Last year, I was fortunate to be part of a group of students of Amy Metier who went to France for an art-immersion experience. I wrote quite a bit about my adventures and posted some photos from the trip:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

The best thing about the trip was being there to paint. It’s one thing to travel and see the sights, but I never liked the idea of running all over to different cities and having only a short time in each one. I much prefer the way this trip was organized. We stayed in Paris for 4 days, and then Giverny the remaining 8 days, with day excursions to nearby towns. While in Giverny, we went out on location to Monet’s garden and the surrounding areas to paint. I’m convinced that this is the absolute best way to travel and get to know a place, and I hope to have another opportunity to do it again some day.

If you are in the Denver area, I would like to invite you to join me and the other artists for the opening reception of an exhibition of paintings and photographs by the participants of the trip:

Evenings with Monet

Opening Reception:
Friday, Sept. 3, 6-8 pm
Alliance Française
571 Galapago St., Denver
303.831.0304

Exhibition dates:
Sept. 3 – Oct. 30, 2010
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 9-7:30, Fri: 9-5, Sat. 9-noon

One of the most important things we learn in studying design is that a balance between unity and variety can greatly enhance a composition. I find this applies to pretty much everything in my life – artwork process as well as daily routine. I’ve always been the kind of person who can’t stand doing the same thing the same way for extended periods of time, and a shakeup in routine is guaranteed to help me feel energized.

After concentrating exclusively on paintings for the last several months, it was good to have a reason to focus on textiles once again. A call for entry to Small Works, a juried exhibition for members of the Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming region of SAQA, was an opportunity for me to develop 3 small pieces, all 18 inches square. After focusing on much larger pieces for a couple of years, I found I really enjoyed working at this size. It involves a different set of challenges, the most pressing of which is trying to avoid associations with potholders and placemats.

I was pleased to receive notice that Composition XII (above) was accepted into the exhibition. Along with work by 12 other artists, it will be on view at the Aurora (Colo.) Municipal Court from July 16 – Dec. 17, 2010.

New gallery representation

Also along the lines of variety in life, I spent last week in Door County, Wisconsin, visiting family and exploring the local landmarks and art galleries. On Thursday, I gave an artist’s talk for the Trillium Quilt Guild. I had several of pieces of my textile artwork with me for the talk, and afterwards, while driving back to my aunt’s home, we stopped in a few galleries along the way. In one of them, my aunt discovered a long-lost friend of hers, now the owner of the gallery. To make a long story short, I now have a new gallery representing my work: The Paint Box Gallery in Ephraim, Wisconsin, where these 3 works are now available.

Composition X, 18 x 18 inches, ©2010 Deidre Adams

Composition XI, 18 x 18 inches, ©2010 Deidre Adams

Horizon XVII, 16 x 16 inches, ©2010 Deidre Adams

Adaptation, 12 x 24 inches, acrylic & mixed media on panel. ©2010 Deidre Adams

After a week of utter insanity, things are quiet now. I’m getting caught up on all that I’ve let slide, like answering emails and attending to other outstanding issues. A blog post seems in order for closure on the the thesis exhibition.

As mentioned, due to unforeseen difficulties, we had a big scramble finding and preparing a temporary space for the show. The one we ended up with was a beautiful space, but it isn’t intended for display of art and therefore had several issues. Some in the class objected strenuously to the rather lively blue and lime green walls. Personally, I think my work would have looked stunning on a lime green wall, but I’m flexible. Since the will of the majority seemed to be that we needed neutral white walls, a bunch of us spent most of Tuesday painting. On Wednesday, I hung my work. This took me pretty much all day, because I had to do it alone, and I was terrified of making a mistake and messing up my newly painted wall. So I did a lot of figuring and measuring and remeasuring before putting nail to wall.

On Thursday, I needed to prepare for an artist’s talk I was giving that evening. So much for my theory that planning the date a year in advance should make for a very comfortable schedule!

Finally, on Friday, only one problem remained: there was no lighting for the walls other than some very high-up fluorescent fixtures — a completely unacceptable situation. Fortunately, my husband was able to take the day off and help with this situation. After several trips back and forth to the Home Depot, we finally had something rigged up on the overhead beams with clamp fixtures and 120-watt halogen floods that was, if not ideal, at least much, much better.

Me with some of my work

The reception was exciting. We had tons of people and it was a big crush, and it was great to be a part of it. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of my great friends who came out in spite of the crappy weather to support me. You are all fantastic!

Did I really have a vacation a couple of weeks ago? It seems that I did, but the last couple of weeks since my return have been so busy that it almost seems like another lifetime ago. I’ll post some photos from Hawaii shortly, but right now the most pressing thing in my life is getting my thesis show ready.

Our graduating class was supposed to have been the first to have our show in a brand-new space, one purchased by the school and completely renovated to beautiful perfection. Of course, there was always the worry that the construction wouldn’t be finished in time, but we all kept sending positive energy out into the world so that everything would proceed as planned. But yesterday, we were informed that of course the worst has happened. It’s not the renovation itself, but a long complicated story about needing more parking spaces because of the zoning, which requires destruction of other structures on the property, which have now turned out to have asbestos. This is a massive problem; it can’t be dealt with in time no matter how much we might will it, so for the moment we are building-less. A massive search effort is underway for an alternative space, and we are all in a kerfuffle wondering how this will come together by April 23, which is supposed to be the opening.

And I, ever the procrastinator, have been unable to get my postcard to the printer until now, even though it’s due to various parties in a mere 6 days. The reason for that is, as usual, complete and utter gridlock in the ability to come up with a title for my show. Originally called Resonant State, my thesis has undergone many revisions and thus my concept has morphed to the point where that was no longer appropriate. Among other possible working titles, I had at various times called it Patina and Force Majeure. Neither of those gave me the happy, contented feeling I expect when something fits well. Titling is a difficult, angst-ridden process for me. I write down many, many words as they occur to me, anything that might have a glimmer of a chance of being useful. This all stews inside my brain, and after an interminable amount of time, a new title emerges. So it is with this show, the title of which shall henceforth be Plane of Persistence. It works on several levels with not only my thesis, but also with my working methods. More about that when I post the thesis statement shortly.

Now the funny part. I’m getting the postcard printing for $25, but the cost for rush order and overnight delivery is going to be about 4 times that much. So there you have it – do as I say and not as I do, and plan ahead.

Composition IX, 48 x 46 inches, mixed media textile. ©2008

Along with artists Bruce Marion and Lisabel Filiatrault, I will have work on view at Translations Gallery from Nov. 4 through Dec. 1. There will be an artist’s reception on Nov. 6. Please stop by if you are in the area.

Translations Gallery
1743 Wazee Street
Denver, CO 80202
303.629.0713

Reception: Nov. 6, 6:00-8:30 pm

Upon Reflection, 50 x 29 inches, ©2003 Deidre Adams

Last week, I received two quilts back from a traveling exhibit. Elements from the Front Range Contemporary Quilters was a show of art quilts that was curated by FRCQ member Lorri Flint and handled through Exhibits USA / Mid-America Arts Alliance. The work traveled to various venues throughout the U.S. from 2005-2009.

Since I made this work over six years ago, it was really surprising to see it again. What I was doing then was so different from my current work. In 2003, I was doing a lot of hand-dyeing and discharge, and I was busy making lots and lots of fabric with these methods in order to have a big stash to choose from when designing. Upon Reflection features various fabrics made using the technique of arashi shibori, which I first learned from my friend Shelly DeChantal (sorry, no web site) way back when.

It’s not so much that I made a conscious decision to stop making hand-dyed fabrics, but once I developed my present painting technique, I just found it was a lot more suited to my temperament and the way my brain works. Dyeing can get somewhat technical, with deciding how much of any given color to make, whether to do gradations, figuring out how much dye to use, proportions of other chemicals used, etc. And no getting around it — dyeing is also just plain hard work, especially the hot-water rinsing part. The manual labor aspect of it was kind of hard on the old body. Painting was the answer for me. No advance planning needed, and much more spontaneous to do.

Silent Witness, 50 x 27 inches, ©2003 Deidre Adams

This is the other piece from the Elements show. It represents a kind of transitional piece for my working style, when I started doing more with paint, even experimenting with painting on commercial fabrics. I also started piecing with larger sections of fabric at this time, as I had become rather impatient with the tedious joining of lots of small pieces that I had done prior to this.

Well, it’s nice to have a bit of history for my archives. I’ve been busy the past couple of weeks on design projects. Hope to have some time to get back into the studio tomorrow.

Side note: Don’t you hate it when you have to eat your words? Less than 2 months ago, I just said I wasn’t going to be joining Facebook any time soon. Well, not too long after that, I got an offer I could not refuse and so, with some trepidation, I went ahead and created my Facebook presence. So far, the sky hasn’t fallen, and my e-mail box hasn’t become clogged with spam. It’s even sort of fun. I haven’t totally figured out all the ins and outs of it, though, as there’s a lot to it. Will Twitter be next? It’s hard to imagine that anyone wants to hear my random braindroppings on any kind of regular basis, but I suppose I now realize you should never say “never.”

Façade VI, 38 x 63 inches, ©2008 Deidre Adams

Fabric of Legacies is an annual juried exhibition of art quilts shown at The Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, a beautiful center featuring performing arts events along with galleries for visual arts. This year’s show features work from 29 artists. It’s amazing to think that Fabric of Legacies is now in its 28th year, a positive affirmation of public interest in quilts as an art form.

I’m honored to have been invited to show my work as the featured artist for this year’s exhibition. Several of my pieces, including Façade VI, will be displayed in the Walkway Gallery near the other artists’ work for the duration of the exhibition.

Details:
28th Annual Fabric of Legacies Exhibition
July 6 – August 28, 2009
Lincoln Center
417 W. Magnolia St.
Fort Collins, Colorado

Gallery Hours: M-F 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Selected Saturdays: July 11, Aug. 8 and Aug. 11, 12:00-6:00 pm

There’s an opening reception on Friday, July 10, 5:00-7:00 pm. I’ll also be giving an informal artist’s talk on that day at 6:00 pm. If you’re in the area, hope you can make it!

Adds Up, 77 x 54 inches, ©2005 Cynthia Corbin

The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado is dedicated to the preservation of the art and history or American quilt making. They maintain a permanent collection of quilts with historical significance and offer exhibitions and educational events in the support of their mission. The exhibitions include both historical as well as contemporary offerings. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing the Speaking in Cloth: 6 Quilters, 6 Voices exhibition in person. I’ve had the book for awhile now, and I wrote about Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer’s work in a previous post. But it was a treat to see all the work in person, as photos usually don’t do justice to textile work, missing the nuances of texture and depth that are visible in the piece when you see it face-to-face.

Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer’s rich color and beautiful hand stitching create a lush environment of subtle light and shadow play on each rich surface. Ann Johnston uses her signature dye-painting techniques along with a diverse vocabulary of stitch patterns for her complex and dynamic compositions. Quinn Zander Corum includes beading and hand-stitching to invite the viewer to come in close for a better look. Her piece “The Back Forty,” consisting of 40 fully-developed small compositions, is a library of colors and techniques reminiscent of the traditional sampler quilt. Nancy Erickson invokes an ancient world where animals rule, realized with her personal iconography of cave paintings and her exhuberant brushwork. Trisha Hassler puts a unique spin on her mixed media work: she combines jagged, rusted steel with counterpoints of hand-dyed, quilted fabric pieces in a harmonious blending of hard and soft. Cynthia Corbin’s work is fascinating for its use of texture, both in the patterning of the fabrics as well as in the amazingly dense machine quilting which covers each piece. Her piece “Adds Up” is shown above, and here is a detail:

My only complaint about the show is that the exhibition space is unfortunately rather small, resulting in a very crowded show with pieces stacked one on top of the other. Some of the smaller works, which would have benefited from an eye-level viewing, were placed too high to see properly. But in any case, I highly recommend going to see this show. It’s up until January 31, 2009.

Also currently on view at the Museum is California Gold, an exhibit of quilts made in the 1870s and 1880s which include a warm yellow fabric of a color nicknamed “California Gold.” The exhibit honors the 150th anniversary of the Forty-Niners, pioneers who risked everything to travel west for the gold rush.

Turkey Tracks, 74 x 85 inches, c. 1885, collection of the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

The signage for this piece reads “Woe betide the quiltmaker who decided to stitch this pattern for her son! Turkey Tracks, also known as ‘Wandering Foot,’ was thought to encourage people who slept under it to become endless wanderers … especially boys.”

Reflections, 38 x 92, ©2008 Deidre Adams

UPDATE – 2:15 pm
Just found out from gallery manager they are NOT planning to be open tonight. I apologize if anyone is inconvenienced by this!

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As today is the first Friday in December, this means tonight there will be another opportunity to peruse the galleries in Denver’s ArtDistrict on Santa Fe, including Translations Gallery, where my solo show continues through January 2. Above is one of my latest works which is on exhibit at the gallery. This is the end result of the piece that you can see me working on in the video on the gallery’s home page.

Also, a reminder to anyone in the Denver metro area that the Speaking in Cloth: 6 Quilters, 6 Voices exhibition, featuring the work of Ann Johnston, Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer, Cynthia Corbin, Nancy Erickson, Quinn Zander Corum, and Trisha Hassler, is currently showing at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, through Jan. 31, 2009.

Façade V, 38 x 63 inches. ©2008 Deidre Adams.

Translations Gallery show opens tonight. After many weeks of preparing, getting new work finished, trying to come up with solid words to articulate my vision, and editing and preparing photos to go with the exhibition, it seems the big day of the opening has finally arrived. In the meantime, I’ve also been working on school assignments and then there was that little thing about an election. (Don’t you just hate people who go on and on about how busy they are? OK, I’ll shut up about that now.)

I went by the gallery yesterday where they were almost done hanging the show. It was a very cool thing seeing so much of my own work displayed in one place. The gallery owner and manager are simply amazing, and I cannot thank them enough for everything they’ve done, including mounting a lot of the work, sending out announcements and press releases, putting together an iPhoto book of my work, and commissioning a video of me talking about my work (currently visible on the home page of the gallery site but will probably move, so I’m not linking to it directly).

There is also another person who makes it possible for me to do what I do, and I am often remiss in expressing my gratitude to him. I’m talking about my husband, Joe, who works tirelessly cooking meals, making canvas frames and boards for me, fixing computer problems, being the parent contact with and volunteering at our son’s school, getting cars fixed, and doing a gazillion other things that free up my time to make art, not to mention being amazingly supportive even when he probably wants to thrash me.

OK, enough mushiness. Back to getting ready!