Check-in with Sheila Hicks

Travel plans to Philly included a talk by fiber artist Sheila Hicks at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  No visit to that museum is complete without a greeting from the you-know-who of inspiring athletic icons:

Sheila surprises her audience by using them  to spontaneously recreate an installation stored for years in the PMA's basement. This is made from nurses uniforms, dyed, torn and draped.  Sheila then gifted it to the Phil. Museum of Art, holder of the largest collection of her work.

Sheila Hicks describing the 'S' and 'Z' twist that gives this work its shimmer.

Then the next day at the ICA at Philadelphia University, we catch Sheila giving a personal lecture to a local textile group, and of course, hop on the tour!  She's generous enough to give autographs and photo opps.  A serendipitous meeting, all in perfect timing.  Ck out:  http://www.icaphila.org/miranda/

Sheila poses with some high school art students and a random teacher (that's me in front of her!)
May I Have this Dance? 2002-3, commissioned by Target

A-skew: Spontaneous installation

A little (St. Patrick's Day) surprise from my Art in Community class.   I knew something was 'up' when they were all seated and poised as I entered the room. You never know when art will happen and using a common household implement, they must have an amazing teacher!  Needless to say, I was delighted (times 2!) and the installation will stay in place (the photos don't do it justice).  Ck out the Colt dome in the background, a bonus view from my new art room.

Art Opening!

Two more fantastic opportunities to Go out…See Art! in one weekend.  First show is at the Gallery on the Green in Canton, a delightful intimate gallery with innovative art.  The second is the Market at 21, Hartford's new downtown market grown with love by the amazing team of Kelleanne and Ryan Jones. These two are always up to something new and wonderful!  Check out both openings and I'll see you there! 

March 18 through April 17, 2011

The public is warmly invited to attend the

Opening Reception, March 19, 2011 6-9 pm
Gallery on the Green, Canton CT

Route 44 & Dowd Avenue 

Gallery Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday 1-5 p.m.

860-693-4102     www.galleryonthegreen

The Market at Hartford 21 230 Asylum Street Hartford, CT 06103 PHONE: 860-560-2121 HOURS:  Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday - Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.ABOUT: Downtown Hartford's first urban grocer. An upscale food market featuring  prepared foods, a bakery, gelato, coffee bar, fresh meats and seafoods, local  produce and everything in between. You know - like toothpaste and floss,  cereal, sugar, flour, paper towels, TP and stuff.

ART AT THE MARKET

Sunday, March 20 2011

Announcing Art at the Market, a bi-monthly exhibit of local fine artists at the Market at 21. All six artists in the premier exhibition of Art at the Market are residents of Hartford ArtSpace. Future exhibits will be open to artists in surrounding towns and some shows will be themed.

Premier Opening Reception: Sunday, March 20, 2011, 1 to 3 pm

The curators are local artists and Hartford residents Tao LaBossiere and Amy Mielke. They are both featured in this premier exhibit. Together, Tao and Amy produce [un+art], Hartford’s largest un-juried, un-censored art exhibit and benefit for South Park Inn homeless shelter. They are also co-owners of the seasonal resort and retreat center, Still Waters Pond, in Voluntown, CT.

Field trip: Furniture extraordinaire

Heading up the Mass. pike a few weeks ago, Fuller Craft was the destination.  If you've never been there, I highly recommend a visit, they always have amazing exhibits - inspiring to say the least.  And the location adds to its charm, situated on a wooded pond.

Here are some pics from the exhibit, Furniture Divas, through Oct. 30, 2011 - beautifully crafted and designed!

Carved chest of drawers.

Jenna Goldberg - carved headboad

Barbara Holmes - reclaimed lath

Also on exhibit - these exquisitely made woven hanging forms paired with turned wooden pieces.  Too bad the gift shop didn't offer one of these for my collection of 'black hanging things' !

Loom and Lathe: The Art of Kay Sekimachi and Bob Stocksdale

Texture as Content

I enjoy these purely for their visual texture, something that's already prevalent in my paintings and installation work.  Touch immediately enriches our experience of the world around us and can be a vehicle that triggers memories and orients us to a place.

p.s.  to view full screen just click on each photo.

Melting Revelations

With temperatures creeping over the freezing mark, nature coaxes me outside to find art compositions in her tease towards Spring.  My morning walk with my dog, mom's garden and the reservoir provide plenty of inspiration.  My eye seems to gravitate to the textural and abstract elements, even when I'm surrounded by landscape.  Does that surprise anyone??  

cell phone photos:

point n shoot photos:

Art opening!

Opening this Sat. at Artspace Hartford: 

Lots of great artists, courtesy of Michael Shortell. 

PAPER NEW ENGLAND AT ARTSPACE GALLERY    Tourist Information, Marana, AZ by Gigi Horr Liverant  Paper New England presents MS Gallery Redux   Mary Barringer  Diane Brawarsky  Christine Brenner  Christopher Costelli    Robert Dente  Terry Feder Stepher Fisher  Jonathan Frechette  John Gintoff  Richard Harden  Chet Kempczynski  Janice LaMotta  Jim Lee  Gigi Horr Liverant    Robert Manning  Cathy Milio  Dennis Pinette  Howard Rackliffe    Irene Reed  Dan Rosenthal  Rachel Siporin  Ronald Sloan    Cary Smith  Elisa Tenenbaum  Beth Williams  John Willis  Kitty Winslow  February 27-March 26 Reception: March 5, 6-9 pm Artspace Gallery 555 Asylum Avenue Hartford, CT 06103 Free and open to the public For more information contact Michael Shortell 860 236-4787

Art Opening!

This invitation comes from one of my art history students who is dedicated to her artwork:
Go check it out in Hartford this Thurs. night.  An additional reception will also be held Thurs. 3/10 at 7:30.