, 'Return', and it was a show stopper!!! Check out his blog to see some of the pieces as well as the creation of 'Return'. The other artists were ~
Jeannie Dunnigan, Paula Estey, David Lang, Michael Ulman, Marty Ulman & Bill TurvilleIt was a feel~good evening!!

And then tonight there are two openings of shows that are exhibiting some of my work ~
First ,the opening reception for ArtOrganic at the Harbor Art Gallery, UMass Boston is tonight, November 18th, from 5:00 - 8:00 P.M. This show has many of my fiber pieces as well as the work of Jodi Colelle, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, David Lang, Janet Kawada and Derrick Te Paske. (Click here for the post with all the artists' links) The show runs from November 15th through December 15th. And I hope to make it to the opening near the end (one never knows with Boston Traffic).

And the second opening is for Carry On at the Attleboro Arts Museum, tonight from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. i am going to start there for two reasons. one this show is running in conjunction the city of Attleboro reading Tim O'Brien's The Things That They Carried so I am thinking this could be one big book group with artwork. As i think I mentioned before I was really moved by this book and I am eager to discuss it. Also I am planning to wear one of the pieces I made for the show, Tongue necklace, during the opening which will be fun. I just need to figure out what else to wear in the next few hours.

Both shows are exciting shows and the openings promised to be fun ~ I wish that i could clone myself :) but maybe I can make it to both openings!! But if you are in the area of either or both openings please stop by - i don't think you will be disappointed!!!

peace

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Travels and other interesting sites.

In the past few months i have been bathing in the lush world of fibers ~ my creatures have been gathering interest and have been in some shows; i have been exposed to new and different techniques and amazing artists; and I have been discovering wonderful articles and information on interesting blogs and websites. I have wanted to share these discoveries here and tonight after watching this video I figured I would share a few of my finds.

As i forge deeper into this luscious and intricate world of fiber art i am aware of a quiet connectedness, a sense of community, as if the rich history of fiber work and handicraft is still present and binding the people and the work together. An example of what i mean is the story of how i learned about this video. On Veteran's day, when the girls were out of school I took them and two of their friends to the Boston Museum of Science. A great museum for the girls to play for long periods with the many exhibits so i came prepared ~ I brought my crocheting. And while i was curled up on a bench crocheting and another mom was intrigued. She asked if i was following a pattern and i explained my 'organic' approach to crocheting. This reminded her of an article she saw on the web about crocheting, science and mathematics. I was interested so I gave her my card in case she remembered where she saw it. Well the next day she sent me the link to this article and the video about this crocheted coral reef and the story behind it. Here Margaret Wertheim speaks of how crocheting is the only way to model a certain mathematical theory and how their coral reef project has grown exponentially including many from around the world. This reminded me of Mandy Greer's work ~ a community forming around these artistic endeavors. I found this video very interesting especially after dropping my creatures off at the Harbor Gallery for their Art Organic show ~ so see what you think. The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Travels from Ireland to the Smithsonian.

Another one of my favorite 'fiber' finds is the artist Joetta Maue and her blog. I love to read her blog, it introduces many wonderful shows and artists ~ in fact her most recent post was about a show in London: Louise Bourgeois: Fabric Works. :) Joetta's work is beautiful and inspiring - i love her uses of old linens. This is an example of her work, on the right.

The last artist is will share this evening (as it is way past my bed time) is Abigail Doan. I discovered her work surfing the web and was memorized. Her blog is also a great read ~ showing many interesting works. I was particularly intrigued with the Knitted, Knotted, Netted show.

And this is just a tiny fraction of all the amazing work out there (which can be intimidating!!!) And many of the artists that i am drawn to do talk about a 'community' with their work, which is what i was trying to allude to earlier. There seems to be an invisible web connecting these works and the artists and the viewers. I see my interaction at the science museum as an example ~ how this mother and i have made a connection. In fact after she looked at my web site she realized that she knew my dress project work, and in fact she had pictures of some of my dresses on her phone. My brain is a little tired to clearly explain this sense of connection but I do feel there is something about 'handiwork' that softens people, breaks down some barriers and lets us connect a little more. I think this is shown in the tremendous interest in knitting and crocheting after 9/11.

I invite you to take a look at these artists and there will be more to come - I promise!!

peace & good night!!