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Work
Is a two-person exhibit I am in with Nicole Simpkins at the Larson Art gallery at the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus. The show opens on Thursday 1/28 from 6-8 pm. And it is catered by Holy Land middle eastern restaurant. Hope to see you there!
NIcole Sara Simpkins
not much actually. Unfortunately. I think my crit with the Jerome jurors has left me a little uncertain. And I think I was beginning to be in a place of transition with my work, so it has been easy to not get anything done. I am thinking about cutting up the twelve foot wall panel into two pieces and adding more pattern paper so that each is six by six feet....and then adding more would like areas where I open up my color palette a little bit. I did pull a new panel out to paint, but it is not easy with a pain in the ass little kitten. He may be invited to enjoy the basement. But I am also really wanting to start sewing for myself. It could be a distraction. I have made garments for myself over the years and not worn them much when I haven't been able to figure out fit. But I found a blouse pattern I am in love with, so I may give it a try again. And it is a french pattern....with no english instructions. I think I can figure it out though. It is the Laelia blouse from Blousetterose.com.
I think it would also make a darling dress if you added some length. And you could easily wear a long sleeved t-shirt underneath it so it worked for colder weather. Now to figure out how many euros it is....
and dust bunnies and cob webs around these parts. There was the holiday, which was lovely, and then school prep, which was rushed, and then getting back to school. I am teaching Drawing 1 and 3-D Design at RCTC this semester, and 2-D Design at Winona State University. It feels like a lot of classes crammed into four days. So far, so good, but it is only the second week. I pulled out my million year old copy of Art Fundamentals as my textbook for 2-D...but I have to admit there is another book I am more excited about and wanted desperately to use as a textbook. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. When my husband and I were looking for Christmas gifts for my son and Barnes and Noble, we found it: The School of Art, by Teal Triggs and illustrated by Daniel Frost. It is a children's book, but it is brilliant. There is a Professor of Ideas, of Form, of Senses, of Making and of the Planet. There is a team on what basic elements we need to make art and one on what design principles help us make art. The illustrations are whimsical, the book is full of activities, and it makes the academic business of art so much fun. My husband got it for me. If you are a maker, check it out, I think you will love it too.
for Drawing. Whenever I have to do a demo for the class, there is always this moment, of "Please, just let me draw good." It is not always good, but it is often what it needs to be.
Again. About the last time I thought to post, some exciting news got in the way. I found out a couple of weeks ago that I was a Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Fellowship finalist...one of twelve. This is a $12,000 fellowship given to five artists in Minnesota every year. This was my third time applying or it, and really, I just thought it would be one of those awards I applied for in perpetuity. But I came home from school one day to find a message on the answering machine. I can't tell you what I thrill it has been. So after the initial shock and excitement, I went about getting some things started and finished to share with the jury....which left a lot of other things to get sidetracked. I got another large panel of sewing pattern paper made and started painting it...I strung the ball jointed doll I started this summer, and I started another smaller panel of sewing pattern paper without the fusible interfacing to see what kind of transparency I could achieve. Then, last Saturday I loaded a bunch of work in the car and went to MCAD to begin installing it at 5 pm for my meeting with the jury the next morning. It was a longer night than I have had in a while, but I got everything up that I wanted. l stayed over with a friend, and then headed back for my critique with the jury the next morning. Each artist only gets twenty minutes with the jury, and then they move on. We had a really nice conversation about my work, and it is funny to have people you don't know come in and look at your work and identify your blind spot immediately. The jury definitely left me with some things to think about. Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded a fellowship, but I learned a lot. I will be able to meet with the grant administrator and hear some of her notes from the Jury's deliberation. The fellows will be announced on 11/20/15. Early congratulations, all!
was fabulous. So much good work for a block along Benefit Street. It was crazy busy for most of the day. I only got to sneak out once to look at the other work, but I did collect some business cards, so watch for more posts to follow on what I saw. Here's a look at my table...
It was a standard folding conference table, 6 feet long. I made the cover....it is cotton feed sacks sewn together that then I painted and drew on with ball point pen. I had four animal dolls available, four sewing dolls, ten cloth dolls, four quilted pieces and one flower lady. It was a day full of compliments. And I have a couple of orders...one for a custom doll or two and one for a couple of animal portraits. Thank you for having me RISDCRAFT!
Is the theme for the Rochester Art Center Artbash 2015...and artists are donating works made with denim.
This is Snorm the Sensitive. He is from a long line of denim dome monsters. Yes, his teeth look fierce, but he is more interested in thoughtful conversation than tearing you apart. Don't let his crazy eyes scare you...there is a docile, deeply sweet creature behind. He can be yours on October 23, 2015.
Is one of the next things on my calendar. It is an annual alumni/student sale during Parents Weekend at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. I loved going to it and seeing all the work when I was a student. This year, it was juried, and the college provides tables and a tent should it rain, so you don't have to have a booth to apply with. I've been curious about art fairs, and this one has a built in audience, so I applied. And I am going. I'm pretty excited. I will take the sewing dolls, animal dolls and some of my MFA dolls. I am also going to make some prints of photographs I have made of the dolls...I had hoped to make new ones with the new doll furniture and environments, but there is just not time. So I am starting to think about hang tags, plastic sleeves, a tablecloth, postcards...what my brand should look like. I've got a month to do it. The sale is one day only, Saturday, October 10 from 10 am - 5 pm. If you are in the area, please come out and see me! If you can't make it to the sale, you can check out the artist spotlight to see what you'll miss.