Cleaned

Today is absolutely wonderful!  We have not seen moisture of any significance in months so to awake to the pitter-patter of rain drops was very thrilling.  While I am normally a “sunshine” girl – needing the brightness and warmth to energize my soul, I am really enjoying the grumbling grey skies and very subdued light. The world looks clean and refreshed, plants perking up reaching for more, rocks and earth looking so very rich and warm.  The colors just pop.  Taking a lesson from mother-nature – it is good that we stop, take a deep breath  and “wash” our thoughts, our souls….our being…..rid our minds of the dry, dusty sludge that builds up – allow a clean fresh new warmth to wash over us.  I hope you get your “rain” soon.

Where did it go?!

I am having a hard time tracking where the last few months have gone! It seems like I just posted and wow – no it has been several months. That is not to say that I have been sitting around eating bon-bons – but then I didn’t think I had been that busy! There have been a lot of changes in my personal life – most for the better. I resigned from my position on the local Fiber group with the intent of concentrating on developing a good body of art work. I was looking forward to having only to make decisions of color or shape or stitch….well as you know the best laid plans….. it seemed the universe had different ideas for me. I ran and was successful in being elected to Converse’s City Council. I know in my heart there is a reason I was put in this position as I don’t believe that anything happens without being planned long before our feet hit this earth. I must be patient and let my job unfold and reveal itself to me. I will still work on my art – just not as much as I originally had planned. I still have several “finish lines” that are coming up fast and I have been working on smaller pieces.
It will be interesting to see where this path leads me and how my art work will be influenced by it. I can only open my mind, heart and soul and accept the opportunities that will present themselves to me. I’m looking forward to a wild ride over the next few years!

Art Cloth Network Call for Members!

Art Cloth Network is open for a few new members. If you'd like information about the group, see our website at http://www.artclothnetwork.com/.
Those of us who are members find that the opportunities for community, conversation, sharing of techniques, inspiration and resources benefit our art and creativity. We have recently increased our membership limits to 30 members in good standing, including those on formal leave. When the number falls below 30, we accept new member applications. We currently have openings for up to six new members.
While some of us also make art quilts or mixed media work, the group is focused on art cloth and its specific surface design techniques and approaches. This includes making lengths of cloth, rather than small samples or fat quarters. Please read the information about art cloth on our website and look at examples, to make sure that you are interested in this field. Only those artists who submit examples of art cloth that meet this description will be considered for membership.

We meet as a group every 9 to 10 months in different regions of the United States, usually between August and October. Since these meetings are critical to our growth and vitality, we require attendance at 2 out of 5 consecutive meetings. Membership begins with the first meeting attended. Members bring and discuss their work at these meetings, and we share other professional concerns and opportunities. Previous meetings have been in Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, California, Georgia, Arizona, and New Jersey. The 2011 meeting will be in Florida.
We also produce a new exhibit annually, with a call for entries each year. Since opportunities for showing art cloth are limited, this is an important membership benefit. Members are required to enter two of five calls for entry in order to maintain their membership status.


Only applicants who can and will attend the next meeting will be accepted into the Art Cloth Network during this membership call period. That meeting will be in or around St. Petersburg, Florida on either October 13-16 or November 10-13, 2011. Full details about the conference and this financial commitment will be mailed to those extended a membership invitation.
The current deadline for membership applications is March 15, 2011, and you can send in your application materials at any time prior to the deadline. You will be notified by April 15, 2011 whether your application has been approved.
Send a request to susiemonday@gmail.com in order to receive the POSTEROUS application site address.

ONE

Sentry III

Laura Ann Beehler

Available Wednesday February 16, 2011

One Cause, One Wednesday, One Hundred Collages

One Cause – The Fight Against Cancer.

One Wednesday – February 16, 2011.

One Hundred Collages – Created for this event by an all-star team of artists: Natalya Aikens, Pamela Allen, Laura Ann Beehler, Liz Berg, Pokey Bolton, Laura Cater-Woods, Jette Clover, Jane Davila, Jane Dunnewold, Jamie Fingal, Gloria Hansen, Leslie Tucker Jenison, Lyric Kinard, Jeanelle McCall, Linda Teddlie Minton, Karen Stiehl Osborn, BJ Parady, Judy Perez, Wen Redmond, Cynthia St. Charles, Virginia A. Spiegel

The goal – Raise $8,000 for the American Cancer Society in just one day. More details and a preview of artwork: http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/ONEFundraiserPreview.html    

Fiberart For A Cause has already donated over $205,000 to the American Cancer Society through the generosity of fiber artists and their patrons.

 



RENEWAL

A weekend spent with wonderful women letting their child play…..

time to reflect…to breath…to refresh our spirit…
laughter…singing…..wonderful stores….
insightful conversation…nourshing food.
Sharing….understanding….listening…. talking.
Letting our hair down within a warm circle of friends.

Time spent gathering artistic energy
to fuel us through the coming year

poetry…music…meditation...making art.
Searching our inner desires, wants and needs

making a plan…

what a wonderful calming way to begin!



Creative Mess

This comes from Hugh MacLeod.  A very humerous individual on so many levels.  Very down to earth!  Check him out at http://gapingvoidgallery.com/ .  He often has pearls of wisdom that really make you stop and think - yeah he's right!

Creative Mess

Creativity starts off messy. Youthful creativity is very messy.

Often starting off randomly, and then as one thinks, and works, its form takes shape.

Over time, when one works their creative muscle over and over, creativity gets easier and less messy, more precise.

That is the challenge of being a creative professional. Exercising your creative muscle sufficiently so that your ability to create is not so random, or messy.

That goes for visual artists, writers, marketers, managers.

Focus, intent, exercise, repetition.

Intimidation

I recently had a conversation with an artist friend of mine about becoming a member of a small group. Her response held many reasons for NOT joining such as being over extended and time factors. The one that I zeroed in on was "I feel intimidated". I had to laugh because I knew exactly what she meant. There are so many times that I am intimidated by others. She is more polished.... her speaking abilities are so elegant....she has such energy....her knowledge about X is tremendous....she is so in control.....her work is sooooo good and the list goes on and on and on! What I have finally learned is that we like to think that we are unique... that we are the only one feeling this way. I love it when I hear comments like this because they ground me. I have confirmation that I am not alone in my feelings! BUT, what do we do to overcome them? I am sure that even the most accomplished artist feels intimidated in some way by some person. She may not show it on the outside, she may have found ways to disguise her intimidation, she may have learned to put that negative thought on the back burner, but there is always that tinge of intimidation with her. I struggle with this on a daily basis. I am trying little by little to control this particular feeling - intimidation. It is a killer feeling! When WE LET ourselves be intimidated we give up our sense of self. We give up our belief in our self. I am the only person that can allow myself to feel this way - no one can make me have this feeling, no one can give or take it. It is mine to do with what I want. I can let it overtake me, numbing me to the outside world or I can put it on the back burner - stuff it way down in the dark depths of my mind. We each have skills that we are very good at as well as lessons that we still need to learn. We all have much that we can share and teach each other - we have to trust in ourselves and each other and be willing to give and take. I believe that it is important to respect the feeling of intimidation as it keeps us aware that we have room to grow, but don't let it hold you hostage!