New Scarves for ARTEAST

Haven't posted in a while because I've been working to get ready for ARTEAST which takes place next weekend--October 16/17.  Lots of scarves-- and some new wall pieces--not quite so big as I made for the Kaskaskia show.  These are easily "house" sized.  Those haven't been photographed yet, but here are some details of the new scarves hot off the scanner.

A little turmeric goes a long way--bright bright yellow here.  I'm trying to figure out a different way of applying it with more control.

This scarf has a lovely purplish cast to it with pinkish gold areas.

I bought a few crepe scarves to try and above is one of them.  The others are all silk satin.

Elderberries have created a spectacular blue, but this piece has not been washed yet.  Not quite sure how much will be retained.  I've been waiting as long as possible before the event.
This is a very large shawl at 22"x90"

It always amazes me when I unwrap the silk to discover what design has been made.  This one was particularly puzzling to me with the oval shapes appearing regularly through the length of the scarf.

Looking ahead to ARTEAST 2010

I will be in a new place to exhibit for this year's ARTEAST event.  I am so excited...and grateful to Alison Reeves, my fellow exhibitor who designs and makes jewelry, for arranging it.  Hopefully all four of us who exhibited last year at the winery can reunite for ARTEAST 2010 at the Edwardsville Fitness Studio at 201 Hillsboro Ave, Edwardsville, IL.   

I hope the owners don't mind that I've borrowed a photo of the main room from their website.  I visited today with Alison who takes classes there and she introduced me to the owners, Sally Burgess and George Johannes who are eager to lend the space to us and get involved in ARTEAST.  The space is more intimate than the large high ceilinged room we shared at Villa Marie Winery in Maryville last year, but I think we'll manage quite nicely in the place.  The studio is beautiful! Plus there is a small lobby where we can set up refreshments and another room up front that can be used for exhibit space too. 

Even nicer is the location...in the heart of Edwardsville, and easy walking distance to many other ARTEAST sites.  We'll be just a block from the Edwardsville Arts Center where a large group exhibit will be set up; and a block from Main Street, where several ARTEAST exhibits will take place at various locations.  

The winery was a great place last year and the owner did invite us back...but unfortunately in this economy I'm sure she could not afford to turn down paying customers.  A wedding reception and party were booked in both available spaces there for the same weekend as ARTEAST.   So my little group was forced to find a new place. 

Long Day

I spent most of the day Monday at the Department of Art & Design at SIUE making visits to several graduate and upper level classes.  As a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Art, I volunteered (along with two of my colleagues) to make presentations on the upcoming art auction that provides the funding for the visiting artist program plus many other projects for art at SIUE.   The goal:  to convince students it is in their best interests to donate art for the auction.  Hope they took the info to heart.

The real treat came at the end of the day when I returned to the fibers studio to visit with my professor and friend Laura Strand and fellow student, teacher and book artist Elizabeth Adams Marks who is working on her masters in art ed now.  Just spending a few minutes with these two gets my juices flowing.  Elizabeth and I used to exhibit side by side at ARTEAST.  I first met her when she was working on her BFA as I was working towards my MFA.  Laura was instrumental in turning me from traditional printmaker to textile artist. 

Oh my, I was so sleepy when I got home, I couldn't keep my eyes open to watch the medal performances for Olympic Ice Dancing.  Dang!  The last pair were in the kiss and cry booth when I woke up.   So I came downstairs to check email and discovered some really great news.  The SDA website has listed my blog on the Member Website list.  Woo Hoo!!  

Future plans for this blog include creating some links to my favorite sites and fellow artists, especially the group I came to know and admire through grad school.  And, I promise the next post will finally debut pics of my outdoor studio.   The pictures were taken last spring and summer so they should provide a nice contrast to the cold, gray days we've been experiencing here in the midwest.  

ARTEAST at the Villa Marie Winery

Here are a few pics from the Vino Room.  There were so many scarves I had to spread some out on a table while the rest hung on two racks.  The top photo shows a selection on the center rack with the orange velvet one a real standout.  The brilliant color was a surprise to me--so different from the silk satin rust marks.  To the right of the scarves in the background are two of my smaller wall hangings.  

I had to get creative with my big silks as I could not use the walls.  My friend Bob (who builds my wall brackets and lends me rusty things) and I collaborated on a design for gigantic banner hangers.  They are 8 feet tall and can be taken apart for transport.  Each can hold works back to back if needed.  My friends from St. Louis give you a sense of the scale.  The piece they are looking at is Chicken Scratch which won BEST OF SHOW at Fiber Nine last fall at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, Illinois.  It is rust dyed silk organza layered over black raw silk, 55 inches wide.

Last is a view from the other direction.  Alison Reeves makes jewelry.  That's her table on the right.  In the distance is the watercolor display booth belonging to Jerie Artz and Arvilla Friar.  The whole space was really quite beautiful and I thank Judy Wiemann and the staff of Villa Marie Winery for providing us with the venue. 

The Snarky Twins make their debut at ARTEAST

Shibori rust dyed scarf detail.  100% silk satin.

The actual scarf is about 72 inches long--this is an 8x10 

direct scan near the bottom.  Shibori is Japanese for

shaped resist dyeing--the only difference is that I do 

not make a dye bath.  My imagery comes from direct 

contact with rust objects.  More about that in a later 

post.

I've rust dyed 50 scarves!  I surprised myself with the 

number.  That's the most I've made in one summer.

Most of them are in the shibori method--

and all will be for sale at ARTEAST this weekend.

I'll be exhibiting at Villa Marie Winery in Maryville, Illinois.

Maps to 50 venues can be found at the ARTEAST website.

Come see me on the lower level in the Vino Room.  I'm 

sharing the space with 3 other artists -- Jerie Artz and her 

mother Arvilla Friar who are great watercolorists, and 

Alison Reeves who makes fabulous jewelry.

Along with scarves, I will have some of my huge silk hangings

and also some smaller quilted felted collages. 

This is my first post on my brand new blog.  I'll add more 

as soon as I can and introduce you to the art I make.

BTW, can you see the Snarky Twins?