Progress on a new felt figurative sculpture....

April 26, 2021 in Work

I am excited to share that I am making a new piece for a new gallery in Minneapolis for their inaugural exhibition about motherhood. There is not a lot else I can share about the gallery at this time, but I do have some progress pics! It is so nice to have a big open space again to make things instead of trying to squeeze one in amongst the others! Here is how they start:

I figure at this point I have 20-25 hours still of stitching felt, and then I would like to add hooks and eyes. I am thinking the hardware will go from the ground up on the legs and neck. Or maybe the belly. Stay tuned!

Punk Rock quilter Ben Venom....

April 23, 2021 in Inspiration

How did I not know about Ben Venom? Have I been living under a rock? He combines punk rock, tattoo and counter-culture notions in amazing quilts made of recycled materials. I so wish I could see one in person! The color and pattern combinations are brilliant and I am so curious about the up close stitching detail. The are also HUGE! Maybe I should make a quilt?!?!?

"Chthonic" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art

February 01, 2021 in News, Work

So it has been over a year since my last blog post…and a pandemic, online teaching, an election and two exhibitions. The last post the acceptance or my (how many?) proposal for the Minnesota Artist Exhibition Program at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. There was so much in between, but that is where I am starting now. From that day on I put my head down and got to work. It was the most fulfilling creative endeavor of my career. I am just so thankful for all of it. By the end, I could hardly get around my own studio, and I had moved two figures into another friends studio when I ran out of room. We needed a 26’ truck to deliver the work and it had to spend a week in the deep freeze after arriving at Mia; felt can have larvae and it had to be frozen before going into the museum proper. Then I had the best help for two weeks of install. We got it finished right as Governor Walz shut down entertainment and hospitality venues for Covid. But it opened this last Thursday, and I am thrilled that people are getting a chance to see it! I will post more about the making, installation and exhibition in the coming weeks!

Title text and door way into second gallery space…