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So, I have been a bit awol, as I have been teaching myself Adobe Illustrator, with Lynda.com (with great thanks to Brooklyn Public Library!) I have a fair command of InDesign and Photoshop, but with Illustrator I have had a totally adverse reaction. And, as they say, you will learn something when you need it-and now I need it!  For Art In Odd Places, I will be engaging the public to make little books about what had been replaced, what needs to be replaced, and what  is irreplaceable. In the mean time, I’ve been making these little icons for the booklets, and cutting them on my new Cricut cutter (where there is a bit of a learning curve as well) but bit by bit! Stay tuned for more info on my project and save the dates October 17, 18, &20 for AIOP2019: Invisible.

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Super thanks with a big shout out to Rubber Stamp Champ for getting these stamps to me so quickly. 

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Getting my print sent off for the Kentler International Drawing Center Fundraiser-and knitting baby bird nests for Carolina Waterfowl Rescue!

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Organizing babies

I spent the day organizing selections from Babies (not) on Board, that will included in the exhibition Hand & I, celebrating a labor of love–embroidery as a narrative medium where images and text are often brought together to communicate a message of empowerment, love and protest. Curated by Yulia Tikhonova at Dorsky Gallery, opening May 5. More info as the time nears!

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Back in the Studio! After a bit of a break for knitting obsession, I’m back working on my new book project. Tentatively titled Books of Memory, I have been printing silk on my Epson P800, by backing the sheets with freezer paper. I had known of this but never did it before and it worked well. The pages are from a book my mother Ida wrote in in the last year of her life, while she was in dementia. I have several ideas for the books-in actual size and a smaller scale. The project has frightened me for a while, but now I think there is no turning back!

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Knit MANIA. So in lieu of my 'regularly scheduled studio practice’, I learned to knit last November, and it has taken control of my ‘set’ somehow. I’m not sure where it’s leading, but I’m sure somewhere interesting...In the mean time, it’s keeping me calm in this rather stressful times and that is all good!

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I've been a bit awol, as I’ve been making a small edition of chapbooks-which were finished last night. I designed the interior pages (which were printed at Park Slope Copy Center, rebound them in a matching lavender thread, then added the covers from my stash on handmade Indian paper. Working with Michelle Valladares, Director of the MFA Creative Writing Program at City College of New York, CUNY (and remarkable poet in her own right!), the chapbook featured the wonderful work of her students in the CUNYGraduate program in Creative Writing.

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It took-what felt like three years, but was, in reality a solid week to get these prints framed, labelled and packed! But they are now on their way to the Bronx for Persistence of Vision at the Krasdale Galleries from July-September. They will then move to the Krasdale Galleries in Harrison, NY. I’ll post more info-galley hours, specific locations, and receptions, as it becomes available. 

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I’ve been framing prints for Persistence of Vision, organized by Susan Newmark and Susan Hoeltzel, and curated by Sigmund R. Balka. The exhibition will be at the Galleries at Krasdale Foods, in the Hunt’s Point space from July to September, and the space in Harrison, NY from October to December. I have to say, I loathe framing. But the onerous task was made easier by finding IKEA frames available-which are not too bad (!) Some like their Hovsta frame comes in a variety of sizes and had floaters as well (so the work doesn’t touch the glass) I only had to add the floaters myself in one print, for the Ribba frame-which was bad enough ;) I sent the largest print out for professional framing, but things are falling into place after a few mishaps...(sigh) Group pix to follow when they are all done!

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Liar’s Couture featuring the Tie of Lies

LIAR'S COUTURE, my new work, will be included in Disillusionment: Perspectives Beyond, organized by Robin Holder and Marina Gutierrez. with Exhibition Coordinator Ronnie Bellini

24 accomplished women artists were invited to create works about Disillusionment, whether personal, cultural, political or global. The artworks they created range from "Me Too" narratives and hurricane reflections to historical texts using media that include welded woven steel, found assemblage, paper collage, sewing and body casting.

Artists in the show: Tomie Arai, Audrey Anastasi, Kabuya Bowens, Annex Burgos, Cybil Charlier, Maria Dominguez, Sandra Fernandez, Janet Goldner, Marina Gutierrez, Valerie Hammond, Janet Henry, Robin Holder, Rodriguez Calero, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Charlotte Ka, Olivia Beens, Lynn Marshal-Linnemeier, Carla Lobmier, Shervone Neckles, Quimetta Perle, Nora Rodriguez-Vallés, Miriam Schaer, Mary Ting, Nitza Tufiño

The show opens Friday, March 9, 2018, with a reception from  6:30-9 PM, and will be on view March 9-31, 2018 at Taller Boricua in the Julia De Burgos Latino Arts Center, 1680 Lexington Ave. (E. 105 St.), New York, NY 10029. Gallery Hours: Wednesdays and Fridays, Noon-6 PM; Thursdays, 1-7 PM; and Saturdays, Noon-6 PM.  

Artist Panel Discussion at Taller Boricua Sunday March 25, 2018 2-4 PM. Open to all, and FREE.

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Liar’s Couture, Part 2

The next part of Liar’s Couture, was to create a long, dramatic, scroll-like tie (ahem: book reference alert!) I collected all of the DT lies from various sources (NYTimes/Wash Post, etc.) and redesigned the typography. It took several attempts to get the scale of the text to work. I soon realized I needed to set the type up on the horizontal in order to get diagonal stripes on the finished tie. I knew that ties need to be cut on the bias (diagonal) in order to hang correctly. 

I printed the fabric at Spoonflower, and was very pleased with the results. Stan (my husband and editor extraordinaire) was super helpful with sorting out issues regarding fabric and the text. We decided on Organic Cotton Sateen, as the type looked the sharpest when printed on that surface. Just as I was getting ready to print-all the news orgs updated and expanded DT’s lies for their end of the year roundups-so I was able to revise my files before printing. If you do work with Spoonflower, definitely get the samples to determine the best fabric to select for your project.

I had never made a necktie, so I did a bunch of googling. Sweetshop Sewing had hands down the best tutorial, and helped me to understand the process. I also knew I clearly would not find a pattern for what turned out to be 16 ft necktie (9 ft when tied!) I would have to alter the pattern-another new experience. I printed the pattern provided on Sweetshop multiple times, and taped them together until I got the correct length. This also took a several tries to get what that length would be.

I re-drew the tie pattern on tracing paper, smoothing out the jaggy edges. Note the arrows marking the grain showing how the pattern will need to set onto the fabric. I realized I would need to sew the tie in four places, rather than two or sometimes 3 sections you see in commercial ties (I looked at a lot of old ties in our closet) in order to get the length I would need.

Pinned on to the fabric, being mindful of the grain.

I had extra DT face fabric-so used that for the lining. Pin and cut, and sew!

I also altered the original tie pattern at the neck-part (skinny part of the tie) so it would be proportional to the toddler size 4 shirt, and widened the tie as it expanded from the mid-section to the bottom point to get a larger readable area.

Because the narrow end was SO narrow, I couldn’t turn the tie inside out when  sewn as directed, so I ripped out the narrow end, and closed that portion sewing by hand. Below is the tie-tossed over the shirt-before I tied it in place--Stan had to show me how to tie a tie as I had never done that before. I have some installation shots I made in my hallway, but will wait to see if I can get a better overall installation and post tomorrow.

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Liar’s Couture, Part 1

I’ve been working on an installation piece since the summer-and the shirt above is one part. The goal was to make a size 4 toddler boy’s shirt, with DT faces, along with a necktie element-which I’ll post tomorrow. (the piece is finished and will be installed this week-more on that to come!) The fabric is from Glitter Hollywood on Zazzle.com. I thought it worked out well-the scale of the faces was perfect! The shirt pattern was from oliver + s.  As I haven’t sewn like this in-well, decades, I allowed myself the luxury of going slowly-being kind to myself when I made mistakes (and I did!) ripping the mistakes out, and re-sewing. Above is the final shirt, below are studio snaps of the work in progress. It’s been fun and challenging. 

I had to learn how to make buttonholes-I had never done that! Below are the tests.

Below: The finished button holes on the shirt. In the end, they were pointless, as I decided on large gold tone dome buttons, are so large, the shirt won’t open-or function like a normal shirt, but now I know how to make them!

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New Beginnings

After a long rebound I’m finally getting grounded and back in the studio-I started by making a new page for my website of Memory Fading. A series of prints and collages I made in response to my mother’s dementia before her passing in 2104. The print work starting with a grant from Akua Color Inks with great help and encouragement from Susan Rostow, who’d been encouraging me to play with Akua for this project. Bit by bit.

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Felt Books

https://feltbooks.tumblr.com/

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(w)hole: A Life in Parts

After quite a long time, I finally (finally) finished this artist book. (w)hole: A Life in Parts, is a musing on my mother Ida, her passing-as she lived with dementia in her final years,  as well as how we cope with loss and how we care for our aging parents when they are no longer able to care for themselves.  The book is now available here

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Geeking out on Georgian! I was SO excited to find this nearly 300 page book of Georgian Verb Conjugations (aka skreeves!) This is most likely a sign that I’ve probably gone off the deep end. #Fulbright, #Telavi, #Republic of Georgia, #Georgian language

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So, as a number of you know, I will be going to Telavi, in the Republic of Georgia, March 2017 with the Fulbright program. I’ll be working at Telavi’s Iakob Gogebashvili State University, with Nugzari Dzamukashvili. I’ll be teaching Artists Books and doing research into craft: textiles, felt and embroidery in relationship to artist books. In preparation, I have started to study, in earnest, (or try to!) the Georgian language. This may be the most herculean thing I have ever attempted. It’s been about a month-and I’ve learned how to read and write. Writing is pretty fun, actually! However, this is not to say I don’t make tons of mistakes and feel generally inept, with brief (brief) moments of joy. This may be typical of learning any language-although nothing really prepares you for Georgian–––at least as a native English speaker. There are 33 letters-and doubles, consonants with aspirated and non-aspirated sounds: 2 T-s, 2 R-s, 2 K-s, ch’s, kh’s and tst’s.

I have learned however one of the most most critical phrases for survival: how to ask for coffee–as a major caffeine addict. (თურქული) ყავა მინდა ,თუ შეიდძლება/ Turkuli qava minda, tu sheidzleba! Please give me (Turkish) coffee! So, all things being equal, I know in my heart it will all be ok! I will post more on my studies, as well as continuing projects in the studio...