Another beautiful day in the woods at Hambidge

... and a visit by this fellow while I was there:

 And saw this beautiful little iris...

Small sample section... adding color

A portion of the design I'm working on...

Retreat at Hambidge

Yes, I'm once again at the Hambidge Center for a few weeks of residency.  I have a design to develop for a commission and having time away to concentrate on this is good.

And, yes, ferns will be playing a major role in one part of the design.  More about it all later!

Plugging away at the feathers tapestry...

I'm within about 8" to 14" to the top of this piece now.  Pass by pass, it will be done!  Sooner rather than later, I hope.

Last week I was very pleased to learn that my tapestry, Quilt Fall, was selected for the Handweavers Guild of America Award in the exhibit, "In the Mind's Eye".   Here I am, standing proudly beside the tapestry... with the HGA award ribbon on the wall beside the piece.  

Photo is hot in the center from the lighting... but here's another photo of the tapestry.  The colors are still not quite right but this is better:

This tapestry was one of the first I did following my hand accident of a year and a half ago.  Several people mentioned to me that this doesn't look like my work (my images are usually related to nature in some way).  But when I wanted to tackle something large again after my hand seemed to be back in good working order I didn't have anything in mind for image.  So I dug out an idea from several years ago when I'd drawn this quilt several times over.  I'd made batiks from the drawings then and had liked the graphic quality of them.  And I thought that someday I'd like to weave the images in tapestry.  And that day came when I was ready to weave--but didn't have new nature-oriented ideas to tackle.   I wrote about it at the blog then at this link.

OK... enough time spent here!  I need to get back to those feathers... after all, they're not weaving themselves! 

Fiber Art Now, Spring 2013

Not long ago I saw a call of submissions for the spring issue of Fiber Art Now magazine.  The "On View" feature that's compiled by Elena Rosenberg was to feature the theme of Growth and Renewal.  Right away I thought I'd submit images of my tapestry diary work since growth is certainly a key feature of those pieces since they grow, bit by bit, as my days pass.  I was happy to have one of the tapestry diary pieces accepted.  My issue came the other day...

And, speaking of growth, my tapestry diary for 2013 is growing daily.  This year I'm using hand dyed samples in various combinations and with each month I'm doing something slightly different in the day.  For April, for instance, I'm using a single pass of a color selected from those used in March, placing it somewhere in the rectangle I weave for the day.  The color for the larger area is chosen from the dye samples I haven't used yet.  My out-of-town times are marked with woven areas of plain linen and eight of those days can be seen in this photo of the piece in progress.  

I finally finished ends and prepared the 2012 tapestry diary for hanging.  It will be included in the Tapestry Weavers South exhibit that's coming up at Quinlan Art Center soon.  I'm happy to have it on display since I haven't seen it hanging in its finished state.  I haven't gotten a good photo of it yet and hope to be able to do it while it's in the exhibit.  

And, after various trips and other distractions I'm finally working on the large feather tapestry again.  Hooray for that!  My goal is to finish the piece before I leave for Penland in late July.  I have another large tapestry in the planning stages and will be designing the cartoon for that when I'm at Hambidge for a residency in May.  

Beardie Cupcake Creations/Note Cards

Here's something off topic for tapestry... but for a very worthy cause!  My friend, Noel Thurner (owner of Norsk Fjord Fiber and also a pet therapist who works with her Beardie, Parker) has asked if I'd share about these very cute note cards.  Proceeds from the card sales go to the Carolinas Bearded Collie Club, the CBCC that's mentioned below. The organization does lots of things for and with beardies & their owners, including rescues and other worthwhile activities.  I'm happy to share this info!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lynda Black's marvelous Beardie cupcake creations she baked for the Holiday Bounce have now been immortalized! Judy Howard "cooked up" an idea to create sensational note cards and I felt they would make a great fundraiser for CBCC rescue efforts.  I personally like to call these a FUN-raiser. These cards are so darn cute!

The 4x6 notecards will please any recipient, either as a gift of a 6-pack or as a thank you note or just to send a cheerful hello. These are nicely packaged in eco-cell bags of 6 cards with envelopes. The price per 6-pack is $10 PPD. 

Please send your check made out to the CBCC to the treasurer:

Patrick Horan

117 Cash Road

Sapphire NC 28774

Upon receipt of your order, check to the CBCC and snail mail address, we will confirm with an e-mail [include that please] and send your cards first class mail ....  plus e-mailed instructions on how to make them! More fun! 

With a Beardie cupcake as my guide!

Noel

noel a thurner

www.carolinabeardies.org

www.savinghemlocks.org

Exhibitions

I'm happy to say that I've had tapestry works accepted into three juried exhibitions this spring.  One of the exhibits has been underway since March 30, another opens tonight and the third will open on April 13.

Here's the list along with links both to the shows and the jurors:

Fables of the Eco-Future

Weave Shed Gallery, Hambidge Center, Rabun Gap, Georgia

Visual and written works from Hambidge Fellows, juried by Lisa Alembik

March 30-June 8, 2013
Closing reception, June 8

Two of my tapestries were selected for the National Fiber Directions Exhibition in Kansas--

National Fiber Directions Exhibition, Wichita Center for theArts, Wichita, Kansas

Juried by Pauline Verbeek-Cowart

April 5-May 19, 2013

Opening April 5

In the Mind’s Eye, Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, Georgia

Biennial juried exhibit sponsored by Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild

April 13-June 30, 2013

Catharine Ellis, juror, will give a gallery talk on opening night, April 13, 6-8 p.m.

++++++
Update to this post... I want to also add the upcoming Tapestry Weavers South exhibit to this list.  I'll have several tapestries included in Threads of Life, an exhibit of works by members of TWS to be held at Quinlan Art Center, Gainesville, Georgia from April 18 through June 8.  The opening reception is on April 18 and Mary Zicafoose, who will be selecting award pieces, will be there.  Mary is also conducting a workshop in Gainesville sponsored by TWS on April 18, 19 and 20.